Storage of newborns’ blood samples raises privacy concerns

clipped from www.theglobeandmail.com It’s a routine test conducted on newborns – a quick needle prick to the heel to test for a range of health disorders and diseases before an infant is discharged. But the newborn screening procedures, which exist across North America and most of the developed world, have run afoul of privacy advocates because the genetic material collected from infants when blood is drawn is routinely used for other purposes, chiefly medical research. Millions of infants’ blood samples – along with their names and birthdates – are stored on information cards in laboratories across Canada. What has riled civil libertarians and privacy advocates is that parents aren’t told that their babies’ genetic blueprint will be stored indefinitely, and perhaps used for research purposes. Instead, parents are told the blood samples are crucial to test for disorders such as hypothyroidism, and more recently, cystic fibrosis. British Columbia stores the genetic information of about 800,000 infants.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Storing B.C. babies' blood violates privacy: group (cbc.ca)
• Hospital defends storage of infant blood samples (canada.com)
• Higher oxygen levels improve preterm survival, increase risk for eye condition (scienceblog.com)
• 18 and Under: Follow-Up Is Key in Detecting Hearing Loss in Children (nytimes.com)
• Recklessly diagnosing (bilerico.com)
• Newborn and carrier screening for spinal muscular atrophy now possible, claim scientists (physorg.com)
• Lung disease may be genetic, despite lack of family history (scienceblog.com)
• Genetic Testing: Does It Help or Hurt? (lifescript.com)

New, Deadly Cryptococcus Gattii Fungus Found in U.S.

clipped from news.nationalgeographic.com A new strain of hypervirulent, deadly Cryptococcus gattii fungus has been discovered in the United States, a new study says. The outbreak has already killed six people in Oregon, and it will likely creep into northern California and possibly farther, experts say. The new strain is of the species Cryptococcus gattii, an airborne fungus native to tropical and subtropical regions, including Papua New Guinea, Australia, and parts of South America. An older strain of the fungus was frst detected in North America in British Columbia, Canada, in 1999. No one knows how the species got to North America or how the fungus can thrive in a temperate region, experts say. "The alarming thing is that it's occurring in this region, it's affecting healthy people, and geographically it's been expanding," People can become infected with Cryptococcus gattii by inhaling the microscopic organisms—and there's not much you can do about it.

Related articles by Zemanta

• Cyptococcus Gattii: Fatal Fungus (brainz.org)
• The 'Killer Fungus': Should We Be Scared? (time.com)
• The 'Killer Fungus': Should We Be Scared? (time.com)
• First "Killer Bees," Now "Killer Fungus" (cbsnews.com)
• New Concerns About Deadly Fungus Found in Oregon (news.sciencemag.org)
• Deadly Oregon fungus may spread on West Coast (cbc.ca)
• Deadly Fungus Spreading in Northwest U.S., British Columbia (shoppingblog.com)
• Infectious Disease Alert Reveals Rapidly Mutating Airborne Fungus (pamil-visions.net)
• Potentially deadly fungus spreading in B.C. (thestar.com)
• Lethal Fungus Crosses Border From Canada Into U.S. (lockergnome.com)