In Castile and León, the number of pathologies included in neonatal screening increases to 17.

Alejandro Vázquez, Minister of Health of Castilla y León, announced at a meeting of the extraordinary health commission that neonatal screening, also known as Newborn Heel Prick Test to Expand Detection Capabilities to 17 Pathologies by 2025. This achievement will include 15 endocrine-metabolic diseases and two additional congenital conditions, doubling the number of diseases detected through neonatal screening. This neonatal screening program, which is critical for the early detection of serious diseases in newborns, aims to improve health care and early treatment options.

Within the framework of these diseases Congenital hypothyroidism, phenylketonuria, cystic fibrosis, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, sickle cell anemia, medium-chain acyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency, long-chain 3-hydroxyacyl-coenzyme A dehydrogenase deficiency, glutaric acidemia type 1, biotinidase deficiency, maple syrup urine disease, homocystinuria, isovaleric acidemia, tyrosinemia type I, methylmalonic acidemia, propionic acidemia, and two new diseases to be included soon are identified.

Vaccination schedule

In addition, he noted improvements in vaccination schedule and immunization community approved on January 31, 2024. These include routine rotavirus vaccination in infants, raising the age for meningococcal B vaccination, expanding the HPV vaccine to 12-year-old boys, influenza vaccination for children aged 6 to 59 months, shingles vaccine at age 65, and respiratory syncytial virus prophylaxis in newborns.

Cancer prevention programs

The consultant also mentioned improvements in cancer prevention programs

expanding the age range of beneficiaries from 70 to 74 years in the two early detection programs. For colorectal cancer, the expansion began on April 1, 2024, while for breast cancer it will be implemented from October of next year. According to Vázquez, this expansion places Castilla y León above the portfolio of services of the National Health System (SNS), which currently only covers the population aged 50 to 69, and also ensures that in Castilla y León the early detection program for breast cancer will be offered to people aged 45 to 74 years.

“This expansion demonstrates our commitment to public health by providing a broader and more complete service than the national standard– assured the consultant. In addition, this initiative reflects significant efforts to detect and treat cancer at earlier stages, thereby increasing the chances of treatment success and improving the quality of life of patients. The inclusion of these additional age groups will expand the opportunities for prevention and early detection, which is crucial to effectively combat these diseases.

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