Case 16: Prevention of Neural-Tube Defects in Chile

C hile, a country credited for its rapid social and economic progress relative to its Latin American neighbors, again asserted its leadership in public health when in the year 2000 the government successfully implemented the cost-saving fortification of wheat flour with folic acid to prevent neural-tube defects, a congenital malformation. Like other micronutrient programs, the low cost of inputs and the large scale of reach and impact add up to unbeatable cost-effectiveness. In this case, Chile’s evidencebased approach to identifying promising interventions, and rapid rollout, resulted in both better health of children and savings to the health system through the prevention of one common type of birth defect, neuraltube defects. Case 16 Prevention of Neural-Tube Defects in Chile