Twenty-four years ago, the US Public Health Service recommended that women of childbearing age should daily consume 400 micrograms of folic acid to help prevent certain neural tube defects, namely spina bifida and anencephaly. CDC played a leading role in the making of that important recommendation.

Dr. Godfrey P. Oakley, Jr, MD was interviewed by the Food Fortification Initiative on the benefits of fortifying food with folic acid.

Individuals living with spina bifida and their parents talk about their lives and spina bifida. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

The video documents the compelling story of how Folic Acid fortification has become a staple in the lives of women of child-bearing age everywhere to protect their babies from developing major birth defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly that are either fatal or have serious, long-term consequences for the child. The documentary short chronicles how spina bifida F could be the next major health problem eradicated after smallpox and polio. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)