A Newborn Screening Programme was launched at the state-run Niloufer Hospital in Hyderabad on Thursday. The initiative aims at identifying infants at risk of rare and severe genetic conditions that could impact their overall health and development.
The screening programme was designed to detect five specific genetic disorders: Congenital Hypothyroidism, Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) Deficiency, Galactosemia, and Biotinidase Deficiency.
The programme, which was also implemented at Government Medical College in Sangareddy, was established based on pilot studies evaluating the incidence rates of these disorders. The identified disorders and their respective incidence rates are as follows: Congenital Hypothyroidism (1 in every 811), G6PD Deficiency (1 in every 932), Biotinidase Deficiency (1 in every 1475), Galactosemia (1 in every 1340), and Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia (1 in every 2009). “We believe that these disorders if detected by a screening test are treatable”, said hospital superintendent T. Usha Rani.
