Petition SMA screening to be added to the Welsh newborn screening programme
Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a rare genetic condition that causes the muscles to become weak and waste. It affects babies and children, although milder forms can appear later in life.
A simple heel prick test can be carried out in newborn screening programmes. The UK Government announced that newborn SMA screening will begin from October 26 for England only. Scotland are screening already but Wales has no plans to.
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Why is newborn screening important?
This is why there is so much interest in screening newborns.
A simple heel-prick blood test taken in the first few days of life can detect most babies with SMA before symptoms appear.
Early diagnosis matters because treatments work best before motor neurons are permanently lost. Babies treated before symptoms develop often achieve much better outcomes than those treated after weakness has begun.
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At 10,000 signatures...
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