Your voice can help stop the most common preventable cause of birth defects and pregnancy loss
Join the fight! Lend your voice, share your story & help further CMV advocacy
Most people have never heard of congenital CMV, despite it being the most common congenital infection in North America. Learn more about congenital CMV and why increasing awareness is critical!
Learn the basics about the most common virus you've never heard of
Without screening most babies with CMV aren’t tested or diagnosed early
Empowering families and changing
lives through risk reduction
Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common congenital infection in the US and Canada, affecting over 30,000 babies each year. It is a leading cause of hearing loss and developmental delay, yet most infants go undiagosed without newborn screening.
Increasing education about ways to reduce the risk of catching CMV in pregnancy is important and one of our key issues. However, CMV is a virus that stays in your system for a lifetime, so even if a pregnant person is very vigilant about hygiene, there is still the chance that an old infection could reactivate.
That's no longer true. Since 2021, Minnesota has implemented universal newborn screening, with Connecticut following suit in 2025. Canadian provinces have been screening since 2019. Many use dried blood spot testing that fits directly into existing newborn screening services. Results show that universal screening is feasible, scalable and cost-effective.
Scientists have been trying to find a way to stop CMV for 50 years because it is a common cause of miscarriage, stillbirth and disability. Recent mRNA vaccine technology has been a breakthrough in how a vaccine might be able to stop a person from catching CMV, and reduce the occurrence of miscarriage, stillbirth and disabilities. There are no medications to prevent CMV, and even the best hand hygiene in pregnancy does not completely reduce one's risk. CMV has taken the lives of far to many precious children - this new science gives us hope that in our lifetime we will see an end to CMV.
Yes. Early antiviral treatment improves hearing and neurodevelopmental outcomes in babies with symptoms and those with hearing loss. Even for babies who appear healthy at birth, early detection enables hearing surveillance and early-intervention services that improve language and learning outcomes. Families report feeling relieved and empowered to have an explaination and access to early supports.
If you would like to share your child's story, help us reach out to lawmakers please visit our Take Action page or reach out to us at advocacy@nationalcmv.org
