"Cytomegalovirus lies dormant in most US adults and is the leading infectious cause of birth defects, but few have heard of it

(...) CMV – unlike the other viruses in its family – can pass from mother to fetus during pregnancy.

Congenital CMV, or cCMV, is the most common infection before birth and the leading infectious cause of birth defects. About one in every 200 infants – typically 20,000 to 30,000 infants in the U.S. – are born with cCMV per year, and nearly 20% of them have permanent neurodevelopmental disabilities such as hearing loss or cerebral palsy. Every year, more children are affected by cCMV than several familiar childhood conditions like Down syndrome and fetal alcohol syndrome. Compared to later stages of pregnancy, CMV infection in the first trimester carries the highest risk of stillbirth or severe effects when the immune system and organs like the brain are developing."

🔗: https://theconversation.com/cytomegalovirus-lies-dormant-in-most-us-adults-and-is-the-leading-infectious-cause-of-birth-defects-but-few-have-heard-of-it-202932

#cytomegalovirus #virus #CMV #cCMV #pregnancy
#science