Cytomegalovirus (CMV)

October 2007     View PDF     En español

Concerns for children

The main reason for trying to prevent congenital CMV is to prevent the type of disabilities that may occur after birth and during a child’s lifetime. Although most babies born with congenital CMV grow up with normal health, others who have symptoms at birth are more likely to have permanent disabilities and symptoms that get worse.
Some symptoms may be present at birth while others appear months or years later. Some symptoms may go away while others may be permanent. These symptoms and disabilities can include hearing and vision loss, mental disability, and liver and spleen problems, among many others. If a newborn is found to have congenital CMV, it is advised to get his or her hearing and vision tested regularly.

A newborn has congenital CMV if the virus can be found in his or her urine, saliva, or blood within the first 3 weeks after birth. Congenital CMV cannot be diagnosed if the baby is tested more than 3 weeks after birth, since she or he could have been infected after birth. Babies infected after birth are not at risk for disabilities.