ABSTRACT
The publication of the Medical Research Council (MRC) study, in 1991, proving
that folic acid will prevent most cases of spina bifida forever changed the epide-
miology and public health aspects of spina bifida (4). We learned, in a single
study, the answer to what causes most children to have spina bifida. Spina
bifida is a folate deficiency disease. Rather than a focus on seeking clues to etiol-
ogy, the primary focus of epidemiologists and public health professionals could
shift to ending the global epidemic of folic acid-preventable spina bifida (5).
