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What is CMV and how is it spread?
What are the symptoms of CMV?
How can CMV affect my unborn baby?
How can I protect my unborn baby from CMV?
Is there treatment for CMV infection during pregnancy?
For more information
What is CMV and how is
it spread?
CMV, or cytomegalovirus (sī-to-MEG-a-lo-vī-rus), is a common virus
that infects people of all ages. Once CMV is in a person’s body, it
stays there for life. Most infections with CMV are “silent,” meaning
most people who are infected with CMV have no signs or symptoms.
However, CMV can cause disease in unborn babies.
CMV is spread through:
Person to person contact (such as, kissing, sexual contact, and
getting saliva or urine on your hands and then touching your eyes,
or the inside of your nose or mouth)
- Breast milk of an infected woman who is breast feeding
- Infected pregnant women can pass the virus to their unborn
babies
- Blood transfusions and organ transplantations
| Contact with the saliva or
urine of young children is a major cause of CMV
infection among pregnant women. |
What are the
symptoms of CMV?
Most healthy children and adults infected with CMV have no
symptoms and may not even know that they have been infected. Others
may develop a mild illness. Symptoms may include fever, sore throat,
fatigue, and swollen glands. These symptoms are similar to those of
other illnesses, so most people are not aware that they are infected
with CMV.
How can CMV affect my
unborn baby?
Most babies born with CMV (in other words, "congenital" CMV) never
develop symptoms or disabilities. When babies do have symptoms, some
can go away but others can be permanent.
Examples of symptoms or disabilities caused by congenital (meaning
present at birth) CMV:
| Temporary Symptoms |
Permanent Symptoms or Disabilities |
Liver problems
Spleen problems
Jaundice (yellow skin and eyes)
Purple skin splotches
Lung problems
Small size at birth
Seizures |
Hearing Loss
Vision loss
Mental disability
Small head
Lack of coordination
Seizures
Death |
How can I protect my
unborn baby from CMV?
No actions can eliminate all risks of
becoming infected with CMV, but there are ways to reduce
spread of the disease:
- Wash hands often with soap and water, especially
after changing diapers. Wash well for 15 to 20 seconds.
More information on hand washing is available on the CDC
Ounce of Prevention site.
|
Wash hands with plenty of soap and water. |
- Do not kiss young children under the age of 5 or 6 on the
mouth or cheek. Instead, kiss them on the head or give them a
big hug.
- Do not share food, drinks, or utensils (spoons or forks) with
young children.
If you are pregnant and work in a day care center, reduce your risk
of getting CMV by working with children who are older than 2 ½ years
of age, especially if you have never been infected with CMV or are
unsure if you have ever been infected.
Is there a treatment for CMV infection during pregnancy?
Currently, no treatment is recommended for CMV infection in healthy
pregnant women.
Vaccines for preventing CMV infection are still in the research and
development stage.
For more information:
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) home page:
http://www.cdc.gov/cmv/index.htm
“An Ounce of Prevention” campaign:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/op/
Date:August 3, 2006
Content source: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental
Disabilities
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