What Are Community Genetics Services?

The occurrence rates of congenital and genetic disorders in low- and middle-income countries seem to be higher because of a number of reasons including low availability of community genetics services, the higher consanguinity rates, large family size, insufficient of laws to support termination of pregnancy, and advanced maternal age at pregnancy. However, compared to the control of communicable diseases and non-communicable chronic disorders, public health genetics services are not among the main priorities of health system in those areas due to the present importance and ongoing burden of communicable diseases in the community, lack of the organized and functional public agencies for the treatment and prevention of specific genetic diseases, lower resources (i.e. genetic laboratory and technology, funding, trained professionals, and manpower), lower genetics literacy, paucity of epidemiology of genetic and congenital disorders, and cultural, legal, societal, and religious limitations [1, 2].