Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Pregnancy

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

 

 

Prevention

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.
• 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.

 

Symptoms

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.

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

 

Treatment

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.