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What is cCMV?

  • CMV or cytomegalovirus is "the most common virus most people never heard of" (Demmler-Harrison).
  •  More than half of the US population has had a CMV infection by 40 years old (CDC).
  • It is typically harmless and can cause cold-like symptoms; 90% of adults and many children show no symptoms at all.
  • When a baby is born with a CMV infection, it is called congenital CMV (cCMV).

Why should we care about cCMV?

About 1 out of every 200 babies is born with congenital CMV infection. Of these babies, around 1 in 5 will have long-term health problems such as:

▪ Hearing loss
▪ Mental disabilities
▪ Physical disabilities
▪ Vision loss
▪ Seizures
▪ Cerebral palsy
▪ Death
Learn More about cCMV

Who is at risk for cCMV?

  • All pregnant individuals, but especially…
    • Those who have young children in the home.
    • Childcare workers, early interventionists, early childhood providers.
    • Healthcare workers.
Learn How to Prevent cCMV

read our Massachusetts parent stories here

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2021-12-08 11_16_49-Ryan Benoumad - Google Docs
Grace Gaffney
Peyton DeVose
Mikayla
Luciana-Brennan
Logan Michael Colleran
Landon Anthony Anderson
Dotty Wynn
Aliyah King
Holden James Keenan
Our family’s journey with congenital cytomegalovirus has been somewhat different than many we’ve heard. An abnormality was detected on the ultrasound the day we were set to learn Aedan’s gender. It was at that point we were given a list of diagnoses it could mean, while also told it could be nothing at all, suggested to see a geneticist, and asked to select which testing we wanted based on that information— a whirlwind, to say the least. After educating ourselves on CMV because we had never heard of the virus, we learned that my risk for it was high because I was a preschool teacher. I was tested and it was concluded that I had CMV during my first trimester. Aedan was born healthy, just four days shy of his due date. He failed his hearing screen at the hospital and remains partially deaf, but we were aware that it was a possibility. With such early knowledge, we have been able to give Aedan every single opportunity for success with specialist interventions from the very start. Congenital cytomegalovirus is a crushing, devastating diagnosis for so many families. Perhaps if more emphasis was put on the severity of it, how easily it is contracted, and the simple prevention measures during prenatal care, we could see a dramatic decline in cases. For now, let’s start by giving cCMV babies a fighting chance with universal screening at birth.
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Champions of Health Care: Gibson is a global leader in CMV research, treatment & screening

Worcester Business Journal, November 2023
"Medical research and bedside patient care often exist in different spheres, but UMass Memorial Health’s Dr. Laura Gibson applies all she’s discovered about a rare form of a common virus to her patients in order to create better outcomes for newborn babies."

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