Political Quotes

“today I wish to ask my Senate colleagues to join me in designating April 2017 as National Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Awareness Month. Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia, also known as CDH, is a birth defect that occurs when the fetal diaphragm fails to fully develop, allowing abdominal organs to move into the chest cavity and preventing lung growth. When the lungs do not develop properly during pregnancy, it can be difficult for the baby to breathe after birth, or the baby is unable to take in enough oxygen to stay healthy. Congenital diaphragmatic hernia is a birth defect that occurs in 1 out of every 2,500 live births worldwide. Only about 50 percent of CDH cases are diagnosed in utero. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, estimates that CDH affects 1,600 babies in the U.S. each year. Every 10 minutes, a baby is born with CDH, adding up to more than 700,000 babies with CDH since 2000. According to the CDC, babies born with CDH experience a high mortality rate ranging from 20 to 60 percent, depending on the severity of the defect and the treatments available at delivery; yet most people have never heard of CDH. Researchers are making great progress to determine the cause of this birth defect and to identify optimal treatment methods. In fiscal year 2017, the National Institutes of Health funded approximately $4 million in CDH research, an increase of $700,000 from fiscal year 2015. There is still much progress to be made, however.…”