Familial diarrhea disorders are, in most cases, severe and caused by recessive mutations. We describe the cause of a novel dominant disease in 32 members of a Norwegian family. The affected members have chronic diarrhea that is of early onset, is relatively mild, and is associated with increased susceptibility to inflammatory bowel disease, small-bowel obstruction, and esophagitis.

Original Source

Women living in an illegally polluted region of Italy are more likely to have birth defects, possibly due to accelerated ageing of their cells.

Evidences indicate that India has the highest number of children with birth defects. The lack of public health support for
treatment often means lifelong suffering. Many of the tools to prevent birth defects are inherent in the existing reproductive and
child health programme. With some additions, a prevention programme could be initiated in order to address this invisible
public health problem.

Why are more and more people in Israel with genetic disorders filing lawsuits for "wrongful life"?.

The first case of thalassaemia, described in a non-Mediterranean person, was from India. Subsequently, cases of thalassaemia were documented in all parts of India. Centres for care of thalassaemics were started in the mid-1970s in Mumbai and Delhi, and then in other cities. The parent’s associations, with the help of International Thalassemia Federation, greatly helped in improving the care of thalassaemics. Obtaining blood for transfusion was difficult, but the Indian Red Cross Society and the parent’s associations played a crucial role in arranging voluntary donations of blood.

The 'Immokalee babies' were born with severe deformities after their mothers were each exposed to pesticides whilst harvesting tomatoes. Barry Estabrook reports on the case that shocked the US.

By raising hell about newborn blood-spot screening, Twila Brase could jeopardize public-health programmes and derail research. The problem is, she has a point.

http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110713/full/475156a.html