As recommended by its advisory committee on preventing lead exposure, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reduced the blood lead reference value for children from 5 micrograms per deciliter to 3.5 micrograms per deciliter to reflect declining blood lead levels in U.S. children aged 1-5. The agency recommends that clinicians and public health professionals collaborate to develop screening plans that focus screening efforts on neighborhoods and children at high risk based on age of housing and sociodemographic risk factors. 

“In the absence of such plans, universal [blood lead level] testing is recommended,” CDC said. “In addition, jurisdictions should follow the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services requirement that all Medicaid-enrolled children be tested at ages 12 and 24 months or at age 24-72 months if they have not previously been screened.”
 

Related News Articles

Headline
The results of a study published July 16 by JAMA Network Open showed a 19% increase in postpartum primary care provider visits for patients through the use of…
Headline
Kittitas Valley Healthcare, based in Ellensburg, Wash., was delivering 300-350 babies each year in the region prior to 2022, offering the area’s only…
Headline
An infographic released by the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center highlights the decline of maternity care access in rural counties across…
Headline
The Health Resources and Services Administration June 11 announced that Montana is eligible for $5.4 million in federal funding this year for the Maternal,…
Headline
The award-winning Beyond Birth podcast series helps bring hospital programs to life by telling personal stories of how they positively impact mothers and their…
Blog
Our health may be the most personal and important thing we have. It determines how we feel when we wake up in the morning, how we relate to our families and…