TNMU teachers and students organized information campaign on the World Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Day

On October 25, 2019, an event dedicated to the World Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Day took place at Ternopil Theater Square. The event was attended by teachers of the Department of Pediatric Diseases and Pediatric Surgery of I. Horbachevsky Ternopil National Medical University, Assistants K. T. Hlushko, E. I. Burbela, L. I. Dobrovolska, Ya. V. Rohalska, Associate Professor N. M. Yarema, 3rd-, 5th-, 6th-year medical students and representatives of the public organization of parents of children with spina bifida “Siaivo dukhu” Mariana Koshmaniuk and Iryna Khaiietska.

Spina Bifida is a pathology that occurs at a fairly early date (the first 4 weeks) of pregnancy, when most women do not know that they are expecting due to the failure of the neural tube closure. This leads to varying degrees of damage to the spine and nervous system. Almost 80% of children continue to develop hydrocephalus. However, in more than 70% of cases, the development of this birth defect can be prevented. NGO “Association of parents of children with spina bifida and hydrocephalus ‘Siaivo dukhu'” together with scientists of the Department of Pediatric Diseases and Pediatric Surgery and active students of the medical faculty, distributed booklets, calendars, ribbons informing about the prevention of this condition, the need for folic acid consumption in women of childbearing age, and pregnancy planning.

We hope that the information campaign will draw women’s attention to the problem of responsible planning of pregnancy and prevention of birth defects.

The organizers thank all the participants of the event and students of medical faculty.