Commonly Asked Questions

CMV is a common virus that causes fever and lymph node swelling in healthy children and adults. When a pregnant woman is infected, she often does not know it, and her fetus may also be become infected. This can cause the baby to develop permanent hearing loss and developmental disabilities.

In most cases, no. About 85% of babies have no symptoms of CMV at birth. But even among those who are healthy and pass the newborn hearing screen, 15% will develop hearing loss and/or developmental disabilities as they age.

Not necessarily. The Newborn Screen test aims to identify all children with cCMV, but it is not 100% accurate. For that reason, a confirmatory test will be performed in any child who screens positive for cCMV.

It is thought to be very common. About 1 in every 200 newborns have congenital CMV, making it the most common newborn infection in the United States.

Yes. Some infected infants will be treated with antiviral medication. All infants who are CMV positive will be closely monitored for hearing and learning difficulties, and will be referred by special therapies if needed.

Neonates who have a positive neonatal screen will be immediately referred to a Pediatric Infectious Disease physician. At that visit, they will have confirmatory testing performed with a urine CMV test. In addition, lab testing and imaging for other CMV-related problems will be performed.

Studies show that earlier diagnosis and treatment lead to better outcomes for infants with congenital CMV.