Cerebral Palsy in China

With medical developments, quality of life improves and infant mortality rates decrease gradually. Rates of birth defects, however, are on the rise. According to the Beijing Haihua Cerebral Palsy Hospital, China currently has more than 600 million people suffering from cerebral palsy, of which 178 million are under the age of 12. There are approximately 40,000 – 50,000 new cases of cerebral palsy (CP) every year in China. Moreover, 70% of the CP children in China live in poverty-stricken areas. (Source: http://www.hhnt120.com/yydt/846.html)

China is a vast and populated country with large disparities in healthcare and economic and social development. Some families can afford exorbitant medical fees, traveling from hospital to hospital for treatment. Meanwhile, in less developed regions, lack of knowledge, prevention, and access to maternal healthcare result in higher incidences of cerebral palsy. Therefore, many CP children’s conditions worsen since they do not have early access to effective treatment. The increase in CP rates combined with lack of rehabilitative resources and personnel prevent many CP children, especially those in poverty-stricken areas, from receiving necessary treatment and education.

It was not until the early 1980s that China began to study CP rehabilitation and prevention. Since then, research on CP has made significant steps forward. Research has helped society to pay more attention to cerebral palsy in recent years, including targeting the various causes that lead to CP, lessening risks, promoting advanced rehabilitative techniques, and forming a more complete rehabilitative system. CP rehabilitation needs the collaboration of many disciplines for systematic and comprehensive recovery, so it is important to detect, diagnose, and treat CP early.