September is Newborn Screening Awareness Month

This month, Alberta Health Services is raising awareness of the importance of newborn screening and its two provincial population-based screening programs for Alberta infants. As a physician, what do you need to know?

Newborn screening is the best way to identify if an infant has a treatable condition before symptoms arise. Finding screened conditions and treating them early helps prevent health problems, improve health and development and can even save lives.

Alberta’s Early Hearing Detection & Intervention (EHDI) Program is the newest screening program for infants. EHDI identifies permanent congenital hearing loss (PCHL) as early as possible. PCHL is one of the most common congenital conditions found in infants, affecting around 110 to 160 Alberta newborns each year. Parents are encouraged to share screening results with their child’s physician.

Alberta’s Newborn Metabolic Screening (NMS) Program uses blood from a heel poke to screen for 21 conditions shortly after birth. The recently expanded screening panel now includes sickle cell disease, tyrosinemia type 1, classic galactosemia and severe combined immunodeficiency. The newborn screening laboratory continues to notify ordering health care providers by phone in the case of abnormal results, and all results are available on Netcare.

Remember to speak with your patients who are new or expectant parents about the importance of newborn screening. 

Visit ahs.ca/newbornscreening to learn more
    

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