‘But I’ve never heard of it!’: Why CMV is so dangerous for pregnant women

Cytomegalovirus, or CMV, is an extremely common virus that can have serious consequences for pregnant women, causing disabilities in their unborn children. Yet it’s still relatively unknown by many parents-to-be.

The month of June is CMV Awareness Month, aimed at spreading the word about the virus – so read on for details on the symptoms, how it can affect you and your baby, and how you can try to prevent it.

What is CMV?

Part of the herpes family, CMV affects 50% of people by the time they reach young adulthood – and even more by the age of 40.

The virus is spread through body fluids such as saliva and urine, and for most healthy people, CMV has little effect. Some might experience minor flu-like symptoms, such as sore throat, tiredness, swollen glands and fever, while others might have no symptoms at all.

CMV is particularly common in young children. And while they might not show symptoms, they can pass it on. This can be hugely problematic for pregnant women who have already children or who work in daycare centres.

CMV in pregnancy

If a pregnant woman is infected with CMV, the virus can be passed to the developing baby via the placenta, causing congenital CMV. This could have devastating results, as the baby might be born with disabilities such as deafness, blindness, cerebral palsy, developmental delay, intellectual disability, or even, tragically, stillbirth.

Not every baby born with congenital CMV infection will be affected. According to NSW Health, studies in Australia show that out of 1000 live births, only six babies will have congenital CMV. Out of those six, one to two babies will have birth defects.

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‘But I’ve never heard of it!’

Many women have never even heard of CMV, let alone understand what it can do during their pregnancy. One mum, Shanie James, was shocked to discover that her son Knox was diagnosed with hearing loss when he was just eight days old. There was no history of deafness in the family, and the 27-year-old mum was told that the condition was caused by CMV.

“It makes me feel sick just thinking about it, but the list of things that can come from CMV - like cerebral palsy, or the hearing loss which he’s got … I still don’t know what’s going to come from this,” Shanie said to Channel 9.

With two sons already, Shanie was working in a childcare centre during her pregnancy, but she had no idea of the risk this might have had for her unborn child. “If I knew about it maybe I wouldn’t have kept changing nappies at work, or maybe I wouldn’t have shared my children’s drink bottles or kissed them on the lips for the nine months that I was pregnant,” she said.

How to try to avoid CMV

Currently there is no screening for the virus, nor is there a vaccine to prevent infection. Right now the only way to help stop congenital CMV in babies is by making people aware of the virus – including how it spreads and what you can do to help avoid it during pregnancy.

The State Heath Department of NSW recommends pregnant women taking the following steps to avoid exposure to the virus so as to prevent infecting their unborn child:

• Wash hands often with soap and running water for at least 15 seconds and dry them thoroughly, especially after close contact with young children, changing nappies, blowing noses, feeding a young child, and handling children’s toys and dummies.
• Do not share food, drinks, eating utensils or toothbrushes with young children.
• Avoid contact with saliva when kissing a child.
• Use simple detergent and water to clean toys, countertops and other surfaces that come into contact with children’s urine, mucous or saliva. 

Like many parents, particularly during the month of June, Shanie wants to let people know of the virus and its possible dangers: “I hope in sharing this, women can make that decision to try and prevent it from happening.”