Birth Defects Program

Kansas Birth Defects Program

The Kansas Birth Defects Program is responsible for the collection of information concerning congenital anomalies, stillbirths and abnormal conditions of newborns and children up to the age of 5 in the state of Kansas. The Kansas Birth Defects Program is a passive surveillance system that relies on the reporting of birthing hospitals and other healthcare providers.

Reporting Resources

  1. Statutory Authority & Funding
  2. Mission & Purpose
  3. World Birth Defects Day
  4. Share Your Feedback

Background

Kansas has been collecting birth defects information from the Kansas birth certificate since 1979. The passage of Senate Bill 418 in the 2004 Legislative session provided statutory authority, via K.S.A. 65-1,241 through 65-1,246 (PDF), to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) to establish a birth defects information system. In 2010, K.A.R. 28-4-520 through K.A.R. 28-4-521 expanded the list of congenital anomalies reportable to KDHE. In fall of 2016, KDHE applied for and was awarded funding through CDC's Surveillance, Intervention, and Referral Services for Infants with Microcephaly and other Adverse Outcomes linked with the Zika Virus. Through this funding opportunity, Kansas is taking steps to enhance the current passive birth defects surveillance system.