Is spina bifida a rare disease?

Spina bifida occurs in about 1 in every 2,000 births. I was born with spina bifida.

In the United States, spina bifida occurs in about 7 out of 10,000 live births.

If you are planning on getting pregnant, take your folic acid!

An estimated 70,000 people in the United States are currently living with spina bifida, the most common permanently disabling birth defect. Spina Bifida is a neural tube defect that happens in the first month of pregnancy when the spinal column doesn鈥檛 close completely. There are 60 million women at risk of having a baby born with Spina Bifida. Everyday, an average of 8 babies are affected by Spina Bifida or a similar birth defect of the brain and spine. Each year, about 3,000 pregnancies are affected by these birth defects.

Spina Bifida occurs in 7 out of every 10,000 live births in the United States. 95 percent of neural tube defects (NTDs) occur in women with no personal or family history of NTDs. However, according to the CDC, some risk factors are known :

A previous NTD-affected pregnancy increases a woman鈥檚 chance to have another NTD-affected pregnancy approximately 20 times;
Maternal insulin-dependent diabetes;
Use of certain anti-seizure medication (Valproic acid/Depakene, and Carbamazapine/Tegretol);
Medically diagnosed obesity;
High temperatures in early pregnancy (i.e., prolonged fevers and hot tub use);
Race/ethnicity (NTDs are more common among white women than black women and more common among Hispanic women than non-Hispanic women); and
Lower socio-economic status.

I went to a web site and here is what I found out.
Topic Overview


What is spina bifida?
Spina bifida is a birth defect in which the bones of the spine (vertebrae) do not form properly around the spinal cord. This can occur anywhere along the spine. Spina bifida is the most common of a group of birth defects called neural tube defects.

Spina bifida develops in a fetus early in pregnancy, often before a woman knows she is pregnant. In the United States, about 1 in every 2,000 children is born with spina bifida.1 It is one of the most common birth defects, although the rates have steadily declined in recent years.

There are two main types of spina bifida: spina bifida occulta and spina bifida manifesta.

Spina bifida occulta is the mildest and most common form. The spinal defect is hidden under the skin and does not usually cause problems or need treatment. Doctors estimate that 10% to 24% of the general population unknowingly have this spinal defect.2, 3 In some cases, a dimple, depression, birthmark, or hairy patch forms over the skin where more than one vertebrae is affected. This is referred to as occult spinal dysraphism (OSD).
Spina bifida manifesta is the severe but rare form of this birth defect. It often is associated with nerve damage that can result in problems with walking, bladder control, and coordination. It can be separated into two classes, meningocele and myelomeningocele.
In meningocele, fluid leaks out of the spinal canal, causing a swollen area over the baby's spine.
In myelomeningocele, a segment of the spinal nerves pushes out of the spinal canal against the underside of the skin. The nerves are often damaged. In the worst cases, the skin is open and the nerves are exposed to the outside of the body.

When I was born in '81 it occured in 1 of 1000 births, I don't know the exact statistics of now but I think they are pretty close to that.