Quito, March 10, 2023
Silvia Chango is one of the beneficiary mothers who went to one of the establishments of the Ministry of Public Health (MSP) to request the neonatal screening test for her newborn son.
Upon arrival, the doctors explained to her that the test consists of taking a blood sample from her baby’s heel to detect four congenital errors: Congenital Hypothyroidism, Phenylketonuria, Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia, Galactosemia.
The test is performed during the first days of birth and detects metabolism disorders. This is an essential activity within the preventive actions in public health in Ecuador and worldwide. 1 or 2 out of every 1,000 newborns, apparently healthy, suffer from metabolism disorders that, if not treated properly, can cause disability and early death.
At the national level, the MSP’s Specialized Center for Medical Genetics receives all the country’s primers to be processed in the Neonatal Metabolic Screening laboratory, which are approximately one thousand daily samples from 2,027 health establishments nationwide.
In this context and to strengthen this center, the acquisition of new equipment and hiring of human talent is planned with the possibility of expanding the identification of the number of diseases, especially those of genetic origin.
The Neonatal Screening project began in Ecuador in December 2011, and so far in 2023, a total of 2,250,645 boys and girls have been screened in Ecuador. This procedure guarantees early care and timely treatment of newborns.
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