Latest news with #SCID
CBS News
28-07-2025
- Health
- CBS News
Minnesota baby born with "bubble boy disease" gets life-changing transplant
A farm family from Dennison, Minnesota, received a heartbreaking diagnosis: their unborn son has a rare, deadly genetic disorder. But thanks to a selfless stranger, their baby's story is taking a remarkable turn. Danielle and Nick Haugen learned by a gender reveal flyover that they were having a son. But that joy was soon joined by feelings of anxiety. Decades earlier, Danielle Haugen's brother was diagnosed with X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency, or SCID. "My brother died from this, and I never really got to meet him," said Danielle Haugen. Also known as "bubble boy disease," the disorder only affects boys. "When you're born with an immune system that doesn't work, you're at incredibly high risk of illness from common infections that other people could handle just fine," said Dr. Christen Ebens, a pediatric bone marrow transplant expert with M Health Fairview. Six months into her pregnancy, Danielle Haugen was tested for SCID. Her unborn son had inherited the same devastating disease. "I'm going to have this baby and he's going to die ... because I just know what my mom and dad knew," said Danielle Haugen. Fortunately, survival rates have come a long way in the last 40 years thanks to newborn screenings and bone marrow transplants, which their son would need. To protect their baby, the Haugens went to work creating their bubble — a huge task with full-time jobs and their 7-and-a-half acre farm. "Basically we just went into high gear and started cleaning the farm up even more, and got rid of all the chickens, got rid of all the pigs," said Nick Haugen. Friends and family held a fundraiser to help the family with bills as they'd be out of work for months. ServiceMaster donated deep cleanings and HS Ultra installed UV lights in their home ductwork, and built a second unit for a friend's home so they could be close to the hospital after his transplant. James Jacob "JJ" Haugen was born on Dec. 30, 2024. In early March, he received a bone marrow transplant. In late June, the Haugens finally returned to their farm. A stranger's bone marrow has given JJ a second chance at life. The Haugens are advocating for everyone to register with NMDP, formerly Be The Match, to see if they can help save a life. "Without our donor, we would not be standing her with our son alive," said Danielle Haugen. "I thank our donor, whoever she is, and I hope to meet her one day for saving JJ's life. Thank you." The Haugens are also looking forward to a day when JJ can play outside with his big sister Brindley, as their lives move forward after gaining a new perspective. "You're only young once," said Nick Haugen. "As much time as we can spend with him and do more travelling with him, and more fishing and hunting instead of work."
The Star
26-07-2025
- Health
- The Star
Singapore's national screening programme tests newborns for metabolic and heritable diseases
The screening is a preventive measure to detect health problems before symptoms appear. -- ST PHOTO: VANESSA PAIGE CHELVAN SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): All newborns at KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) are screened for metabolic and heritable diseases under the National Expanded Newborn Screening (Nens) programme. It is a preventive measure to detect health problems before symptoms appear. The procedure – which is not legally mandated – involves pricking a baby's heels to collect a blood sample between 24 and 72 hours after birth Started in 2006, the programme was expanded in 2019 and now allows more than 40 types of diseases to be detected in newborns. These include: Phenylketonuria, which gives the baby a musty smell and lighter skin and can lead to intellectual disability, seizures, behavioural problems and mental disorders. Glutaric acidemia type 1, which prevents the body from breaking down certain amino acids properly. This leads to a harmful build-up of substances, potentially causing brain damage and movement difficulties Maple syrup urine disease, a rare disorder where the body cannot properly break down certain amino acids, causing a characteristic maple syrup odour Congenital adrenal hyperplasia, where the body does not produce enough of the hormone cortisol, resulting in the inability to keep blood pressure, blood sugar and energy at healthy levels. Nens can also detect other diseases, including five treatable serious childhood-onset conditions such as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) and cystic fibrosis. SCID, also known as 'bubble boy disease', is a condition where a baby is born without a functioning immune system. Screening involves checking the baby's blood for DNA fragments called T-cell receptor excision circles (Trecs), which show whether the immune system is producing T-cells properly. These white blood cells play a crucial role in preventing infections. While the test does not confirm an SCID diagnosis, abnormalities such as low levels of or absent Trecs indicate that the baby needs to undergo more testing. In 2024, all newborns at KKH were screened under Nens, while the national screening rate in Singapore is 96 per cent. - The Straits Times/ANN .
Straits Times
26-07-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
Singapore's national screening programme tests newborns for metabolic and heritable diseases
Find out what's new on ST website and app. It is a preventive measure to detect health problems before the symptoms appear. SINGAPORE – All newborns at the KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH) are screened for metabolic and heritable diseases under the National Expanded Newborn Screening (Nens) programme. It is a preventive measure to detect health problems before the symptoms appear. The procedure – which is not legally mandated – involves pricking a baby's heels to collect a blood sample between 24 and 72 hours after birth. Started in 2006, the programme has detected various metabolic and heritable diseases, including: * Phenylketonuria, which gives the baby a musty smell and lighter skin and can lead to intellectual disability, seizures, behavioural problems, and mental disorder; * Glutaric Acidemia Type 1, which prevents the body from breaking down certain amino acids properly. This leads to a harmful buildup of substances, potentially causing brain damage and movement difficulties: * Maple syrup urine disease, a rare disorder where the body cannot properly break down certain amino acids, causing a characteristic maple syrup odour; and Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Almost half of planned 30,000 flats in Tengah to be completed by end-2025: Chee Hong Tat Asia Cambodia calls for ceasefire with Thailand after deadly clashes Asia Behind deadly Thai-Cambodian clashes, a bitter spat between two dynastic leaders Multimedia Lights dimmed at South-east Asia's scam hub but 'pig butchering' continues Business How parents can prevent disputes over their properties Sport Mikkel Lee gets back up to speed as Singapore swimmers eye 2028 Olympics spots Business Banking and finance jobs will change but won't disappear as AI becomes the new normal: Accenture Asia Hottest 'ticket' in Jakarta? Young Indonesians compete for a slot at this novel club * Congenital adrenal hyperplasia, where the body does not produce enough of the hormone cortisol, resulting in the inability to keep blood pressure, blood sugar and energy at healthy levels. The screening programme was expanded in 2019 and now allows more than 40 types of diseases to be detected in newborns. Besides the four conditions listed earlier, Nens can also detect other diseases, including five treatable serious childhood-onset conditions such as severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) and cystic fibrosis. SCID or the 'bubble boy disease' is a condition where a baby is born without a functioning immune system. Screening involves checking the baby's blood for DNA fragments called T-cell receptor excision circles (Trecs), which show whether the immune system is producing T-cells properly. These white blood cells play a crucial role in preventing infections. While the test does not confirm an SCID diagnosis, abnormalities such as low or absent Trecs indicate that the baby needs to undergo more testing. In 2024, all newborns at KKH were screened under Nens, while the national screening rate in Singapore is 96 per cent.
The Star
23-07-2025
- Health
- The Star
Children with SCID are born defenceless against infections
As a parent, you'd probably never guess that if your child repeatedly gets an infection, it could be due to a genetic disorder. Even medical practitioners may not be aware of this. Primary immunodeficiencies – now often referred to as inborn errors of immunity (IEI) – are a group of more than 500 rare, inherited conditions where a part of the immune system is missing or severely impaired. These genetic flaws can affect anyone regardless of age, gender or race, leading to an increased susceptibility to infections, autoimmune diseases or other immune problems. The infections may show up in the skin, sinuses, throat, ears, lungs, brain, spinal cord, or in the urinary or intestinal tracts. IEI patients often have repeated infections, infections that won't clear up, or unusually severe infections. They can also present with tumours, severe allergies, multiple enlarged lymph nodes or an enlarged liver. Researchers are discovering more and more IEI, with the most common one being antibody deficiency. Antibodies are proteins that protect you when unwanted substances such as bacteria, viruses and toxins enter your body. 'Some people may have mild IEI, but do not display any symptoms. 'Perhaps those with recurrent episodes of upper respiratory tract infection [URTI] could have it, but they don't know because they have never done a blood test to check if there is a problem with the function of antibodies,' says Hospital Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah (HSAAS) consultant paediatrician and clinical immunologist and allergist Associate Professor Dr Intan Hakimah Ismail. An emergency situation Prof Intan says babies with SCID seldom live past a year old without a bone marrow transplant due to the frequent infections they get. — Photos: GLENN GUAN/The Star Out of all the IEI, severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) is the most critical one. This condition impacts the T cells, as well as the B cells and natural killer cells – all immune cells that originate from the bone marrow and are crucial for fighting off infections. Infants with SCID appear healthy at birth, but are highly vulnerable to severe and potentially fatal infections. Usually, the prognosis is poor, as babies don't live past a year unless they get a bone marrow transplant. Says Assoc Prof Intan: 'We consider SCID as a paediatric emergency, so we have to go all out to get them a transplant as quickly as possible. 'With other IEI, there is time to discuss a transplant, but here, there is no time – they will die. 'The majority of SCID babies will have an infection within the first few weeks of life. 'This can include URTI, pneumonia, diarrhoea, gastroenteritis, fungal infection, oral thrush, pus at the BCG vaccination site, etc.' If the baby has had only one episode of infection, it may be hard for the paediatrician to make the right diagnosis. Only after repeated infections may the doctor suspect something amiss and order further blood tests to check. Possible to cure While breastfeeding is generally beneficial for infants, it can pose risks for babies with SCID due to the potential transmission of cytomegalovirus through breast milk. Treatment for SCID includes intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) replacement therapy, enzyme replacement therapy and gene therapy, but the latter two are not available in Malaysia. ALSO READ: New gene therapy shows promise against 'bubble boy' disease At HSAAS, once a SCID child is diagnosed or referred from other hospitals, they are started on IVIG immediately, along with antibiotics, antifungals and anti-tuberculosis drugs to prevent infection. 'If they have recurrent viral infections, we also start them on antiviral medications – all these are temporary solutions while waiting for a bone marrow transplant for a cure. 'The ideal donors are usually the siblings [without SCID] as they are likely to have a 100% genetic match. 'If not, the parents come next or someone unrelated with a 100% genetic match. 'Thankfully, we can now get the donor's stem cells from the peripheral blood instead of the bone marrow directly, which is a less invasive procedure. 'The child has to be infection-free as much as possible before the transplant, but in some situations, this is not possible, so if the infection is minimal, the transplant can proceed,' explains Assoc Prof Intan. In most instances, only one transplant is required for a cure. Inaccurate numbers Currently, like most rare diseases, there is no national registry for IEI or SCID. Jaasritha is not out of the woods yet and still needs IVIG treatment monthly, but Manonmani is happy that her baby's smile has returned. The prevalence of SCID worldwide is estimated to be one in 50,000 to 100,000 live births. Based on that statistic, Malaysia should have 60-100 cases annually. However, this number might be an underestimate, as some cases may be missed due to death before diagnosis. 'In UPM [Universiti Putra Malaysia], I have my own data in our centre and we are only picking up three to four cases a year. 'Although we are the leading IEI referral centre in the country, not all cases are referred to us. 'Our data from 2012 shows we have more than 1,000 IEI cases, but for SCID alone, it's 44, so we're definitely missing out on the actual numbers,' says Assoc Prof Intan. That's why she is fighting hard to get newborns screened for SCID, She says: 'We had two cases where the first child was born and died within three or four months. 'It was the same story with the second child, and only when the couple had their third child, we diagnosed the infant with SCID. 'The treating doctor didn't think of SCID as a possibility, or maybe he wasn't aware of the disease. 'Sometimes, the child may be too sick to travel to HSAAS, so we ask the hospitals to send us their blood sample first, as we have labs here that can deliver the results within 24 hours.' ALSO READ: Doctors essential in driving access for rare disease treatment 'Blessed child' When Jaasritha Sai was born in 2023, she weighed 2.1kg – a low birth weight – but she was otherwise healthy. A beautiful, smiley baby, she gained weight quickly, but at three months old, started developing flu symptoms and skin issues. 'We thought her rashes were due to the diapers and we changed the brand, but it didn't help. 'And despite her phlegm, she could drink the whole bottle of milk at one go. 'But suddenly, at six months, Jaasritha would become breathless after drinking two ounces, vomit and purge. 'She became considerably weak and we took her to the hospital's emergency department where she was warded after being diagnosed with pneumonia,' recalls her mother Manonmani Suparamany, 42. Upon discharge, the diarrhoea didn't stop and Jaasritha's weight dropped drastically. Manonmani sensed something was wrong and consulted multiple specialists from various hospitals before she was referred to Assoc Prof Intan, who confirmed a SCID diagnosis. That was in November 2023 when Jaasritha was nine months old. The single mother from Klang, Selangor, says: 'I didn't even know there was such a condition where both parents carry the mutated gene – my world came crumbling down. 'She was immediately started on treatment and had to stay in an isolated room for nine months. 'Everyone who came in had to wear PPE [personal protective equipment] and mask up because she caught a major infection three times.' Manonmani's employer agreed to let her go on unpaid leave to look after her sick child. It was tough being confined to a room for so long and when there was no one watching, the anxiety-ridden Manonmani would cry buckets. As Jaasritha has no siblings, her mother was the next best bone marrow donor. (Her father is not involved with the family.) Alas, Manonmani was only a 50% match – not ideal – and was rejected by Hospital Kuala Lumpur, where Jaasritha was on the wait list for a transplant. Because time was crucial to save Jaasritha's life, Assoc Prof Intan pooled her resources and found an opportunity at the Apollo Cancer Specialty Hospital in Chennai, India. They accepted Manonmani as a donor, but the transplant cost was high at RM200,000. She says: 'Still, it was cheaper than the RM1mil quoted in one local private hospital. 'Since I was utilising my employer's insurance, it did not cover overseas medical expenses, so with the help of the non-profit Malaysian Patients Organisation for Primary Immunodeficiencies (Mypopi), we crowdfunded to raise RM300,000 in a week. 'But the final cost came up to RM415,000 as Jaasritha had to do the transplant thrice due to some complications. 'She didn't do well after the first transplant and lost her smile along the way. "She refused to say any words – that frightened me as I didn't know how I would handle losing her.' It was also a painful process for Manonmani, as she had to be in bed for five hours without moving while her stem cells were being extracted. Finally, Jaasritha was given the green light to fly home after five months. 'In total, we spent 14 months in hospital. 'She's still not out of the woods yet and needs IVIG every month at HSAAS until her antibodies stabilise. 'Since her transplant, she has not caught any infections except Covid-19, but she managed to fight it off, which is a good sign. 'I'm still traumatised and don't like to expose her too much, although I take her to the park when it's not crowded,' says Manonmani. More importantly, Jaasritha's smile has returned and she can now walk, climb stairs and baby talk again at 28 months. Assoc Prof Intan concludes: 'Jaasritha is a blessed child and a fighter indeed.'
The Age
12-07-2025
- Health
- The Age
A half-match transplant was Ismaeel's only option. His parents jumped at it – they had been here before
When Javeria and Usman Ahmad's newborn son Ismaeel was diagnosed with a rare genetic immunodeficiency disorder, they rushed to proceed with a bone marrow transplant from Usman, even though, as a parent, he was only a 'half match', bringing added risks. Their first son, Zakariya, had died at just 15 months of the same condition – severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID). 'They spent six weeks looking in the donor registries around the world, and we couldn't find anything better than a 30 per cent match,' Javeria said. She was preparing to donate when Zakariya's condition deteriorated. A shortage of bone marrow donors is causing problems for Australians, particularly those from diverse backgrounds. Like many, the only option for the Ahmad family, who have Pakistani heritage, was a partial match from a relative. Donation advocates hope the now-widespread availability of cheek swab testing will encourage more young people from all ethnic backgrounds to become donors. Registering, previously only available via a blood draw, is now as simple as returning the cotton swab sample by mail, resulting in a potential match for a current or future patient. Usman donated through a process similar to giving blood. He returned to work the next day, while Javeria sat with Ismaeel as the stem cells were administered via his chest. 'I was just holding him on my lap as the cells went in,' she said. 'The procedure itself was quite uneventful.' It was also a success. Ismaeel is now an active 10-year-old who loves soccer and basketball, and regularly tops his class. He will probably receive fortnightly antibody infusions from donated blood plasma for the rest of his life, but his parents, from Sydney's west, hope he won't need another transplant, though there's always the chance.
