COVID-19 is especially deadly for adults with Down syndrome. But many can t get a vaccine shot. Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY
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The elderly woman on the phone was heartbroken. Her brother, who had Down syndrome, had never lacked a family member at his side in his 60-plus years.
But then he became severely ill with COVID-19, and she d had to leave him at a local hospital, confused and alone. He died two weeks later.
Now she was calling the Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota to ask if she could help spare other families from the same fate by helping the agency in its efforts to lobby state health officials to prioritize COVID-19 vaccination for adults with Down syndrome.
COVID-19 is especially deadly for adults with Down syndrome But many can t get a vaccine shot msn.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from msn.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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BOSTON The growth of prenatal screening in Europe has reduced the number of babies being born per year with Down syndrome (DS) by an average of 54%, according to a new study published in the
European Journal of Human Genetics by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and international Down syndrome organizations. In research published in 2016, the same team found that 33% fewer babies with DS per year were born in the United States as a result of pregnancy terminations.
The researchers spent three years collecting data from multiple registries and databases in every country in Europe to estimate the number of babies being born with DS and the overall number of people with DS in the population. People with DS were being counted sporadically, inconsistently, or not at all, depending on the country, says Brian G. Skotko, MD, MPP, a medical geneticist at MGH and senior author. But without an accurate estimate, it s impossible for policymakers and advoca