Cytomegalovirus (CMV)

October 2007     View PDF     En español

How is CMV spread?

CMV is passed from person to person through close contact with body fluids, such as saliva, semen, vaginal fluids, blood, urine, tears and breast milk. You can get CMV when you touch these fluids with your hands and then touch your eyes, nose or mouth, which are mucous membranes. People can also get CMV through sex, breastfeeding, blood transfusions and organ transplants.

Contact with the saliva or urine of young children is a major cause of CMV infection among pregnant women, as well as among other children. For women who become infected with CMV for the first time during pregnancy, 1 out of 3 of them will pass the virus onto their unborn babies. This contrasts with women who already have CMV before their pregnancy, because less than 1% of them pass CMV onto their unborn babies. Therefore, if you’re pregnant and do not have CMV at the start of your pregnancy, it’s important to take measures to prevent CMV infection during your pregnancy. Developing babies who are infected with CMV during pregnancy have a high likelihood of hearing and/or vision impairment and mental retardation.