Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common viral infection most often seen in young children. It usually is harmless and does not cause symptoms. But when a pregnant woman becomes infected, she can pass the virus to her baby. This can lead to serious illness, lasting disabilities or death.
CMV is the most common congenital (present at birth) infection in the United States. Each year, about 40,000 babies are born with CMV infection. Luckily, the virus does not harm most of them. But about 4,000 of these babies develop mental retardation, learning disabilities, hearing loss, vision loss, or other disabilities as a result of CMV infection.
What you can do:
You can help prevent CMV infection by doing the following:
- Wash your hands well after contact with the saliva and urine of young children. For example, wash you hands after changing diapers or picking up toys.
- Carefully throw away diapers and tissues.
- Avoid sharing drinking glasses and eating utensils with young children.
Health care workers, child care providers and others who are around large numbers of young children on a regular basis may want to be tested to see if they have had CMV before they get pregnant.
If a woman was infected before she became pregnant, she has little to worry about. Routine screening for all pregnant women is not recommended.
March 2006
