COLUMBIA, S.C. — Every year, about 1 in 33 babies born in the United States has a birth defect, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. However, many serious birth defects can be prevented, which is why the South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH), along with the National Birth Defects Prevention Network (NBDPN), is taking part in Folic Acid Awareness Week 2025.
This week (Sept. 7-14) is all about teaching people how folic acid can help prevent serious birth defects and why it’s important for women who can get pregnant to get enough every day. Folic acid is a man-made form of folate, a B vitamin that helps your body make new cells such as blood, skin, hair and brain cells. It’s especially important in the early stages of pregnancy when the baby’s brain and spine are starting to form.
“Folic acid can play a key role in lowering the risk of neural tube defects, which are severe birth defects of the brain and spine,” said DPH Birth Defects Program Manager Heather Blackwell. “These structures in the nervous system develop early in a pregnancy, so it is important that women who can get pregnant get an adequate amount of folic acid each day to prevent defects from occurring.”…