An unexpected consequence. With the end of priority letters, the famous red seal, neonatal screening has been made difficult since the beginning of the year. The move to 48 hours for the routing of emails that were previously transmitted in 24 hours slows down the transmission of blood samples taken from newborns and, consequently, delays certain diagnoses.
“A short lead time for these blotters is essential in order to be able to analyze collected blood as quickly as possible,” the Rare Diseases Alliance writes in a press release.
In coordination with other associations, it points out in particular two diseases, leucinosis and congenital adrenal hyperplasia, which “can cause comas, long hospitalizations in intensive care and death from the first days after birth” and calls to “do everything possible to detect as soon as possible to avoid these dramatic situations”.
Thirteen pathologies screened
Neonatal screening has existed since 1972 and its objective is the early detection and treatment of rare but serious diseases, most of which are of genetic origin. A few drops of blood are drawn no later than the child’s third day, placed on blotting paper in an envelope, and sent to the Regional Neonatal Screening Center where the analyzes are performed.
In its press release, the Rare Diseases Alliance explains that “more than 37 million newborns have been examined in France and more than 30,000 children have saved their lives or been able to avoid serious disability, thanks to prompt care.”
In addition, since January 1, neonatal screening has been extended to seven more diseases, leading to the detection of a total of thirteen pathologies, an advance welcomed by health professionals.
“We are only talking about life or death,” denounced Hélène Gaillard, president of the Alliance association for rare diseases, to France Inter.
“At best 48 hours”
“We are going to explain to a mother whose child is going to die or be in a coma, with a possible disability that may follow, that the mail did not arrive on time. It is not understandable, ”she continues.
The associations specify that today, the delivery of blotters is carried out in the best of cases in 48 hours and that there has been a “very significant increase in shipments of blotters in more than four days in various regions.”
They denounce a deterioration in sanitary conditions in the country due to a “purely commercial policy” of the Post Office, “as part of one of its public service missions.”
The Chronopost Solution
“Instead, they offer us devices that are not only more expensive, but above all that are not operational, since they would require additional secretarial staff that we do not have,” laments Professor Emmanuel Rusch, head of the National Screening Coordination Center. Neonatal. (CNCDN), in the figaro.
To guarantee delivery within 24 hours, La Poste is considering a “tailor-made” solution thanks to the Chronopost network. However, according to calculations by the CNCDN, this would multiply the cost of transport by seven, not counting the price of the envelopes, until now pre-printed, nor the additional human time required.
Source: BFM TV
