By the end of the year it will be mandatory in all 50 states to do a screening for cystic fibrosis on all newborns. Honestly I’m glad they are doing this…it means earlier detection and that means better health for these kiddos. Having worked with many CF patients, I know how early detection helps prolong their life. I have become attached to quite a few kids with CF over the last 6 years and have also lost quite a few kids with CF over the last 6 years. This is a big step in world of medicine. Some could argue that early detection won’t help…and on some levels I agree, We don’t really treat CF kids until they start to manifest symptoms. In reality we don’t even diagnose babies with CF until they manifest symptoms. But early detection means we can follow these babies and make sure we are on top of their care and catch symptoms earlier and that in turn prolongs their lifespan.

Here is the news release:

Cystic Fibrosis Screening Legislated for All Newborns by 2010
Martha Kerr

July 9, 2009 (Bethesda, Maryland) — The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) announced this week that mandatory screening for cystic fibrosis (CF) in all newborns will be in effect in all 50 states and the District of Columbia by the end of this year.

Connecticut will begin mandatory CF screening October 1, 2009, and Texas will begin screening in December. These are the last 2 states to pass such legislation.

“Newborn screening for CF was adopted nationwide at a rapid pace,” according to a statement prepared by the CFF to announce the enactment of mandatory screening. The first states adopted mandatory screening only 4 years ago, in 2005.

“We congratulate Texas and Connecticut for joining a nationwide effort to ensure that every child born with [CF] gets the best possible start in life,” said Robert J. Beall, PhD, president and chief executive officer of CFF. “Newborn screening is critically important for this disease because early diagnosis is tied to better health. We extend our thanks to every volunteer and advocate who fought to establish screening programs across the country.”

“When the [CFF] was created in 1955, few children lived to attend elementary school,” the CFF said in its announcement. “Today the median age of survival for a person with CF is more than 37 years, a result of dramatic improvements in research and care during the past half century.”