Cuban Genetic Services Tops
Cuba is advancing in genetic counseling services and its results are on a par with very developed countries, National Medical Genetics Center director Beatriz Marcheco has announced.

Addressing the first International Congress on this specialty at Havana Conference Center Monday, the expert highlighted the importance of the national diagnostic programs, management and prevention of genetic diseases and malformations developed in the Island for over three years.

To ensure the birth of healthy children, Cuba tests for anemia due to erythrocytes, alphabet protein in the mother´s blood, and prenatal cytogenesis diagnosis of pregnant women at risk, among others, carried out with the highest technology existing in the world, Marcheco explained.

All this directly means fewer birth malformations, which affect the infant mortality rate, in Cuba such malformations are 1.5 per 1,000 live births in 2005, inferior to those of nations like Ireland (2.9), Italy (2.0) or Chile (3.7).

The opening ceremony of the International Congress was attended by Cuban Public Health Minister Jose Ramon Balaguer, Finlay Institute director Concepcion Campa, both Cuba’s Communist Party Political Board members, and Pan-American Health Organization representative Lea Guido.