Dear members of LASID,
I’m sharing with you this great news.
The International Society for Neonatal Screening (ISNS), in partnership with the International
Patient Organisation for Primary Immunodeficiencies (IPOPI) and with the support of the
European Society for Immunodeficiencies (ESID), are pleased to announce the launch of the first
International Neonatal Screening Day, which will be held on June 28th, 2021.
On this first International Neonatal Screening day, newborn screening experts (ISNS), patients
(IPOPI) and healthcare professionals (ESID) jointly call for an increased collaboration and
discussions on this key preventive measure for the wellbeing of newborns and their families.
28th June has been chosen to commemorate the birth of Dr Robert Guthrie. Dr Guthrie introduced
the paper blood spot card and a new assay to screen newborns for PKU in the United States in
the 1960s. Dr Guthrie’s work and activities, and especially the paper blood spot card, today
applied universally in all screening programmes, revolutionized the detection of children with
inborn conditions, enabling the improvement of children’s health.
Quote from Prof Isabelle Meyts, ESID President
“The International Neonatal Screening Day is a day to be grateful for what has been achieved
and a day to look forward towards implementing screening programs for additional rare diseases,
which are both life-threatening and devastating if not picked up timely, such as SCID. The INSD
is the day for reflexion and action on this important step in improving health at a global level”
