Abstract:

Background: Congenital anomalies or birth defects are among the leading causes of infant mortality and morbidity around the world. The impact of congenital anomalies is particularly severe in middle and low-income countries like Tanzania where health care resources are limited. The prevalence of congenital anomalies varies in different parts of the world, which could reflect different etiological factors in different geographical regions.

Methodology: This was a retrospective hospital-based study which was done at Shinyanga Regional Referral hospital involving infant admitted from January 2017 to December 2018. Infants with no specific anomaly were not included in the study. Case files were used to collect infant’s information involving about 119 samples. Data was Analyzed using SPSS version 20.

Significance of the Study: This study will help to determine the prevalence, spatial distribution and associated factors of report congenital anomalies among infants admitted at Shinyanga Referral hospital, northern Tanzania.

Results: Among 119 infants obtained 63(52.9%) are boys, 56(47.1) are girl, in which being a boy seem to be risk factor. The most encountered age is between 5 to 8 months in which there about 49(41.2%) infants and least encountered age group was month 9-12 which there was 2(1.5%) infants. With the prevalence of 10.4 per 1000 live birth.

Conclusion: Public awareness about preventable risk factors is to be created and early prenatal diagnosis and management of common anomalies is strongly recommended.