Taking Action and Raising Awareness: The Impact of Cytomegalovirus (CMV)

By: Patricia Gauthier, VP, Global Franchise Leader – Latent Viruses

CMV is a latent virus that is often mistaken for a common cold. More than half of U.S. adults over the age of 40 have been infected at some point in their lives, but pregnant women can unknowingly pass the infection to their unborn babies, resulting in devastating complications.¹

Congenital CMV is the most common infectious cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities in the U.S., impacting approximately one in 200 babies – more common than Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, and spina bifida. One in five babies with born with CMV will have severe, life-altering health problems, such as vision impairment, hearing loss, or decreased muscle strength and coordination.^2,3

Read Patricia Gauthier’s full blog post and learn from families impacted by CMV

References

1. https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/clinical/overview.html

2. https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/congenital-infection.html

3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3539797/#:~:text=This%20corresponds%20to%20approximately%2040%2C000,syndrome%2C%20and%20spina%20bifida2.