A close encounter with CMV infection during pregnancy
She was distraught when her blood tests confirmed that she had been infected with CMV- the cytomegalovirus. K, a 28-year-old kindergarten teacher and a first-time mum was at her 18 weeks of pregnancy. She had a mild fever and a bhygtsore throat about 2 weeks ago. There were some swollen lymph nodes on her neck. " Doc, will CMV affect my baby?" She asked." I read in the internet that it can cause blindness, hearing loss, and mental retardation in my child." I told her that she had about a 40 % chance of transmitting CMV to the baby. Of the babies that become infected, only 10% will show signs of congenital CMV with multiple disabilities. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a very common virus that can infect almost everyone. The primary (first time) infection usually occurs in children and less often, in adults, as in K's case. It is estimated that between 60 to 90 percent of all adults would have had the infection. It belongs to the same family of virus...