Opportunity cost of managing a positive child p.a. as per various estimates from WHO, $100 p/m (8500 BDT)
Overall economic burden if to provide adequate means for development of the child = 61 Crores BDT per annum, and accumulating.
The prevalence rates of mild mental retardation in the Bangladesh population stands at 5.9 per 1,000 and severe mental retardation at 14.4 per 1,000
Physical deformities and Cognitive disabilities in childhood are a leading public health problem in Bangladesh
Their impacts on quality of life and productivity are considerable, not only for affected children but also for families and populations as a whole
THE SOLUTION
In developing country like Bangladesh, where risk factors for childhood disabilities are so prevalent and the age structures of populations are weighted toward the young, the need for public health initiatives to prevent these disabilities is especially pronounced.
Newborn Screening (NBS) – A simple way to know if the baby is as healthy as they look
Newborn Screening (NBS) is practiced as a preventive method to reduce infant mortality across the world. It is a simple procedure that checks the baby for hidden medical conditions (metabolic, endocrine, and congenital) that cannot be identified by the physician just by looking at the baby, that can affect a child’s long-term health like Mental retardation, Neurological disorders, Speaking disabilities, Physical deformities etc. or even survival. With NBS test performed within 48-72 hours of a child’s birth, early detection, diagnosis, and intervention can prevent death or disability and enable children to reach their full potential.
Over the years, Newborn Screening has evolved from a simple blood test to a more comprehensive and complex screening system capable of detecting over 100 different conditions. The procedure helps detect abnormalities and attempts to address serious medical conditions at the initial stage.
There are thousands of known families affected by a child, teenager or adult with a metabolic disease. It is possible that when looked at collectively the total incidence of inherited metabolic diseases in newborn infants may well exceed the prevalence registered.
The concept is analogous to vaccination – like vaccines, NBS helps ensure a protection to baby against several disorders which may manifest later in life.
It is worth mentioning that Newborn screening (NBS) is one of the ‘Top Ten Great Public Health Achievements’ in the US between 2001 – 2010 (CDC, May 2011).
BENEFIT OF NEWBORN SCREENING
· New Births a Year in Bangladesh = 31,00,000
· Population studies in similar profile countries give an incidence ratio ranging from 1:300 to 1:800 based on number of disorders screened
· Expected number of positive children missed for lack of mass screening program is approx. 6,000
· Opportunity cost of managing a positive child p.a. as per various estimates from WHO, $100 p/m (8500 BDT)
Overall economic burden if to provide adequate means for development of the child = 61 Cr. BDT per annum, and accumulating.
Any budget which is significantly lower than this economic burden if allocated for Newborn Screening shall save immense of financial resources and also reduce the social burden posed by mental/ physical retardation.
Considering such social impact, Accurate Life Care Bangladesh Limited jointly with PreventiNe Life Care (India) Limited has made EXPANDED NEWBORN SCREENING (that can detect more than 130 conditions) available in Bangladesh which is already adopted by some of the leading hospitals in capital.
BENEFIT OF NEWBORN SCREENING offered by Accurate-PreventiNe
· Total 130+ disorders can be tested. The largest package (most expanded newborn screening) available on date by any laboratory in SEA)
· In conventional NBS process, multiple steps to be done before a disorder can be confirmed and treatment can be initiated. Accurate-Preventine offers one step “screening + confirmation” for most of disorders. No loss of precious time
· Conventional test process is optimized for babies less than a month old – difficulty in expanding the test for a different age slab. Preventine has age-wise control values, enabling to test children of any age
· Test done from dry blood spot & dried urine sample using a combination of several technologies integrated together (GC/MS, MS/MS, HPLC, ELISA), only Preventine has this integrated technology in India
· Test done at NABL , EQAS (USA) accredited & CAP (USA), ERNDIM (UK) & ISO 9001:2015 certified Laboratory of Preventine Life Care India Limited
· PreventiNe has 400,000 (+)ve cases database on which treatment assistance is also given to clinicians.
· PreventiNe’s own metabolic markers library rules out the ambiguities because of interfering factors like medication
