The issue of retaining ‘heel-prick’ samples has sparked controversy in many countries THE HEEL-PRICK test on newborns has been carried out in most western countries since the 1960s, but the policies on use and retention of the blood samples has been anything but uniform.
The issue has sparked controversy in many jurisdictions. Medics advocate the research and individual health benefits of such information in the rapidly growing area of genetics. Areas of potential benefit include Sudden Adult Death Syndrome and cystic fibrosis. Civil liberties groups raise concerns about DNA databases being gathered and used without consent.
Cardiologist Dr Joe Galvin of the Mater family heart-screening clinic says there is a “real urgency” for these samples to be used to help diagnose Sudden Adult Death Syndrome and reduce cases of the genetic disease cystic fibrosis. (Times) >
Filed under: Joe Galvin Tagged: Cystic fibrosis, Diagnosis, Paediatrics
