ASCIA has developed new resources to support newborn screening for Severe Combined Immune Deficiency (SCID), which is now available throughout Australia and New Zealand:

• Newborn Screening for Severe Combined Immune Deficiency (SCID) and BCG Vaccination - Position Statement for health professionals https://www.allergy.org.au/hp/papers/immunodeficiency-nbs-scid-bcg

• Newborn Screening for Severe Combined Immune Deficiency (SCID) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for patients and carershttps://www.allergy.org.au/patients/immunodeficiencies/nbs-scid

The FAQ includes answers to the following questioins:

Q 1. Why are SCID newborn screening tests performed in Australia and New Zealand?

Q 2. How are SCID newborn screening tests performed?

Q 3. When are further tests needed?

Advocacy for SCID newborn screening in Australia has been ongoing from ASCIA and patient.carer support organisations for several years, and is one of the goals for the ASCIA Immunodeficiency Strategy. 

This news item was issued on 25 January 2024 by Jill Smith, CEO of ASCIA, the peak professional body of clinical immunology/allergy specialists in Australia and New Zealand.