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Birth Anomalies Surveillance System (BASS)

Governor Brown has declared January 2022 Birth Anomalies Awareness Month. The Birth Anomaly Surveillance System would like to thank Oregon Family to Family Health Information Center for their collaboration on this project.
 
 

What is the BASS?

The BASS is a public health surveillance system. It tracks children from birth to age 6 who have at least one of 50 birth anomalies.

The system links existing information from Medicaid claims, hospital discharge data, birth and death certificate, and the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) program.

The BASS connects affected children and their families with information, resources, and referrals through partnerships with Oregon Center for Children and Youth with Special Health Needs (OCCYSHN), Oregon Family to Family Health Information Center, and Oregon 211Info.

Contact BASS Preventing Birth Anomalies

Why do we need the BASS?

Birth anomalies are common, costly, and critical.

About 45,500 babies are born in Oregon each year. Between 2009 and 2013, 2,657 children had at least one of the initial 12 birth anomalies that were tracked.

Birth anomalies are costly and impact both families and the health care system. Hospitalizations for birth anomalies cost more than $22.9 billion each year in the United States.

Why these 50 birth anomalies?

There are over 4,000 different types of birth anomalies. The BASS tracks 50 birth anomalies.

Learn more about these birth anomalies by visiting Oregon Family to Family Health Information Center's website.

What is Cytomegalovirus (CMV)? 

Cytomegalovirus (sy-toe-MEG-a-low-vy-rus) is a common virus that infects people of all ages. CMV is passed from one person to another through contact with body fluids like urine (pee), saliva (drool), blood or mucus (snot). Most children and adults who get CMV will not have signs of illness, or they may have signs like those of common illnesses such as colds. 

Download the CMV Fact Sheet

Glossary of birth anomaly terms 

See our glossary of birth anomaly terms in plain language.

BASS Glossary.pdfBASS Glossary.pdf

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Background

The BASS program started collecting birth anomalies data in 2011. At that time, only 12 birth anomalies were tracked.

The BASS was funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the first time in 2016. The BASS expanded the number of birth anomalies it tracked from 12 to 50.

Program Contacts