HHS HealthBeat (March 05, 2008)

CMV and your baby

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Cytomegalovirus – CMV for short. About half of us have been infected by it. If we have a healthy immune system, we might not even notice. But sometimes CMV can be dangerous.

At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Michael Cannon says  that if a pregnant woman becomes infected with CMV, the baby could have some degree of hearing loss, vision loss or mental disability. 

Cannon wrote in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report that women who are pregnant, or who could become pregnant, should try not to pick up CMV, especially if they’re around young kids:

``You wash your hands carefully after changing a diaper. You try to not kiss your young child on the lips. Or if they have a slobbery check, kiss them on the head – give them a big hug.’’ (10 seconds)

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: March, 04 2008