Media advisory - New life-saving test for babies to launch in Ontario

OTTAWA, Aug. 19, 2013 /CNW/ - Imagine being able to save a baby's life with a simple test for a deadly illness. Imagine you are a child with the disease who was saved by a test but who lost an older sister to the disease. That child - 8 year old Ethan - and his family will join The Honourable Deb Matthews, Ontario Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, physicians and staff from Newborn Screening Ontario (NSO) and the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) to launch a new life-saving test for newborn babies in Ontario.

What:				Announcement of new life-saving screening for newborns in Ontario
Who:				Deb Matthews, Ontario Minister of Health and Long-Term Care
				John Fraser, Ottawa-South MPP
				Dr. Pranesh Chakraborty, Director, Newborn Screening Ontario
				Alex Munter, Chief Executive Officer, CHEO
				Lori Peters, 8 year-old Ethan & sisters, a family who can explain first-hand the importance of this new test
				Richard Thompson, Chief Executive Officer, Immunodeficiency Canada
Where:				CHEO, 401 Smyth Rd, 5W Playroom
When:				August 20, 2013 - 9AM

Newborn Screening Ontario (NSO) has tested over one million newborns for rare diseases that are treatable. Since NSO started at CHEO in 2006, over 1250 newborn babies with these diseases have been diagnosed through newborn screening. NSO is the most comprehensive newborn screening program in Canada, and is one of the largest and most modern programs in the world.

SOURCE: Newborn Screening Ontario

Media contacts:

Lauren Higgins, tel: [phone], [email protected]
Kim Barnhardt, tel: [phone], [email protected]