Newborn Screening Program | Department of Health website (2023)

FAQs

How many conditions are screened for on the newborn blood spot test? ›

Newborn blood spot screening involves taking a blood sample to find out if your baby has 1 of 9 rare but serious health conditions. Most babies won't have any of these conditions but, for the few who do, the benefits of screening are enormous.

As well as being used to take blood samples, these cards record personal information, including a baby's name, date of birth, address and NHS number; the mother's name; and contact details of the GP and midwife. These are needed to make sure the results of the screening tests are matched to the right baby.

- The DOH and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC) shall require health institutions to provide newborn screening services as a condition for licensure or accreditation.

The NHS recommends NBS screening because it can improve health and prevent severe disability or even death. However, screening is always a choice and parents can decline it for their baby if they wish.

The PPVs, however, range from 0.5% to 6.0%. Consequently, on average, there are more than 50 false-positive results for every true-positive result identified through newborn screening in the United States.

Both tests are quick (5-10 minutes), safe and comfortable with no activity required from your child. In fact, these tests are often performed while a baby is asleep. One or both tests may be used.

Newborn screening tests are free. The tests are not compulsory, and parents may refuse the test on behalf of their baby, but this could unnecessarily risk the baby's health. Read more information about the tests used in Disorders we test for.

Down syndrome is usually diagnosed during pregnancy. If Down syndrome is not diagnosed during pregnancy, health care providers can usually diagnose Down syndrome based on the infant's appearance. In such cases, the diagnosis should be confirmed using a blood test that examines the child's chromosomes (karyotype).

What is the mandate for performing Newborn Screening on every baby? – RA 9288 known as the “Newborn Screening Act of 2004” with its Implementing Rules and Regulations.

Who are benefited from newborn screening test and how are they benefited? ›

Generally, babies with possibly severe health conditions look normal at first. Therefore, parents must have their babies undergo newborn screening to be aware of such conditions as early as possible. Early diagnosis and prompt management may prevent life-threatening problems and help with their normal development.

ENBS is available in hospitals, lying-ins, rural health units, health centers and some private clinics. How much is ENBS? Expanded newborn screening costs ₱1750 and is included in the Newborn Care Package (NCP) for PhilHealth members.

IMPORTANCE Dried blood spot (DBS) collection provides an easy, practical, and acceptable alternative to venous blood collection, especially for community-based studies, provided that results from DBS are accurate.

The newborn blood spot screen should be collected between 24 and 48 hours of age. A small sample of blood is collected from the baby's heel and placed on a special filter paper.

False-negative results occur because screening tests are imperfect, with sensitivity less than 100%, meaning they are unable to detect all disease present, especially early disease.

Newborn hearing screening might identify infants likely to receive an autism diagnosis, according to research from Harvard University appearing in Autism Research, a publication of the International Society for Autism Research.

Possible causes for invalid or unsatisfactory specimens include, but are not limited to: Specimen quantity insufficient for testing. Specimen appears scratched or abraded. Specimen not dry before mailing.

Timing. Timing of blood spot collection is important for accurately interpreting test results. Tests for some of the disorders on the newborn screening panel have different cutoff values based on the infant's age (in hours) at the time of blood spot collection.

What does an abnormal newborn screening mean? ›

An "abnormal" result means that the test results were not normal. "Abnormal" results may appear on the newborn screening report for some of the disorders on the newborn screening panel.

If your newborn fails the hearing screening, arrange for follow-up testing as soon as possible. If your baby has hearing loss, having them tested and treated right away will likely produce better outcomes for your baby. Your baby will receive ABR and OAE testing at their follow-up evaluation at CHOP.

Newborn screening is done 48-72 hours after your baby's birth. Your doctor or midwife will talk with you about newborn screening and ask for your permission to do the test. If you consent, you'll be asked to sign a form or a newborn screening card.

How Is Newborn Screening Done? A small blood sample taken by pricking the baby's heel is tested. This happens before the baby leaves the hospital, usually at 1 or 2 days of age. Talk to your doctor about newborn screening if your baby was not born in a hospital.

Preterm and low birth weight infants should undergo screening at 48-72 h postnatal age. Sick babies should be screened at least by 7 d of age. Venous confirmatory TSH >20 mIU/L before age 2 wk and >10 mIU/L after age 2 wk, with low T4 (<10 μg/dL) or FT4 (<1.17 ng/dL) indicate primary CH and treatment initiation.

While it is highly discouraged, you may say “no” to screening of your newborn if you have religious objections to this testing. You must refuse in writing.

Risk factors include: Advancing maternal age. A woman's chances of giving birth to a child with Down syndrome increase with age because older eggs have a greater risk of improper chromosome division. A woman's risk of conceiving a child with Down syndrome increases after 35 years of age.

Only iron alone showed a protective effect against Down's syndrome (odds ratio 0.4, 95% confidence interval 0.1 to 0.9). The use of antioxidant vitamins was a rare event in the first month of pregnancy. Conclusion: Pharmacologic doses of folic acid and iron appear to have a preventive effect against Down's syndrome.

Causes and Risk Factors

Researchers know that Down syndrome is caused by an extra chromosome, but no one knows for sure why Down syndrome occurs or how many different factors play a role. One factor that increases the risk for having a baby with Down syndrome is the mother's age.

Is newborn screening covered by PhilHealth? ›

DEFINITION OF TERMS Newborn Care Package - a PhilHealth benefit package for essential health services of the newborn during the first few days of life. It covers essential newborn care, newborn screening and hearing screening tests.

The Newborn Screening Study Group first introduced newborn screening in the Philippines in 1996.

Newborn screening (NBS) is a public health activity aimed at the early identification of infants who are affected by certain genetic/metabolic/infectious conditions.

Newborn screening identifies conditions that can affect a child's long-term health or survival. Early detection, diagnosis, and intervention can prevent death or disability and enable children to reach their full potential.

Newborn Screening is a comprehensive screening test done for your baby to detect the presence of over 100+ medical conditions that can be hidden at birth. “Identify the conditions that could be harmful to your baby's growth with Neonatal screening.” Detect 100+ medical conditions which are hidden at birth.

All newborns require essential newborn care to minimize the risk of illness and maximize their growth and development. Warmth, normal breathing, mother's milk, and prevention of infection are the basic needs of normal baby at birth.

The blood test is generally performed when a baby is 24 to 48 hours old. This timing is important because certain conditions may go undetected if the blood sample is drawn before 24 hours of age. Newborn screening does not confirm a baby has a condition.

Newborn screening program in the Philippines currently includes screening of six disorders: Congenital Hypothyroidism (CH), Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH), Phenylketonuria (PKU), Galactosemia (GAL), Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) Deficiency and Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD).

Evolution of Newborn Screening in the Philippines. Newborn bloodspot screening (NBS) began in the Philippines in 1996 as a research pilot in 24 hospitals, accredited by both the Philippine Pediatric Society (PPS) and the Philippine Obstetrical and Gynecological Society (POGS), in Metro Manila.

The PPVs, however, range from 0.5% to 6.0%. Consequently, on average, there are more than 50 false-positive results for every true-positive result identified through newborn screening in the United States.

Why is blood taken from a baby heel? ›

About 24 hours after your baby is born before you're discharged from the hospital, a nurse will administer a “heel prick” test to look for indications in the blood of rare medical conditions such as phenylketonuria or PKU.

Finding and documenting blood residue

Freshly dried bloodstains are a glossy reddish-brown in color. Under the influence of sunlight, the weather or removal attempts, the color eventually disappears and the stain turns grey. The surface on which it is found may also influence the stain's color.

Newborn screening checks a baby for serious but rare and mostly treatable health conditions at birth. It includes blood, hearing and heart screening. Your baby can be born with a health condition but may not show any signs of the problem at first.

Babies admitted to hospital before day 5, perhaps because they are premature or unwell, should have a blood spot sample taken on admission. This sample will be used to screen for sickle cell disease in case the baby has a blood transfusion.

Newborns come in a range of healthy sizes. Most babies born between 37 and 40 weeks weigh somewhere between 5 pounds, 8 ounces (2,500 grams) and 8 pounds, 13 ounces (4,000 grams). Newborns who are lighter or heavier than the average baby are usually fine.

If your baby does not pass the hearing screening at birth, it does not necessarily mean that she is deaf or hard of hearing. Fluid or vernix inside the baby's ear, for example, or too much noise in the room can affect results. In fact, most babies who do not pass the newborn screening have typical hearing.

Hearing loss affects people of all ages and can be caused by many different factors. The three basic categories of hearing loss are sensorineural hearing loss, conductive hearing loss and mixed hearing loss.

Newborn screening tests look for developmental, genetic, and metabolic disorders in the newborn baby. This allows steps to be taken before symptoms develop. Most of these illnesses are very rare, but can be treated if caught early. The types of newborn screening tests that are done vary from state to state.

What are the screened disorders in the expanded newborn screening? ›

The prevalence of five screening conditions—congenital hypothyroidism (CH), congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), galactosemia (GAL), phenylketonuria (PKU), and homocystinuria (HCY), supported the adoption of NBS across the Philippines [5].

The Apgar test is the first screening most newborns are given; the scores — rated on a scale of 0 to 10, and taken one minute and again five minutes after birth — reflect baby's general condition. They're based on observations made in five assessment categories: appearance, pulse, reflexes, muscle tone and breathing.

All babies born in California are required to get screened soon after birth. Newborn screening began in California in 1966 with screening for one disorder, phenylketonuria (PKU). The Program has expanded and now includes 80 different disorders, both genetic (passed down in families) and congenital (present at birth).

A simple, routine test may be able to detect autism in newborn children, researchers say. Tests regularly given to newborns to screen for hearing loss could also offer clues about whether they are on the spectrum, according to a new study.

Newborn screening checks a baby for serious but rare and mostly treatable health conditions at birth. It includes blood, hearing and heart screening.

All samples received form the covered areas are now being tested for Expanded Newborn Screening (ENBS). ENBS has the capacity to screen for more than twenty-eight (28) disorders from the original six (6) disorders.

Newborn screening program in the Philippines currently includes screening of six disorders: Congenital Hypothyroidism (CH), Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (CAH), Phenylketonuria (PKU), Galactosemia (GAL), Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) Deficiency and Maple Syrup Urine Disease (MSUD).

ENBS is available in hospitals, lying-ins, rural health units, health centers and some private clinics. How much is ENBS? Expanded newborn screening costs ₱1750 and is included in the Newborn Care Package (NCP) for PhilHealth members.

Is newborn screening covered by PhilHealth? ›

DEFINITION OF TERMS Newborn Care Package - a PhilHealth benefit package for essential health services of the newborn during the first few days of life. It covers essential newborn care, newborn screening and hearing screening tests.

The detection window for most drugs of abuse in meconium and umbilical cord testing is up to approximately 20 weeks (some drugs such as methamphetamine may be less).

Blood spots are best collected between 24 and 48 hours of age. Blood spots collected before 24 hours of age cannot be fully interpreted, which means some test results will be marked “unsatisfactory” on the newborn screening report.