Tuesday, April 15, 2008 Metabolic newborn screening program
IN THE Philippines, at least 33,000 babies die or develop mental retardation. This may have been prevented if they were screened and diagnosed properly.
The screening of newborns was started in the Philippines in 1996 through the efforts of the Newborn Screening Study Group with the screening of 5 disorders: phenylketonuria (PKU); congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH); congenital hypothyroidism (CH); galactosemia (GAL); and homocystinuria (HCY). In 1998, HCY was dropped from the panel and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency was added.
Cost benefits analysis by Dr. Leonila F Dans showed that newborn screening for Congenital Hypothyroidism alone had net benefits of US$5 million or P215 million annually.
In 1998, the Department of Health (DOH) explored the inclusion of newborn screening as part of its programs.
In 2000, DOH issued an order entitled "Policies on the Nationwide Implementation of Newborn Screening". It said that by 2004, newborn screening "shall be" a part of standard newborn care.
The screening shall ensure that every baby born in the Philippines is offered the opportunity to undergo newborn screening and thus be spared from heritable conditions that can lead to mental retardation and death if undetected and untreated.
The "newborn screening test" is to test every newborn for certain harmful or potentially fatal disorder that are not otherwise apparent upon birth.
Many cases are of metabolic disorders often called inborn errors of metabolism, which interfere with the body's use of nutrients to maintain physical health and produce energy.
Other disorders include problems on hormones and blood.
The objectives of the National Newborn Screening System are:
1. To ensure that every newborn has access to newborn screening for certain heritable conditions that can result in mental retardation, serious health complications or death if left undetected and untreated;
2. To establish a screening system within the public health delivery system;
3. To ensure that all health practitioners are aware of the advantages of newborn screening and of their responsibilities in offering newborns the opportunity to undergo newborn screening; and
4. To ensure that parents recognize their responsibility in promoting their child's right to health and full development, within the context of responsible parenthood, by protecting their child from preventable causes of disability and death through newborn screening.
This law has been in effect since 2004. But, the public has yet to know of the benefits of newborn screening.
