For immediate release: August 12, 2008 (08-134)

Contacts:
Mike Glass, Newborn Screening Program 206-418-5470

Allison Cook, Communications Office 360-236-4022

Number of newborn screening tests more than doubles in Washington

OLYMPIA ¾ State health officials are now screening all newborns in Washington for an additional 14 disabling or life-threatening conditions. Later this month a fifteenth condition that requires a more complex testing procedure will be added to the screening process.

This puts into place the last of the new regulations adopted by the state Board of Health in May; the deadline was the end of September.

All of the newly screened conditions are caused by defects in one of the many pathways the body uses to breakdown proteins or use stored fats to produce energy. And all can be disabling or deadly, but if detected in time through screening, they can be successfully treated.

“Newborn screening can save families a lifetime of emotional trauma,” said Secretary of Health Mary Selecky. “Protecting the health of our children is an investment in the health of all people in the state.”

The state Board of Health and the Department of Health worked with parents, child advocates, and medical professionals in considering these new screens. The board reviewed 16 conditions recommended by national organizations and approved 15. One condition was rejected because of a lack of sufficient potential to prevent or effectively treat it.

Newborn screening is performed on every infant born in Washington to test for treatable disorders. Since universal testing of infants began in our state in 1977, more than 1,000 babies have been diagnosed and treated for serious disorders.

Testing is performed on a small blood sample taken from the baby’s heel. It’s dried on special paper and sent to the agency’s Public Health Laboratories in Shoreline. The screening program is supported by a fee that is charged through the hospital.

“There’s nothing more precious than a newborn baby and parents want to do everything they can to protect them; these additional tests will help detect conditions that can really hurt a baby,” said State Health Officer Dr. Maxine Hayes, a pediatrician. “Newborn screening can help find disorders that might go undetected until they cause permanent damage or death.”

Screening for the 14 additional disorders began in late July. When last of the 15 new screens is in place later this month, the state’s testing will include all but one of the disorders recommended by the March of Dimes (www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/298_834.asp). More information on newborn screening (www.doh.wa.gov/ehsphl/phl/newborn/default.htm) is available on the Department of Health’s Web site.

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