Monday, July 16, 2007; Posted: 5:14 p.m. (CDT)
Having a newborn is exciting, but it's also stressful. Parents are concerned about their baby's health. To help ease some of those concerns, state health officials will soon be testing all newborns for rare genetic disorders.
Tiffany Wright says, "As a mom, you worry about everything."
Wright can relate, her son was born just nine months ago.
"He looks perfectly healthy but he had a disorder in his kidneys," says Wright.
Dr. John Mulvihill researches genetics at the Children's Medical Research Institute.
He says, "Some people are actually born with a disease that if not treated in the newborn period could be lethal."
The state health department should be ready to test all newborns for 29 rare genetic disorders by 2010.
Oklahoma does do some testing right now. A recent report from the March of Dimes says Oklahoma currently tests for only ten rare genetic disorders.
