A Cluster of Central Nervous System Defects in Jamaica

Abstract

1 Information was collected on all stillbirths and neonatal deaths on the island of Jamaica during the 12-month period between September 1986 and August 1987.

2 There were 33 such deaths with anencephaly, spina bifida and hydrocephalus out of an estimated 54 400 total births.

3 There was a statistically significant cluster in respect to time of conception in one small rural area of the island.

4 There were no obvious differences between parents involved in the cluster and the rest of the population, but particular Jamaican fruit and vegetables have been shown to be teratogenic in animals. It is postulated that the cluster may have been associated with an unripe crop.