Making the case for expanding newborn screening in Malaysia

NBS typically involves a newborn getting their heel pricked for a blood sample to be screened for certain inherited and congenital diseases. — TNS

The objective of newborn screening (NBS) is the identification of serious and/or rare conditions that can affect a newborn’s future health and survival.

Many of these conditions – e.g. inborn errors of metabolism, endocrine diseases, haemoglobinopathies, spinal muscular atrophy, congenital heart disease and hearing loss – may not have clinically-detectable features at birth, thus hampering early detection that is vital for effective treatment and better outcomes.