Updated Mar 03, 2021 | 07:15 IST World Birth Defects Day started in 2015 by the World Health Organization is celebrated every year on March 3 to raise awareness for congenital disorders and has now become a movement. World Birth Defects Day - Birth defects are preventable if managed well with structured treatment protocols | Photo Credit: Unsplash New Delhi: About 8 million babies worldwide are born each year with serious birth defects (structural, functional and metabolic). About 3 lakh newborn (1 in 10) and about 5 lakh children under 5 die every year with maximum deaths reported in southeast Asia. Birth defects prevalence in India varies between 61 to 69.9/1000 live births. The high incidence of birth defects in India is mainly attributed to high fertility, unplanned pregnancies, poor antenatal care, poor maternal nutrition, consanguineous marriages etc. Furthermore, the majority of new-borns with a serious congenital disorder that survives, face a lifetime of severe disability.