What is Cystic Fibrosis?

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disease that causes the body to produce thick, sticky mucus, affecting the lungs, digestive system and other organs.

CF is a lifelong condition that requires daily treatment and medication. Although treatment has come a long way and outcomes have improved, there is still no cure.

How do you get CF?

CF is inherited from the child’s parents. A child is born with CF when both the mother and father each carry the faulty CF gene. CF is not contagious.

For two carriers of the CF gene, the risk of having a child affected with CF is 1 in 4 (or 25%) with each pregnancy.

How is CF diagnosed?

All babies born in Australia are routinely tested for a range of genetic conditions at birth, including CF, as part of the Newborn Bloodspot Screening, also known as the Guthrie or heel prick test.

If this test is positive, DNA will be tested for common CF gene mutations. If two CF genes are found, a sweat test will be done to measure the amount of salt in their sweat. A high sweat chloride level can indicate the child has CF.

CF at School

With staff education, planning, and communication between the school and the family, CF can be successfully managed in both early learning and school settings. Use our resources to learn more about CF, how it may impact a child in an education setting, and the best ways that you can support a student with CF in your care.

We have a range of factsheets, classroom resources, videos and eLearning modules which are free to access. Our core eLearning module covers a range of topics about CF and managing your student’s needs. There are also additional modules that cover specific needs.