Cerebral palsy numbers declining ?

I have seen a number of reports on the Internet stating that  cerebral palsy numbers are on the decline and this suggests improvement in quality of perinatal care.  These are highlighting the results of a study carried out in the Netherlands which will appear in the Journal of Pediatrics. The jornal website states:

Because cerebral palsy is a result of brain injury received shortly before, during, or soon after birth, the number of infants being diagnosed with the condition is a good indicator of the quality of perinatal and neonatal care. An article soon to be published in The Journal of Pediatrics indicates that the rates of cerebral palsy have declined dramatically in the past 15 years.

 

 For fmore information go to http://www.jpeds.com/content/JPEDSvanHaastertdeVries

This study by researchers in the Netherlands  has been reported  quite widely  e.g.

http://www.news-medical.net/news/20110303/Rates-of-cerebral-palsy-decline-among-children-born-prematurely.aspx

http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2011/03/04/cerebral-palsy-decline/12494/

http://esciencenews.com/sources/science.daily/2011/03/05/decline.cerebral.palsy.diagnoses.premature.infants.suggests.improvements.perinatal.care

Perhaps it would be wise to wait until a closer look at the study and its findings is possible when the article is published in the March issue of the Jurnal of Pediatrics, but any improvement in  medical care  that produces such results,  certainly has to be good news.