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# South Dakota Weighs Adding 3 Disorders to Newborn Screening
- URL: https://www.theamericanquorum.com/state-news-south-dakota-2026-09-24-b/
- Published: 2026-09-24T11:45:03.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-24T11:45:03.000Z
- Description: South Dakota health officials are considering adding Duchenne muscular dystrophy and two mucopolysaccharidoses to the state newborn-screening panel, with public comments open through Oct. 3.
- Author: Kenneth R. Deans Jr.
- Tags: Healthcare, South Dakota

South Dakota is moving toward adding three rare inherited disorders to the blood-spot screening routinely performed after birth, a change that would expand the state panel to include Duchenne muscular dystrophy, mucopolysaccharidosis type I and mucopolysaccharidosis type II.

The Department of Health held a public hearing Wednesday on the proposed rule and will accept written comments through Oct. 3, according to the [South Dakota Register](https://mylrc.sdlegislature.gov/api/Documents/Register/307532.pdf?Year=2026&ref=theamericanquorum.com). The proposal would amend the state’s newborn-screening rules; it is not yet final. The department must still complete the administrative-rule process before hospitals and laboratories are required to test for the added conditions.

The hearing notice identifies the three additions but does not set an implementation date. That means hospitals should continue following the current panel until the department completes rulemaking and issues operational guidance. Parents should not assume the proposed tests are already part of every South Dakota newborn screen.

Newborn screening uses a few drops of blood collected shortly after birth to look for serious conditions before symptoms are obvious. South Dakota’s existing [newborn-screening regulations](https://sdlegislature.gov/Rules/Administrative/44%3A19?ref=theamericanquorum.com) govern the required testing sequence, laboratory work and clinical consultation. The planned expansion matters because diagnosis can otherwise come only after irreversible damage has begun.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is an inherited disorder caused by changes in the gene that produces dystrophin, a protein needed to protect muscle fibers. It produces progressive muscle weakness and occurs mainly in boys, although girls can also be affected. The National Library of Medicine’s [clinical overview](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000705.htm?ref=theamericanquorum.com) says the disorder can occur without a known family history and affects roughly one in 3,500 male infants.

MPS I and MPS II are lysosomal storage disorders in which missing or deficient enzymes allow complex sugar molecules to accumulate in cells. They can affect the skeleton, heart, breathing, hearing, vision and nervous system. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke’s [mucopolysaccharidosis summary](https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/mucopolysaccharidoses?ref=theamericanquorum.com) explains that severity varies substantially, but earlier recognition can speed specialist evaluation and treatment planning.

The federal government recommends a core panel of conditions for state programs, but states decide which tests to require and how quickly to add them. The Health Resources and Services Administration said in August that states and territories screen more than 3.6 million babies each year and that nearly all state programs use the federal Recommended Uniform Screening Panel when shaping their own lists. HRSA also announced a [modernized review process](https://www.hrsa.gov/about/news/press-releases/modernize-newborn-screening-review-process?ref=theamericanquorum.com) intended to evaluate emerging conditions more quickly and transparently.

For South Dakota families, the immediate issue is timing. The public-comment window remains open until Oct. 3, after which health officials may revise the proposal before submitting it for final review. If adopted, the change would shift detection of the three disorders from symptom-driven diagnosis toward universal screening at birth, creating an earlier route to confirmatory testing, counseling and specialty care.