CMV infection does not usually cause illness in healthy people, and people may be unaware that they have been infected. Occasionally it causes a glandular fever-like illness with fever, sore throat and swollen glands. CMV infection can however cause serious illness in people who have an impaired immune system, and there can be adverse health effects for unborn children if they are infected during their mother’s pregnancy.
An infected mother can transmit CMV to her unborn baby. The most severe form of the disease generally occurs in infants born to mothers who have a primary infection during pregnancy. The risk to an infant from reactivation of infection or re-infection during pregnancy is generally lower.
A small number of babies who have been infected with CMV during pregnancy have symptoms at birth. Health effects can include damage to the brain, liver, eyesight and hearing. Many of these infants will have life-long disabilities of varying degrees. The majority of infants who have been infected with CMV during pregnancy do not have symptoms at birth. However, some of these children may develop disabilities later in childhood, such as hearing loss, learning difficulties and developmental delay.
Women working in the child care industry who are pregnant or expect to become pregnant should discuss the risks of CMV with their doctor, and inform their employer so that their individual risk can be assessed and managed.
The doctor may suggest a blood test to determine if the woman has had a CMV infection in the past. This will assist in determining if a woman is at risk of a primary infection during her pregnancy. There is no vaccine to prevent CMV infection during pregnancy, however good hygiene practices, including hand washing, can reduce the risk.
More on the control measures to prevent CMV
Last updated September 14, 2006
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