Jewish Care

Tay-Sachs is an inherited genetic disease that affects young children. It develops when a child inherits two copies of the Tay-Sachs gene - one from each parent.

There are non-Jewish carriers of the Tay-Sachs disease, but it is more common in the Jewish community, where one in 25 people is a carrier. It can hide for generations as it only appears in children whose parents are both carriers.

About the disease
Despite much research, there is still no cure for Tay-Sachs. All children with the disease will die by the age of four.

Babies born with Tay-Sachs seem healthy for the first six months. They then begin to show the first signs of mental and physical deterioration. As the brain and nervous system are progressively destroyed, the child becomes paralysed, deaf, blind and convulsions can occur.

How is it caused?
Tay-Sachs is caused by the absence of a vital enzyme due to an altered gene. People who carry the gene are themselves perfectly healthy and never develop any signs of the disease as they have a second normal gene to rely on.

It is only when a child receives two copies of the altered gene, one from each parent, that the disease develops. Testing for the gene can identify carriers before tragedy strikes.

Jewish Care offers an important screening programme, to find out more about screening tests, please click here.