Life-threatening disease added to screening list for newborns 

Vicky McGrath, CEO of Rare Diseases Ireland, said the long delay in adding ADA-SCI to screening put families at risk. Picture: Moya Nolan

A life-threatening and rare disease that damages the immune system has been added to a list of conditions for which newborns are screened in Ireland, 22 months after it was first recommended.

Starting from Monday, the National Newborn Screening Laboratory can screen newborns for ADA-SCI, a rare, inherited disorder in which the immune system is damaged and the body struggles to fight infection.