00:01Screening for spinal muscular atrophy has begun in England as an NHS evaluation starts. The
00:07condition can cause severe muscle weakness and affect movement, breathing and swallowing.
00:11Detecting it before symptoms appear can give babies a better chance of benefiting from treatment.
00:18Birmingham is the first laboratory to begin testing, with other centres joining the programme
00:22in phases. The NHS says babies in England are expected to be offered screening by Spring
00:282028. The evaluation will assess how well screening works in practice, including how quickly babies
00:36can be referred for care. SMA affects around 60 babies born in England each year.
