IDPH marks 60 years of newborn screening efforts

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - September is Newborn Screening Awareness Month, and the Illinois Department of Public Health is marking 60 years of screening efforts in the state. Newborn screening in Illinois started in 1965 with testing for a single condition. Now, the program checks for more than 50 conditions. The goal is to be able to provide early diagnosis and intervention when needed. More than 100,000 newborns are tested in Illinois ever year. “IDPH is proud to be a leader in supporting families with our newborn screening program,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “For the past 60 years in Illinois, newborn screens have detected potentially life-threating conditions in healthy babies before they show symptoms. Each year, more than 500 babies in our state are diagnosed