GungnirSniper writes:
"In the US State of Washington, the rare birth defect anencephaly has become slightly more common, worrying would-be parents and baffling epidemiologists. TechTimes.com reports that the health records of a single three-county area in Washington State 'revealed 23 cases of anencephaly in 36 months, between January 2010 and 2013. This translates to a rate of 8.4 births out of every 10,000. That is four times the normal occurrence for the rare disorder.'
A group of epidemiologists working for the state's Department of Health reported finding no clear cause for the exceptional prevalence of this fatal birth defect. But they are now accused of not looking hard enough for the cause. Dr. Beate Ritz, who has done several studies on birth defects, told CNN that the data quality on medical records, which were the primary source of data used in the study, 'is so low that it's not really research'.
Washington's Department of Health has admitted that 'Medical record reviews might not have captured all information, preventing a cause from being identified,' and says its officials will continue monitoring births, and look for possible causes.
(Score: 1) by demonlapin on Monday March 03 2014, @07:32PM
As long as the IRB approves it, not really. And dead babies don't have privacy interests.
(Score: 2) by frojack on Monday March 03 2014, @07:53PM
One does not research dead babies.
One researches living mothers.
Discussion should abhor vacuity, as space does a vacuum.
(Score: 1) by demonlapin on Monday March 03 2014, @11:25PM