Free Tay-Sachs screening offered

A free blood-test screening for Tay-Sachs disease, a fatal degenerative disorder, will be offered from Wednesday, Nov. 19, 11-5 and Thursday, Nov. 20, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. in UW–Madison’s Memorial Union, 800 Langdon St.

Tay-Sachs normally results in a slow and painful death before age 5. One in 250 people, and one out of 25 Jews of eastern-European descent, carry the gene that causes the disease. A person can live a normal life and still carry the recessive gene. When two carriers have children, a one-in-four chance exists that both will pass on the deficient gene.

The screening is sponsored by the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, the medical genetics and pediatrics departments, the Waisman Center, Madison Jewish Social Services and Hillel.

For information about Tay-Sachs, contact Genetics Professor Raymond Kessel, (608) 263-6557, rkessel@facstaff.wisc.edu. For screening details, contact Alpha Epsilon Pi member Sean Blitz, seblitz@wisc.edu.