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May 16, 2008
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Gov. Blunt Recognizes Prematurity Awareness DayJEFFERSON CITY - Gov. Matt Blunt and First Lady Melanie Blunt today hosted a reception to celebrate March of Dimes volunteers and officially recognize Prematurity Awareness Day. To honor the occasion the governor and first lady will display pink, white and blue luminaries on the Missouri Governor''s Mansion grounds this evening. "Every expectant parent prays for a healthy pregnancy and the healthy birth of their baby and I commend the March of Dimes for their work to support research and advocacy to improve the health of infants by preventing birth defects, pre-mature births, and infant mortality," Gov. Blunt said. "I was pleased to sign legislation expanding access to newborn screenings in our state helping to safeguard Missouri infants'' health." The governor and first lady have seen first hand how research and support work together to provide hope for children and their families. They have visited with families at the Cox Medical Center Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit in Springfield and Children''s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. "There is no greater miracle than the gift of life and no greater blessing than the birth of a child," said First Lady Melanie Blunt. "We celebrate the March of Dimes in part for their tremendous gains in research and prevention and for their diligent work to give all babies a better chance at life." According to the March of Dimes, in Missouri 194 babies are born too soon each week and more than 10,000 babies are born too soon every year. In the city of St. Louis and parts of the Bootheel, almost one in five babies is born premature. Premature birth is the leading cause of death for babies who die before their first birthday. Every week in Missouri, 12 babies die before they turn one. Unfortunately, the number of premature births continues to rise and has increased by more than 30 percent since 1981. In half the cases, the reason for premature birth is not known. Doctors do know that if a woman does not smoke, eats a good diet, takes folic acid, and gets proper pre-natal care, there is a better chance of the mother carrying the baby to term. The Surgeon General reported in 2006 that cigarette smoking increases the risk for infertility, preterm delivery, stillbirth, low birth weight, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Gov. Blunt has made newborn screening a priority. Before he became governor, the state of Missouri was only screening newborns for five conditions. Today, Missouri performs 28 of the 29 conditions recommended for testing by the March of Dimes. The 29th will be added this year, making Missouri just the 14th state in the nation to test for all of the recommended diseases. For nearly seventy years, the March of Dimes has been funding research to fight childhood diseases. They started in 1938 by taking on polio, and by the early 1950s had found a cure. As a result, there has not been a new case of polio in the Western Hemisphere since 1991. Today, the March of Dimes encourages community service, raises public awareness, and funds research and advocacy to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, pre-mature births, and infant mortality. In Missouri, the March of Dimes invests about $5 million a year in education, research, community support, and advocacy. ###
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