Newborn screening saves lives—it’s that simple. By the end of 2023, nearly 42 million newborns will have been screened in the United States alone. Imagine what this number could be on a global scale if every country participated in a comprehensive newborn screening program?
Over the years, we’ve continued to expand our efforts globally to help diagnose, treat, and sometimes, even cure, as many newborns as possible. In 2007, we agreed to fund half of a pilot program in Wisconsin to screen for SCID. The pilot began in January 2008 and tested 10,000 newborns. During the pilot, one child, Dawson Bornheimer, was identified with SCID and then cured, which motivated us to continue working state by state until all 50 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and Navajo Nation implemented a comprehensive screening program in 2018.
Now, more than 15 other countries are conducting population screening across the globe, and even more are conducting screening in select areas. New pilot programs are being regularly introduced, and we will continue our advocacy and awareness efforts to share about the importance of newborn screening!
See if your country participates in a newborn screening program on our website. The best way to Do Something is to use your voice – if your country doesn’t participate yet, speak up to encourage action!