Creating awareness for the cleft lip and palate community

Twelve children with CLP were present at the launch of Malaysia's first Cleft Awareness Month, including this young girl who cuts the cake made specially for the occasion. Photo: CLAPAM

October marks the first ever Cleft Awareness Month in Malaysia.

Cleft lip and palate (CLP), collectively referred to as orofacial cleft, is one of the most common congenital conditions occurring in Malaysia. Its reported occurrence is one in every 700 live births. Approximately 800-1,000 CLP babies are born in the country every year (the number of live births is 487,957 in 2019, Department of Statistics Malaysia).