Childhood disability caused by cerebral palsy (CP) is a public health issue in Bangladesh. CP, the most common type of motor disability in childhood, may be caused by an injury to the developing brain, which occurs before, during or soon after birth. It is a lifelong disability that affects movement and is often accompanied by speech, cognitive, vision and hearing impairments.

In Bangladesh, there are about 260,000 children with cerebral palsy, according to CSF Global. A major portion of CP cases can be prevented by simple public health interventions such as institutionalised deliveries, training local health care workers on neonatal resuscitation, and preventing childhood infections. I hope the government will take this issue more seriously and take appropriate steps to combat CP.