The Cuban Immunoassay Center has developed new testing kits to detect diseases in newborns.

The Havana-based Cuban Immunoassay Center, a major medical institution in the country, has developed new testing kits to detect diseases in newborns.

According to experts, the center designed three new diagnostic kits to detect up to 13 diseases, including neurological and mental disorders.

Detection of those disorders and timely treatment are a major contribution to Cuban health authorities' efforts to reduce infant mortality in the country.

Previously, the center had developed a kit to test children for congenital hyperthyroidism and phenylcetonuria, so the new kits complement the previous tests on newborns.

When babies are five days old, a blood sample is taken from the heel and is tested in one of 39 laboratories throughout the country.