Today, every newborn child in the hospital or any health facility is required to undergo newborn screening. This is one way to improve child health in different countries. The screening allows fir early detection of disorders. On this way, health institutions with the help of parents may know and do some medical interventions if detected and needed. Its goal mainly is to give all newborns a chance to live normal lives and safeguard them to reach their full potential.
Newborn screening is a public health program of screening in infants shortly after birth for a list of conditions that are treatable, but not clinically evident in the newborn period. Some of the conditions included in newborn screening programs are only detectable after irreversible damage has been done, in some cases sudden death is the first manifestation of a disease. Screening programs are often run by state or national governing bodies with the goal of screening all infants born in the jurisdiction. The number of diseases screened for is set by each jurisdiction, and can vary greatly. Most newborn screening tests are done by measuring metabolites and enzyme activity in whole blood samples collected on specialized filter paper, however many areas are starting to screen infants for hearing loss using automated auditory brainstem response and congenital heart defects using pulse oximetry. Infants who screen positive undergo further testing to determine if they are truly affected with a disease or if the test result was a false positive. Follow-up testing is typically coordinated between geneticists and the infant's pediatrician or primary care physician.
So how is the test of newborn screening being done?
First is the screening should be done within 48 hours or at least 24 hours from birth but not later than 3 days after complete delivery. The procedure is a newborn placed in intensive care may be exempted from the 3-day requirement but must be tested by 7 days of age.
After this, a few drops of blood is drawn from pricking the baby’s heel. Then it is blotched on a special absorbent card and dried for at least 4 hours. This procedure may be done by the physician, nurse, midwife, or medical technologist.
So, if a screening test suggests a problem, the baby’s doctor/ pediatrician will follow up with further testing. If those tests confirm a problem, the doctor may refer the baby to a specialist for treatment. Following doctor’s treatment plan can save the baby from lifelong health-related and developmental problems.
This is a very significant test that every newborn child has to undergo. Some babies, especially those living in the far flung areas, where health facility and institution are inaccessible, thus mothers do their labor/delivery at home; they will not have access to this test, thus giving them limited access to quality health care and services.
Leaders of all countries should ensure that every born child is able to exercise his/her rights to proper health care and services. A child has every right to live safe and healthy, right?
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