NEWBORN SCREENING

DESCRIPTION
THE COMPREHENSIVE NEWBORN SCREENING (NBS) PROGRAM WAS INTEGRATED AS PART OF THE
COUNTRY’S PUBLIC HEALTH DELIVERY SYSTEM WITH THE ENACTMENT OF THE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9288
OTHERWISE KNOWN AS NEWBORN SCREENING ACT OF 2004. THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (DOH) ACTS AS
THE LEAD AGENCY IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE LAW AND COLLABORATES WITH OTHER NATIONAL
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES (NGA) AND KEY STAKEHOLDERS TO ENSURE EARLY DETECTION AND MANAGEMENT
OF SEVERAL CONGENITAL METABOLIC DISORDERS, WHICH IF LEFT UNTREATED, MAY LEAD TO MENTAL
RETARDATION AND/OR DEATH. EARLY DIAGNOSIS AND INITIATION OF TREATMENT, ALONG WITH APPROPRIATE
LONG-TERM KEY HELP TO ENSURE NORMAL GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE AFFECTED INDIVIDUAL. IT
HAS BEEN AN INTEGRAL PART OF ROUTINE NEWBORN CARE IN MOST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES FOR FIVE
DECADES, EITHER AS A HEALTH DIRECTED OR MANDATED BY LAW. IT IS ALSO A SERVICE THAT HAS BEEN
AVAILABLE IN THE PHILIPPINES SINCE 1996. UNDER THE DOH, NBS IS PART OF THE CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND
DISABILITY PREVENTION PROGRAM AT THE DISEASE PREVENTION AND CONTROL BUREAU.
VISION

THE NATIONAL COMPREHENSIVE NEWBORN SCREENING

SYSTEM ENVISIONS ALL FILIPINO CHILDREN WILL BE BORN
HEALTHY AND WELL, WITH AN INHERENT RIGHT TO LIFE,
ENDOWED WITH HUMAN DIGNITY; AND REACHING THEIR
FULL POTENTIAL WITH THE RIGHT OPPORTUNITIES AND
ACCESSIBLE RESOURCES.
MISSION

TO ENSURE THAT ALL FILIPINO CHILDREN WILL

HAVE ACCESS TO AND AVAIL OF TOTAL QUALITY
CARE FOR THE OPTIMAL GROWTH AND
DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR FULL POTENTIAL.
GOAL

TO REDUCE PREVENTABLE DEATHS OF ALL

FILIPINO NEWBORNS DUE TO MORE COMMON AND
RARE CONGENITAL DISORDERS THROUGH TIMELY
SCREENING AND PROPER MANAGEMENT.
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

• BY 2030 ALL FILIPINO NEWBORNS ARE SCREENED;

STRENGTHEN QUALITY OF SERVICE AND INTENSIFY
MONITORING AND EVALUATION OF NBS IMPLEMENTATION;
SUSTAINABLE FINANCIAL SCHEME; STRENGTHEN PATIENT
MANAGEMENT.
POLICIES AND LAWS
• REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9288 OR THE NEWBORN SCREENING ACT
OF 2004

• ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO.2018-0025: NATIONAL POLICY

AND STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK ON EXPANDED NEWBORN
SCREENING FOR 2017-2030

• ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 2014-0045 OR THE

GUIDELINES ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE EXPANDED
NEWBORN SCREENING PROGRAM
SAVE YOUR BABY FROM
MENTAL RETARDATION
NEWBORN SCREENING
• A SIMPLE PROCEDURE TO FIND OUT IF
YOUR BABY HAS A CONGENITAL
METABOLIC DISORDER THAT MAY LEAD
TO MENTAL RETARDATION OR EVEN
DEATH IF LEFT UNTREATED.

• NUMBER ONE CAUSE IS MENTAL

RETARDATION
WHY IS NEWBORN SCREENING DONE?
SIGNIFICANCE
• MOST BABIES WITH METABOLIC DISORDERS LOOK “NORMAL”
AT BIRTH.

• BY DOING NEWBORN SCREENING (NBS), METABOLIC

DISORDERS MAY BE DETECTED EVEN BEFORE CLINICAL SIGNS
AND SYMPTOMS ARE PRESENT.

• TREATMENT CAN BE GIVEN TO PREVENT CONSEQUENCES OF

UNTREATED CONDITIONS.
WHEN IS NEWBORN SCREENING DONE?
• NEWBORN SCREENING (NBS) IS USUALLY DONE ON
48TH-72ND HOUR OF LIFE.
• IT MAY ALSO BE DONE 24 HOURS FROM BIRTH
• SOME DISORDERS ARE NOT DETECTED IF THE TEST
IS DONE EARLIER THAN 24 HOURS.
HOW IS NEWBORN SCREENING
DONE?
• USING A HEEL PRICK
METHOD, A FEW DROPS OF
BLOOD ARE TAKEN FROM THE
BABY’S HEEL AND BLOTTED
ON A SPECIAL ABSORBENT
FILTER CARD.
• THE BLOOD IS DRIED FOR 4
HOURS AND SENT TO
NEWBORN SCREENING
CENTER (NSC)
WHO WILL COLLECT THE SAMPLE
FOR NEWBORN SCREENING?
• THE BLOOD SAMPLE FOR NBS MAY BE COLLECTED BY A
TRAINED:

PHYSICIAN
NURSE
MIDWIFE
MEDICAL TECHNOLOGIST
 WHERE IS
NEWBORN
SCREENING
AVAILABLE?
• NBS IS AVAILABLE IN PARTICIPATING
NEWBORN SCREENING FACILITIES:
HOSPITALS
LYING-INS
RURAL HEALTH UNIT
HEALTH CENTERS

• IF BABIES ARE DELIVERED AT HOME, THEY

MAY BE BROUGHT TO THE NEAREST
NEWBORN SCREENING FACILITY.
WHEN ARE NEWBORN SCREENING
RESULTS AVAILABLE?
• NORMAL NBS RESULTS ARE AVAILABLE 7-14 WORKING DAYS FROM THE
TIME NBS SAMPLES ARE RECEIVED AT A NEWBORN SCREENING
CENTERS.

• POSITIVE NBS RESULTS ARE RELAYED FROM THE NSC TO THE NSF
IMMEDIATELY.

• PARENTS SHOULD CLAIM THE NBS RESULTS FROM THEIR PHYSICIAN OR

HEALTH PRACTITIONER.
WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THE NEWBORN SCREENING
RESULTS?

• A NEGATIVE SCREEN MEANS A NBS RESULT IS

NORMAL
• A POSITIVE SCREEN MEANS THAT THE NEWBORN
MUST BE BROUGHT BACK TO HIS/HER HEALTH
PRACTITIONER FOR FURTHER TESTING.
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE WHEN A BABY HAS A POSITIVE
NBS RESULT?

• BABIES WITH POSITIVE RESULTS SHOULD BE REFERRED

AT ONCE TO A SPECIALIST FOR CONFIRMATORY TESTING
AND FURTHER MANAGEMENT
 DISORDER SCREENED EFFECT IF NOY SCREENED EFFECT IF SCREENED AND
TREATED
CH (Congenital Severe Mental Retardation Normal
Hypothyroidism)

CAH (Congenital Adrenal Death Alive and Normal

Hyperplasia)

GAL (Galactosemia) Death or Cataracts Alive or Normal

PKU (Phenylketonuria) Severe Mental Retardation Normal

G6PD Deficiency Severe Anemia, Kernicterus Normal

MSUD (Maple Syrup Urine Death Alive and Normal

Disease)
MAPLE SYRUP URINE DISEASE
REFERENCE

HTTPS://WWW.DOH.GOV.PH/NEWBORN-SCREENING
HTTPS://WWW.SLIDESHARE.NET/MOBILE/REYNEL89/NEWBORN-SCREENING