11:49 AM EDT on Monday, July 25, 2005

Associated Press

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -- The state Department of Health will offer free folic acid supplements to patients at family planning clinics across Virginia to help reduce the risk of birth defects.

Studies have shown that daily doses of 400 micrograms of the B vitamin can reduce by 70 percent the risks of brain and spine defects in newborns, such as spina bifida and anencephaly, the department said in a news release issued Monday.

"These birth defects can occur during the first month of pregnancy when most women could not even know they are expecting," state Health Commissioner Robert B. Stroube said in a statement. "That is why it is important for women who may become pregnant to take folic acid regularly."

The health department estimated that approximately 43,000 women, or 59 percent of the department's family planning patients, are expected to receive the supplement during the two-year program, which starts this month.

The program targets 19 health districts that have spina bifida rates of at least 5.24 per 10,000 live births. Districts whose family planning clients were at least 29 percent Hispanic were also chosen because of studies that have shown higher rates of neural tube birth defects among that population. Most of these districts are located in northern Virginia.

Kathy Orchen, coordinator of the department's folic acid distribution, said in a statement, "We are using the two most effective ways to increase the use of folic acid -- providing advice from a health care provider and distributing the supplement directly to clients."

About 40 children are born each year in Virginia with spina bifida, which is caused when a baby's spine does not close properly. For anancephaly, which occurs when the brain does not form properly, the number is about 10.

(Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)