A non-profit working towards global equality in newborn jaundice care.
Donate today to give newborns the start in life they deserve
Our mission
To give every newborn, in every setting the best start in life, through access to timely jaundice care.
We believe jaundice should never be life-threatening or life-changing. Every newborn deserves timely jaundice screening and care, so they can have the best start in life - no matter where they’re born.
Over 10 million newborns develop severe jaundice every year, mostly in low resource settings, with around 200,000 at risk of brain damage or loss of life.
Donate today to give newborns the start in life they deserve.
Latest News
Collaboration in Action: Wellbeing Foundation Africa & Picterus
Picterus Newborn Health is advancing its collaboration with The Wellbeing Foundation Africa under Project Oscar – Light for Life to strengthen early detection and management of neonatal jaundice in Nigeria. By integrating Picterus® Jaundice Pro into frontline care, the partnership supports healthcare workers with digital screening tools, training, and standardized protocols to improve newborn outcomes nationwide.
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Picterus Newborn Health and The Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA) are proud to advance their collaboration under Project Oscar – Light for Life, a vital initiative focused on strengthening the early detection and management of neonatal jaundice in Nigeria.
Nigeria accounts for nearly 29% of global maternal deaths and carries a disproportionate burden of newborn morbidity and mortality, making it an undeniable priority for innovation in newborn care. Launched in 2024, Project Oscar – Light for Life is WBFA’s neonatal jaundice screening, treatment, and kernicterus prevention programme, funded by Reckitt and implemented in collaboration with government stakeholders and supported through private-sector partnership funding. The initiative strengthens standardized screening protocols, builds healthcare worker capacity, improves referral systems, and promotes maternal awareness to ensure early identification and timely treatment of at-risk newborns.
Through our current collaboration, WBFA received Picterus® Jaundice Pro, our digital jaundice screening solution, which is being integrated directly into Project Oscar – Light for Life’s maternal, neonatal, and community health workflows. Together, we are supporting frontline health workers with targeted training, clear clinical decision-making tools, and access to non-invasive screening that enables earlier identification of newborns at risk.
This collaboration is about:
● Standardizing early neonatal jaundice screening within routine care workflows
● Strengthening continuity of care from birth through the early postnatal period.
● Supporting healthcare workers with early, clear screening and referral guidance.
● Embedding Picterus Jaundice Pro into postnatal and neonatal care pathways.
● Generating real-world evidence to inform programme improvement, policy dialogue, and responsible scale-up.
● Aligning innovation with government-led newborn health priorities
By embedding digital screening within broader health system strengthening efforts, the partnership aims to reduce missed cases, prevent kernicterus, and support improved newborn survival outcomes when it matters most.
We are grateful to WBFA, Project Oscar – Light for Life, and the dedicated frontline healthcare teams making this work possible, and we are excited about the lasting impact our collaboration will have for newborns across Nigeria. The formalization of this partnership marks an important step toward expanding access to standardized, high-quality neonatal jaundice screening across Nigeria.
Our projects
Location: Tanzania, Monduli
Date: 11-14th March 2025
Partner: Tanzania Better Health (TBH)
Helping a comunity in the Arusha region
Our Goal: The Tanzania pilot outreach project set out to protect newborns from the dangers of jaundice through early detection and community education.
With strong community involvement and trust, families embraced the initiative, helping raise awareness and save lives.
Using simple, smartphone-based technology, health workers screened newborns in 3 seperate locations in the Monduli region.
The project was a powerful success—proof that when innovation meets community, every baby gets a better start.
Photo credit - Tanzania Better Health
What we want to address
Jaundice in Newborns
Jaundice, also known as hyperbilirubinemia, affects 60–80% of newborns globally 1. Approximately 10% of these cases progress to severe neonatal jaundice 2.
Every year, approximately 1.1 million newborns, mostly in low-resource settings, develop severe hyperbilirubinemia due to the lack of accessible jaundice screening solutions 3,4.
When jaundice is left undetected and untreated, it can cause significant and irreversible health complications including:
Acute Bilirubin Encephalopathy (ABE):
A critical condition where elevated bilirubin levels cross into the
newborn's brain. Immediate treatment is essential to prevent lasting damage.
Kernicterus: A life-threatening condition with permanent or chronic brain damage secondary to untreated ABE. Consequences include hearing impairment, cerebral palsy, cognitive and development delays and dental problems.
ABE / Kernicterus are 17 times more prevalent in underserved areas than in wealthier countries 5.
ABE / Kernicterus are 17 times more prevalent in underserved areas than in wealthier countries 5.
The urgency
While kernicterus is entirely preventable it is crucial to recognize newborns at risk of developing irreversible outcomes 4. Ensuring early detection and treatment of jaundice is key to safeguarding the health and future of newborns worldwide 4, 6.
Our work
Local Communities / Partner Network / Government Collaboration
We are a small team of dedicated and passionate individuals committed to make jaundice screening and care easily accessible to newborns worldwide.
We do not limit ourselves to a particular country or region. We recognize that in order to make a difference and provide lasting change, it is incredibly important to work together with local authorities, partners and communities, tailoring our approach to each unique project.
Thanks to the collaboration between our valued in-country partners, we are able to help more families and newborns and move closer toward our goal of giving every baby the best start in life.
Photo credit: Dr. Jennifer Harling, Kibuye Hope Hospital, Burundi
Who we want to help
Our focus is on low-resource settings and making sure jaundice screening and care is readily available
Video credit: Dr. Jennifer Harling, Kibuye Hope Hospital, Burundi.
Dr. Beatrice Odongkara MD, PhD Uganda
Revolutionizing newborn health with innovation
“Did you know neonatal jaundice is a silent yet critical threat to newborns, especially in low-resource settings? If left untreated, it can lead to kernicterus – a devastating and preventable condition that causes lifelong brain damage.
Fortunately, Picterus Jaundice Pro is changing this narrative in Gulu! This innovative mobile app equips healthcare professionals with a low-cost, accurate, and accessible tool for early jaundice detection. We can prevent complications, protect newborn health, and reduce the risk of severe outcomes with timely screening. But that’s not all! Picterus Jaundice Pro also enables parents to screen their babies from home, allowing for early detection before visiting a healthcare facility. This groundbreaking approach:
- Saves lives through early intervention
- Reduces delays in accessing care
- Eases the burden on over-stretched healthcare systems
A heartfelt thank you to our generous donors. Your support is introducing life-saving technology to Gulu and empowering families and healthcare workers. Together, we are creating a brighter and healthier future for newborns in Gulu and beyond!”
“Neonatal jaundice affects many newborns and, if left untreated, can cause permanent neurological damage. Innovative screening tools which are easy to use even in rural communities like Picterus are very crucial for early detection hence ensuring timely treatment, preventing serious complications. Tanzania Better Health is delighted to partner with Picterus joining forces integrating this jaundice screening technology for better health outcomes for newborns.”
Dr. Leonard J. Malasa
Founder and CEO, Tanzania Better Health, Tanzania
“I have been practicing midwifery for nearly 40 years and had the opportunity to work in many different countries around the globe. Neonatal jaundice is a common challenge for all babies regardless of the place they were born. The app gave me an additional reliable result to support my clinical judgment when I was working in Germany. It was easy to teach the parents to use the app as well and to call me with the result. This helped me in managing the high work. I would like to see the App soon in many underserved countries because, with no access to laboratories, any other TCB technology and often untrained personnel in post-natal care, this easy-to-use app can save many lives.”
Sandra Sedlmaier-Ouattara
Global Sexual and Reproductive Health Consultant - New Zealand
How we have impact
Healthcare Professional Training and Jaundice Education
Community and Parent Jaundice Awareness Education
Jaundice Screening
Jaundice Treatment
Donate and help us make a difference:
Join our mission to make jaundice screening accessible to newborns globally, giving every baby the best start in life.
Your donation will support our global efforts to provide awareness, education, screening, and treatment for neonatal jaundice—reaching the most vulnerable newborns who need it most.
For our donors in Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark we welcome you to use the Vipps information provided to donate.
- Olusanya BO, Kaplan M, Hansen TWR. Neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia: a global perspective. Lancet Child Adolesc Health 2018;2(8):610-620. doi:10.1016/S2352-4642(18)30139-1
- Watchko J, Tiribelli C. Bilirubin-Induced Neurologic Damage – Mechanisms and Management. Approaches. N Engl J Med 2013;369:2021-30 doi: 10.1056/NEJMra1308124
- Bhutani VK, Zipursky A, Blencowe H, et al. Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and Rhesus disease of the newborn: incidence and impairment estimates for 2010 at regional and global levels. Pediatr Res 2013;74(Suppl 1):86–100 doi: 10.1038/pr.2013.208
- Olusanya BO, Ogunlesi TA, Slusher TM. Why is kernicterus still a major cause of death and disability in low-income and middle-income countries? Arch Dis Child. 2014;99(12):1117-21. doi:10.1136/archdischild-2013-305506
- Diala UM, Usman F, Appiah D, et al. Global Prevalence of Severe Neonatal Jaundice among Hospital Admissions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Journal of Clinical Medicine 2023;12(11), 3738. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm12113738
- Greco C, Arnolda G, Boo N-Y, et al. Neonatal Jaundice in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Lessons and Future Directions from the 2015 Don Ostrow Trieste Yellow Retreat. Neonatology. 2016;110(3):172-180. doi:https://10.1159/000445708