Comprehensive Newborn Screening - Newborn Screening (NBS)

Newborn Screening (NBS) is a preventative public health program that conducts mass screening of newborns for a range of congenital genetic, metabolic, and hormonal disorders before clinical symptoms appear. It primarily involves analyzing a blood sample taken from the baby's heel and placed on special filter paper. The program screens for disorders such as phenylketonuria (PKU), congenital hypothyroidism, cystic fibrosis, G6PD deficiency, and disorders of amino acid, organic acid, and fatty acid metabolism.