The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged countries around the world to expand newborn screening programmes, warning that early detection and treatment of birth defects could prevent millions of deaths and reduce long-term disabilities.
WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, made the call on Tuesday while unveiling a new report that highlights newborn screening as a vital strategy for improving child survival and overall health outcomes.
The report, published on the agency’s website, focuses on strengthening diagnosis, screening and management of congenital conditions.
Ghebreyesus said the findings show that improving newborn screening systems presents a major opportunity to reduce child mortality globally.
“Birth defects now account for almost 8 per cent of all deaths among children under five. More than 90 per cent of children born with serious birth defects live in low- and middle-income countries.”
He further noted that about eight million babies are born with birth defects every year, stressing that many health systems still lack adequate screening and timely treatment despite proven benefits of early detection.
“No child should miss the chance for a healthy future because a congenital condition was not detected early enough,” Ghebreyesus said, highlighting the need for stronger national screening programmes.
The WHO chief explained that conditions such as congenital hypothyroidism, sickle-cell disease, hearing impairment and certain metabolic disorders can be effectively managed if identified early through screening.
He also pointed to wide global inequalities in access, noting that while some countries screen newborns for more than 50 conditions, others have no screening systems in place at all.
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Ghebreyesus advised countries to begin with priority conditions based on local disease burdens and gradually expand their programmes as capacity improves.
He added: “The report shows birth defects account for a growing proportion of under-five deaths.
Between 2000 and 2023, their share rose from one per cent to four per cent in sub-Saharan Africa.”
“From three per cent to 11 per cent in South Asia. Part of this shift reflects genuine progress reducing deaths from infectious and other preventable causes, making birth defects a larger share.”
He called on governments to integrate newborn screening into routine healthcare services and broader universal health coverage systems.
Ghebreyesus also cited countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Egypt, India, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Uganda as examples where large-scale screening programmes have been successfully implemented through national health systems and targeted interventions.
He further noted that the report was developed following a global WHO consultation involving government officials, medical experts, researchers, clinicians, professional bodies, civil society organisations and families affected by birth defects.