Five Drops of Blood: ; Babies Tested at Birth May Benefit, but Screening Brings Up Privacy Issue

Summary

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MINNEAPOLIS - About 24 hours after a baby is born in Minnesota, a hospital nurse pricks a heel and squeezes five drops of blood.

Three blood spots go straight to a state Department of Health lab in St. Paul. Two spots are sent by courier to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Within days, the family will know if the child has one of more than 50 rare hereditary conditions that can now be detected and treated.

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Extract

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Five Drops of Blood: ; Babies Tested at Birth May Benefit, but Screening Brings Up Privacy Issue

For little Ella Madison, it may have made the difference between life and death.

Ella has cystic fibrosis, where mucus clogs the lungs and pancreas. Such kids can die from lung infections or starve because they can't absorb food. Because the disease was diagnos...

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