Babies born with a cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection or congenital cytomegalovirus can be at higher risk for serious complications. Congenital CMV is the leading cause of non-genetic hearing loss and neurodevelopmental disabilities in children. Despite this, congenital CMV is often under-recognized by many health authorities and remains relatively unknown to the public.
For these reasons, an integrated care team at the National Reference Center for Herpesvirus at the University Hospital Center in Limoges, France, sought to change the paradigm through adoption of a universal CMV screening program for pregnant mothers. The aim was to improve early diagnosis of CMV infections and identify those mothers with non-primary infections.
“It’s important to be informed about the implications of the cytomegalovirus and to identify women at risk of primary infection,” said Dr. Sebastien Hantz, MD, PhD, a physician with the National Reference Center for Herpesvirus, who led the initiative that won a 2022 award of distinction for the UNIVANTS of Healthcare Excellence awards program.
“That way, we can screen the baby for congenital CMV infection in order to put measures in place to treat the infected newborn and to limit the development of abnormalities and developmental delays,” Hantz added.