Newborn Screening

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Part of the Millenium Development Goals by 2015 is to reduce child mortality and under this goal is to provide early detection and early intervention for diseases that impact long-term health of the children. Newborn Screening (NBS) has been one of the measures to achieving this goal. In the Philippines, the state has mandated that every child born be offered this screening test as a right to survival and healthy development as normal individuals. This procedure screens for six congenital metabolic disorders: Congenital Hypothyroidism, Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, Galactosemia, Phenylketonuria, G6PD Deficiency, and Maple Syrup Urine Disease. It has been estimated that 33,000 infants every year, nearly four every hour, are affected by any of these disorders. When left untreated, these may lead to mental retardation or even death.

NBS is ideally done immediately after 24 hours from birth, when the baby has begun feeding. A heel prick blood sample is taken and blotted on a special absorbent filter card and sent to the Newborn Screening Center. When an infant tests negative, the results are normal. However, when it is a positive screen, he/she is brought back for confirmatory testing and further management.

Thus, it is the responsibility of the health practitioners to be aware of the advantages of newborn screening and to educate parents of these advantages in promoting health to their children; protecting them from disabilities associated with disorders that could have been prevented and be treated early.

October is the Newborn Screening Month

Written by Cybelle Caramba of Batch Asterion