DPH Highlights Expansion of Newborn Screening Program

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 2, 2026

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) is proud to announce expansions within its Newborn Screening Program, including the addition of two new conditions to the robust testing panel.  

Each year, DPH provides newborn screening for around 60,000 children born in South Carolina. Newborn screening is the practice of testing every newborn for certain harmful or potentially fatal metabolic or genetic disorders that aren't otherwise apparent at birth. When such conditions are detected early, diagnosed and treated, newborns stand a much better chance of avoiding or decreasing disabilities and having the best chance for a healthy life.  

“In 2025, we celebrated 60 years of newborn screening in South Carolina, and it’s exciting that DPH’s Newborn Screening Program continues to find ways to expand and provide support and hope to families of newborns across the state,” said Dr. Brannon Traxler, acting DPH director.

On May 31, DPH expanded its newborn screening panel to include Mucopolysaccharidosis Type II (MPS-II, also known as Hunter syndrome) and Fabry disease. With these additions, DPH’s program now screens for 60 disorders at birth.  

MPS-II is an inherited condition in which the body cannot break down certain complex sugars, leading to progressive adverse effects on multiple organ systems that, without early treatment, can cause serious and irreversible harm. Fabry disease is an inherited condition in which the body cannot properly process certain fats, putting individuals at increased risk for heart attack, stroke and kidney disease over time.

For both conditions, the newborn period is the critical window for intervention, and testing will be incorporated into the standard screening process using the dried blood spot specimens already collected from every infant born in South Carolina, with no additional steps required from families or birthing hospitals.

Additionally, DPH has partnered with Revvity to implement a new electronic test ordering and reporting (ETOR) system that will replace the handwritten specimen collection cards currently used at all 38 of South Carolina's birthing hospitals. The new system will be implemented in phases at hospitals from early 2027 through 2030.  

The ETOR system will transmit newborn demographic information electronically from hospital records directly to DPH’s Public Health Laboratory (PHL), reducing the manual data entry that can be a source of errors and delays and is a time burden on hospital staff. In 2024, 4.3% of specimens arrived at the laboratory with missing information and 1,062 reports required amendment due to errors. In addition, ETOR will allow for faster, electronic receipt of results by hospitals and ordering providers.

The system will also aim to establish a connection to South Carolina Vital Records to automatically identify any newborns who do not receive a screen at birth. A 2022 gap analysis study identified 306 newborns statewide who were neither screened nor documented as refusals within the Newborn Screening Program.

“Transitioning from paper forms to electronic reporting will allow us to increase efficiency and accuracy in our newborn screening efforts,” said Dr. Beth Bair, Director of DPH’s Newborn Screening Program. “This is just one more step to modernize our program and ensure that we are continually finding ways to improve services that benefit South Carolinians.”

For educational materials and more information about newborn screening, visit DPH’s Newborn Screening webpage.

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