100,000 Children Rescued from Life-long Clubfoot Disability

    NEW CUMBERLAND, PA, July 26, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Committed to eliminating clubfoot as a lifelong disability by 2030, today CURE announced that they have enrolled over 100,000 children in their treatment program. Clubfoot is a pervasive problem in the developing world, with 158,000 afflicted children born every year in areas where treatment is limited or non-existent. Without intervention, these children are destined to grow up with a permanent disability. CURE International is seeking to change that.

Since launching in 2006, CURE's clubfoot program has grown to be the largest provider of clubfoot treatment worldwide, active in 17 low- and middle-income countries. Earlier this year, CURE passed 100,000 total children enrolled in treatment since inception, with more than 16,000 children expected to enroll in 2017 alone.

Clubfoot may not be a familiar term, but it is the most common musculoskeletal birth defect, occurring in one out of every 800 births. A foot with this condition is turned inward and downward, and when left untreated, the child grows up walking on the side of their foot or not at all. Fortunately, treatment via the Ponseti method is inexpensive and, in high-income countries, readily available. Most children in the United States who are born with clubfoot have it fully corrected before they are ready to take their first steps and grow up with no memory of the condition.

In low- and middle-income countries, however, most children do not have access to the care needed to correct it. The result: permanent disability, social rejection, and limited options. CURE is seeking to change that. By partnering with government hospitals and clinics, CURE is able to bring the training and resources needed to equip local health care providers with the ability to treat clubfoot via the Ponseti method. Because the cost is so low and the treatment method so successful, CURE and other partner organizations are hopeful of eliminating clubfoot as a lifelong disability within our lifetime. A child who completes Ponseti treatment with CURE grows up with normal feet, able to fully participate in society and the work force.

About CURE International

CURE International is a Christian health care network that operates charitable hospitals and programs in 29 countries worldwide where patients experience the life-changing message of God's love for them, receiving surgical treatment regardless of gender, religion, or ethnicity. Since 1998, CURE has had over 3.3 million outpatient visits, provided over 230,000 life-changing surgeries, and trained over 8,100 medical professionals. For more information, visit https://cure.org/.

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