Many children were examined as part of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s initiative for the early detection of genetic diseases in newborns and the provision of free treatment under the “100 Million Health” initiative that was launched on July 13, announced the Health and Population Ministry.

As many as 42 centers were established nationwide to examine 19 genetic diseases in newborns in the incubators of the ministry’s hospitals nationwide in accordance with the initiative, said Health Ministry Spokesman Hossam Abdel Ghaffar in statements Thursday.

Head of the Health Care and Nursing Sector Wael Abdel Razek, meanwhile, said the 19 diseases that are detected include congenital hypothyroidism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, folic anaemia, cystic fibrosis, hereditary hyperlipidaemia, phenylketonuria, and tetraplegic deficiency hydropetrin.

The examination is carried out by taking a blood sample from the child’s ankle and analyzing it through the Egyptian Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, which is provided with a laboratory equipped with the latest international devices in the field of detecting genetic diseases, he added.

Source: State Information Service Egypt