Screening History
The timeline below takes you through the history of newborn screening in Ontario, Canada.
2025
2025
X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (XALD) screening pilot begins.
2022
2022
Guanidinoacetate methyltransferase (GAMT) deficiency and biliary atresia (BA) screening begins.
2020
2020
Screening for spinal muscular strophy (SMA) and Hurler disease (“Mucopolysaccharidosis type 1H” or “MPS1H”) begins.
2019
2019
Risk factor screening for permanent hearing loss (PHL) (CMV and genetic risk factors) begins.
2017
2017
Screening for critical congenital heart disease (CCHD) begins
2013
August 12, 2013
Severe combined immune deficiency (SCID) screening begins
2008
April 7, 2008
Cystic fibrosis (CF) screening begins
2007
May 14, 2007
Congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) screening begins
2007
February 28, 2007
Screening begins for biotinidase deficiency and galactosemia.
2006
November 24, 2006
Hemoglobinopathy (HbSS, HbSC, and Hbs/ß-thalassemia) screening begins.
2006
August 8, 2006
Screening begins for 18 additional metabolic conditions, including other fatty acid oxidation defects (FAODs), amino acidemias (AAs), and organic acidemias (OAs)
2006
April 4, 2006
Newborn screening moves from Public Health Ontario to Newborn Screening Ontario (NSO) at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). Screening continues for PKU and CH, and begins for medium chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency (MCADD).
1978
Congenital hypothyroidism (CH) screening begins
1965
Newborn screening begins for phenylketonuria (PKU) by Public Health Ontario.
Contact Us
Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario
415 Smyth Road
Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8M8
Toll-Free: 1-877-627-8330
Local: (613) 738-3222
Fax: (613) 738-0853