Preventing birth defects: The case for food fortification
A neurosurgeon in Nigeria advocates for food fortification with folic acid to prevent neural tube defects like spina bifida. The article argues that since many low-income families lack access to nutrient-rich diets, fortifying staple foods is a critical public health intervention.
Why it matters
Addressing nutritional deficiencies through systemic food policy can significantly reduce infant mortality and lifelong disability in developing nations.
As a neurosurgeon in Nigeria, I have operated on newborns with their spinal cords exposed—babies only days old, already enduring invasive surgery to survive. These are not rare or mysterious cases. They are children born with spina bifida, a devastating neural tube defect that forms in the earliest weeks of pregnancy, often before a woman even knows she is expecting.
The article presents a medical and public health argument based on professional experience and established nutritional science.
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