Neonatal screening for sickle cell disease in France: evaluation of the selective process.

Aims: The French national programme for neonatal screening of sickle cell disease is applied to newborns 'at risk', defined as those born to parents originating from sub-Saharan Africa, the Mediterranean area, the Arabic peninsula, the French overseas islands and the Indian subcontinent. The selection is performed by the nurse in charge of blood sampling by interviewing the mother about the family's geographical origins. The mean rate of testing in France is 25%, ranging from 2% to 50% depending on the region.

Ethical aspects of neonatal screening for sickle cell disease in Western European countries.

Unlabelled: Sickle cell disease raises some important ethical questions regarding neonatal screening in Western European countries such as France, England or Belgium, which have already introduced either universal or selective screening. Such screening is aimed at benefiting children affected with major sickle cell syndrome. It also detects heterozygous babies and, in doing so, heterozygous parents.