Crisco: Virus screening will protect newborns' health

HARTFORD - Every hour, a child in the United States becomes disabled due to a cytomegalovirus infection. 

State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco 

State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, Jr., D-Woodbridge, thanked Gov. Dannel P. Malloy today for signing legislation into law that aims to reverse this trend by screening newborns for CMV. 

Providing a test for CMV to any infant who fails a newborn hearing test can mitigate the devastating impact this disease has on infants and their families.

“Screening for CMV can help prevent a lifetime of struggles for vulnerable newborns,” Crisco said. “By connecting parents with specialists early on we can equip them with the knowledge they need to support their newborns and to help them live healthy and happy lives.”

Most people who are infected with CMV have no symptoms and do not experience any harmful effects. 

However, when a woman becomes infected with CMV during pregnancy she can pass the virus to her unborn child. In an unborn child, congenital CMV can result in damage to the brain, eyes and inner ear. Congenital CMV can lead to lifelong struggles with deafness as well as physical and learning disabilities. 

CMV is the leading non-genetic cause of childhood hearing loss, and presents in more than 30,000 newborn babies every year.

House Bill 5525, An Act Concerning Cytomegalovirus, requires that hospitals and other healthcare institutions test newborn infants for CMV if they fail a newborn hearing test. This simple test will allow parents of affected newborns to adopt best practices for care and treatment of a child with CMV. 

By implementing screening, medical professionals will also improve awareness of the risks associated with CMV so that parents can adopt better habits that will minimize the transmission of CMV. 

CMV is the most common viral infection among infants born in the United States. About 1 in every 150 children is born with CMV. 

About 80 percent of babies born with the infection never have symptoms or problems. Pregnant women can reduce their risk of CMV infection by minimizing their exposure to young children’s saliva and urine through effective hygiene practices.

This is a press release from Crisco's office.