A newborn mass-screening program for the early detection of phenylketonuria, maple syrup urine disease, homocystinuria, galactosemia, congenital hypothyroidism, congenital adrenal hyperplasia, using filter paper blood specimens, was started throughout Japan in 1977. The total number of newborns screened by March 2000 reached 29,657,738; this represents 95% of the newborns during this period. A ...