Adding the disease, Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID), to the newborn screening panel will be subject to a public hearing before the state Board of Health when it meets Wednesday, Oct. 9 in Olympia.
Early detection of SCID, commonly known as the “boy in the bubble” disease, through newborn screening will allow infants to receive bone marrow transplants before damage is caused by the disorder and while the child can still be cured of the condition. Without treatment a child with SCID is vulnerable to life-threatening infections during their first years of life.
Mike Glass, director of the Newborn Screening Program at the Department of Health, will brief the board on the proposed rule changes, the process used to revise the rule and summarize the comments received on the rule change.
The Board of Health will meet from 9:30 a.m. to 2:40 p.m. Wednesday in Senate Hearing Room 3 of the Cherberg Building located at 304 15th Avenue Southeast on the Capitol Campus in Olympia. This meeting is open to the public with an opportunity for testimony on any public health issue.
Copies of the agenda and related materials are available by contacting the board at 360-236-4100 or on the Board of Health website (sboh.wa.gov). The emergency and media contact number for the board during the meeting is 360-701-2398.
