News and Events

Alabama Begins Screening Newborns for Two Additional Genetic Disorders

The Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH) is excited to announce that on March 13 newborn screening began for two additional treatable genetic disorders. Newborn screening can alert healthcare providers to the potential for a condition that is typically not apparent at birth.  With a simple blood screen and treatment, most affected babies have the opportunity to avoid death and disability and grow up healthy and develop normally.

The new disorders added to Alabama's newborn screening panel are described as follows:

X-linked Adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD) is a rare genetic disorder caused by a change in a single gene that affects males. X-ALD happens when certain fats cannot be broken down in the body.  The fats build up and cause health problems including damage to the nervous system and adrenal glands.  Possible treatments for X-ALD include supportive therapies (such as physical therapy), steroid treatment, and stem cell transplant.

Adenosine Deaminase Deficiency for Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (ADA-SCID) is an inherited disorder that damages the immune system. Individuals with ADA-SCID lack all immune protection from bacteria, viruses and fungi.  It can be deadly in childhood because of severe recurrent infections.  Gene therapy, bone marrow transplantation or enzyme replacement therapy may be effective for treating ADA-SCID if started early.

Close coordination is needed for newborn screening follow-up. For these two conditions, the ADPH is partnering with the University of Alabama at Birmingham to evaluate and to confirm diagnosis, and ADPH provides information to healthcare providers and families for appropriate treatment.

The ADPH Bureau of Clinical Laboratories is the sole provider of blood analysis of newborn screening in Alabama. The Alabama Newborn Screening Program identifies approximately 200 babies each year with a metabolic, endocrine, hematological, or other congenital disorder. These babies usually look and act healthy at birth.

For additional information please visit the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children.

 

Information About Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)

For general COVID-19 questions, call 1-800-270-7268 or email covid19info@adph.state.al.us. Telephone calls are answered from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Interpreters are available.

For frequently asked questions and to check your symptoms, visit the Alabama.gov COVID-19 Information Hub at covid19.alabama.gov. Also, see our FAQ page.

Please see the following links for more information and resources:

 

• American Academy of Pediatrics Guidance on Newborn Screening During COVID-19
• American Academy of Pediatrics FAQs: Management of Infants Born to COVID-19 Mothers
• COVID-19 and Follow Up Testing
• COVID-19 and Pregnancy
• Hearing COVID-19 Letter for Parents
• Hearing COVID-19 Letter for Hospital Provider

COVID-19 Hearing Infographic

Alabama Hospitals Recognized

Congratulations to the following hospitals for their outstanding effort in newborn screening specimen collection. They had 6% or less unsatisfactory newborn screening specimens during the month shown below. Their efforts set the gold standard for other facilities participating in newborn screening across the state.

January 2023

• Athens-Limestone Hospital
• Brookwood Medical Center
• Crestwood Medical Center
• DCH Regional Medical Center
• DeKalb Regional Medical Center
• East Alabama Medical Center
• Grandview Medical Center
• Grove Hill Memorial Hospital
• Highlands Medical Center
• Huntsville Hospital
• Jackson Hospital
• Marshall Medical Center North
• Medical Center Enterprise
• North Baldwin Medical Center
• Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center
• Northport Medical Center
• Russell Medical Center
• St. Vincent's Hospital
• UAB Hospital

Newborn Screening Mobile Applications Available

There are several free mobile applications available for newborn screening providers and parents. One app available for medical providers is through the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG). This app allows users to access ACT Sheets, which provide short term actions a health care provider should follow in communicating with the family and determining the appropriate steps in the follow-up of an infant with a positive newborn screening result.

Family Highlight: Newborn Screening Saved My Baby's Life

First time parents Kyle and Leslie Ethridge had an uneventful pregnancy and birth of their first child Grayson in December 2012. Grayson was evaluated by his pediatrician after delivery, and the new parents were told everything was fine. The night before they were scheduled to leave the hospital the nurse took Grayson for routine vital signs and also performed the pulse oximetry screen, which revealed a 97% oxygen saturation in his right hand and a 87% oxygen saturation in his foot.

Grayson was quickly transferred to Baptist Medical Center South and then flown to Birmingham for open heart surgery. He was diagnosed with ventricular/atrial septal defect and an interrupted aortic arch. Grayson sees a pediatric cardiologist on a regular basis and has had superb news every visit. According to Mrs. Ethridge, "Family, friends, and faith kept us sane during this trial. We have come out stronger and are very proactive in raising awareness for pulse ox screening to detect congenital heart defects. Newborn screening saved my baby's life."

Alabama Newborn Screening Conferences

• 2011 Newborn Screening Conference - Family Perspectives
• 2015 Newborn Screening Conference
• 2017 Newborn Screening Conference

Newborn Screening Newsletters

Although there are no new issues available, you may view all past issues of the Newborn Screening Newsletter.