Russia to expand newborn health screening program
The Russian Ministry of Health plans to significantly expand the neonatal screening program. This is a special examination that all children undergo in their first days of life to timely detect dangerous hereditary diseases.
In the near future, the list of diseases that infants will be tested for will be supplemented by six more rare diagnoses. Among them is Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a severe genetic disease that affects a child's muscles. Early diagnosis will allow doctors to begin treatment as soon as possible, which significantly increases children's chances for a healthy life.
Currently, Russian state hospitals already conduct mass screening of newborns for 36 different pathologies. Expanding the program to 42 diseases will be an important step in the development of domestic pediatrics and will help save more lives.
Experts note that modern diagnostic methods make it possible to detect genetic abnormalities even before the first symptoms appear. This gives parents and doctors the opportunity to prepare for treatment and provide the child with the necessary medical support from birth.
The neonatal screening program is free for all citizens of Russia. The new changes to the examination rules will be implemented gradually so that all medical institutions in the country can prepare to work with the new types of tests.