Latin American Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations (ECLAMC): A Model for Health Collaborative Studies

摘要

During the mid-sixties, the pandemic of congenital malformations produced by a new medication, thalidomide, stunned the world and triggered the creation of registries and surveillance systems in several countries, including Argentina. In 1967, a clinical epidemiologic research program started at the national Ministry of Health in this country. It mainly focused on causal identification, aimed at primary prevention of congenital anomalies. This program is now recognized as ECLAMC: Estudio Colaborativo Latinoamericano de Malformaciones Congénitas (Latin American Collaborative Study of Congenital Malformations; http://www.eclamc.org).