Newborn Screening for Cystic Fibrosis: A Lesson in Public Health Disparities

Abstract

In the US, Newborn screening (NBS) for cystic fibrosis (CF) has rapidly expanded since the Secretary's Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders and Genetic Diseases in Newborns and Children1 voted to recommend to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services the uniform NBS panel proposed by the American College of Medical Genetics (ACMG)/Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) committee.2 The decision to include CF as one of the 29 core conditions in the uniform panel was strengthened by data presented at a CDC workshop in 2003.