Little Heel- Screen India Movement

Picture this: A world in which all newborns are born healthy. An ideal living condition in which newborn screening is not a scarcity, but a routine systematic check-up that can prevent many treatable metabolic diseases. Unfortunately, we as a society are far away from attaining this utopia but have the chance to create a small positive change towards attaining this goal. According to a recent study by Sharma et al., the incidence of inborn errors of metabolism in India was 2.9% in a cohort of 70,590 babies.

We are living in the year 2020, where newborn screening is still a luxury in countries like India. Newborn screening is done in babies in their first few days of life to eliminate certain disorders and conditions that can restrict normal development. Newborn screening can detect diseases that can be treatable, but when left undiagnosed, it can lead to several comorbidities and can sometimes be life-threatening.

For example, congenital hypothyroidism (thyroid disease in newborns) can be screened and treated. If you miss the diagnosis, the child will end up living with an irreversible intellectual disability. Here, your $10 (Rs.700) donation might prevent 2 children from getting the ill-effects of this disease.

I am a medical geneticist working with a community health physician and obstetrician from India. We are partnering with Nurturing Across Nations, a federal 501(c) (3) non-profit organization that advocates for the wellbeing of humanity by promoting the right of every individual to receive an equal opportunity to care, for treatment, and to an understanding of wellness.

Now that I have presented this issue before you, $2000 will not be enough to attain a Utopian Society where all newborns are screened, but every minute step goes a tiny way to save a little heel!


Coordinators:


Dr. Pavalan Selvam, MD

Dr. Rubesh Sharma, MD (SPM)

Dr. Aishwarya R, MD (OG), Assistant Surgeon, Poonamalle Government Hospital, Chennai, TN, India


Contact: [email redacted].


Nurturing Across Nations: 

Founders - Sucharitha Murugu , Divya Manivannan

Website - https://nurturingacrossnations.org