Births increase in the first half of the year

The number of births rose in the first half of this year, when 42,250 newborns were screened, 966 more than in the same period last year, according to data based on the “heel prick test” released this Wednesday.

According to data from the National Neonatal Screening Program (PNRN), coordinated by the Dr. Ricardo Jorge National Health Institute (INSA), January (7,670) was the month in which the most newborns were screened in the first half of this year.

In the first six months of this year, Lisbon was the district with the most tests carried out (13,007), followed by Porto (7,432), Setúbal (3,329), Braga (3,175) and Faro (2,174). The lowest number of tests was observed in the district of Bragança (260), followed by Portalegre (278) and Guarda (326).

Last year, 84,631 babies were tested in Portugal , 1,133 fewer than the previous year (85,764). In the last 10 years, 2016 was the year with the most heel prick tests performed, with 87,577.

Coordinated by INSA, through its Neonatal Screening, Metabolism and Genetics Unit, of the Department of Human Genetics, the PNRN has been screening 28 pathologies since 1979: congenital hypothyroidism, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, spinal muscular atrophy and 24 hereditary metabolic diseases.

Although not mandatory, the program currently has a coverage rate of 99.5% , with the average time to start treatment being around 10 days.

The “heel prick test” is carried out from the third day of the newborn's life, by collecting a few drops of blood from the child's foot.