So, exactly how many people in Washington have Spina Bifida?
There is no official count of the number of persons with Spina Bifida (SB) in the
state of Washington. However, the Washington Department of Health recently issued
new estimates on the prevalence of Spina Bifida in the state. Based on these statistics,
the SBAWS approximates that about 1500 people in Washington have Spina Bifida. However,
Dr. David Shurtleff, Medical Advisor to SBAWS, points out that assessments like the
one done by the health department are still just educated guesses because there are
no standards regarding which types of Spina Bifida are counted nor are all new Spina
Bifida births reported accurately. To read the full report from the Washington Dept.
of Health, go to http://www.nbdpn.org/current/2009p df/StateProfiles/WA_2009.pdf
