Congenital Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common viral infection that infants are born with in the U.S., occurring in 30,000+ babies a year. CMV is the leading cause of non-genetic hearing loss and cerebral palsy in children. Each year over 8,000 children are permanently disabled because of a congenital CMV infection.
CMV is found in bodily fluids: urine, saliva, blood, mucus, and tears. The virus is most commonly transmitted from small children to their expectant mothers through the sharing of utensils, kisses on the mouth, and changing diapers.
Every pregnant woman is at risk of acquiring this devastating virus; yet, only 9% of women know about it prior to being affected.
June is National CMV Awareness Month, and I, along with the National CMV Foundation, urge everyone to join our community as we promote greater awareness. CMV is common, serious, and preventable.
To get involved, individuals can donate to help the education of women of childbearing age to the National CMV Foundation. Women can ask their doctors for more information about CMV. They can also share their story or read other’s stories on social media by simply searching for CMV.
Hank, is 3 years old and is one of the severely affected children. Hank has hearing loss, vision impairment, spastic cerebral palsy, and a rare brain malformation to name a few, all as a result of this virus.
Together, through education and awareness, we can help eliminate CMV for the next generation of children.
Henry the Hero, our blog 