Babies not screened for cystic fibrosis

NEWBORN babies are not being screened for Ireland’s most common life-threatening inherited disease, unlike in the North and the rest of the EU.

Cystic Fibrosis affects one in every 1,500 births. It attacks the respiratory and digestive system and leaves patients prone to frequent infections and malnutrition.

The average life expectancy is 21 years in Ireland compared to 30 in the North and in Britain.