http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-01/the-most-common-disease-in-babies-youve-never-heard-of/8404286

Cytomegalovirus: The most common infectious disease in babies you may never have heard of

there is a media file in the link above

Key points:

•2,000 babies are born in Australia with CMV each year, many with physical and intellectual disabilities

•All pregnant women to be warned of risks of contracting CMV

•Simple steps to prevent contracting the virus can halve women’s risk

monkey skipper said:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-04-01/the-most-common-disease-in-babies-youve-never-heard-of/8404286

Cytomegalovirus: The most common infectious disease in babies you may never have heard of

there is a media file in the link above

Yes, I know about CMV (since about an hour ago).

Wonder why it’s not more widely known of give its prevalence.. “population-weighted rate of CMV seropositivity in subjects between 1 and 59 years of age was 57%”

Mrs SS knows about CMV, she has an older patient with it

monkey skipper said:

Key points:

•2,000 babies are born in Australia with CMV each year, many with physical and intellectual disabilities

•All pregnant women to be warned of risks of contracting CMV

•Simple steps to prevent contracting the virus can halve women’s risk

So, if it’s symptomless and 85% of people have caught it by age 40, how do you prevent catching it?

https://www.nationalcmv.org/cmv-prevention.aspx

CMV is most commonly contracted through contact with the bodily fluids of a person carrying an active CMV infection. For pregnant women, women who might become pregnant, or women who work with young children, it is imperative to practice CMV precautions in order to avoid exposure to CMV.

Tips

Cytomegalovirus, or CMV, is very common among healthy children one to three years of age who are at high risk for contracting CMV or other viruses from their peers. It is most commonly transferred through contact with the saliva of a person carrying an active CMV infection.

Caretaker Precautions

Women with young children, or who work with young children, may be at greater risk for contracting cytomegalovirus, or CMV, during pregnancy. Studies in child-care settings suggest that as many as 75% of toddler-aged children have CMV in their urine or saliva.

Screening

Know your risk! Every woman of childbearing age should know her CMV status. Women can be tested for CMV prior to pregnancy. Before you plan to conceive, ask your doctor to have a blood sample drawn for a CMV IgG and IgM antibody tests.

Diagnosis

CMV is a common virus that infects people of all ages, regardless of ethnicity or socio-economic class, and most people have been exposed to CMV at some point in their lifetime without their knowledge.

hangs around like glandular fever (relative I think), gets active when run down.

very common.

was these two that showed up when I was Zn deficient.

it’s all herpes

monkey skipper said:

Key points:

•2,000 babies are born in Australia with CMV each year, many with physical and intellectual disabilities

•All pregnant women to be warned of risks of contracting CMV

•Simple steps to prevent contracting the virus can halve women’s risk

I’m looking for a causal link here. Is there a causal link between CMV and physical and intellectual disabilities, or are the two unrelated?

Start back here in 1986. http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/362542
We studied 16 218 pregnant women to determine the incidence of primary cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection and its consequences for the offspring. ~2.6% of women had CMV. The rate of transmission in utero was 35%. Five infants (13.5%) who have developed significant handicaps were exposed in the first half of pregnancy. Women in the low income group were twice as likely to be infected with CMV.

Is that 13.5% of those who developed significant handicaps had CMV in the first half of pregnancy, or 13.5% of those who had CMV in the first half of pregnancy developed significant handicaps?

mollwollfumble’s calculation gives ~147 fetuses with CMV. 5/147 = 3.4%.

This article is more disturbing, from 2006.
http://img2.timg.co.il/forums/1_103739172.pdf
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) occurs in 1–4% of pregnant women. In 0.2–2.5% of the newborn infants, there is evidence of intrauterine infection, most of them are born without any clinical findings. The typical clinical symptoms of congenital CMV that are found in 10–20% of infected neonates include intrauterine growth restriction, microcephaly, hepatosplenomegaly, petechiae, jaundice, chorioretinitis, thrombocytopenia, anemia and/or other atypical findings. Of special problem are the different neurodevelopmental sequelae such as mental retardation, motor impairment, sensorineural hearing loss or visual impairment, which may occur even in infants who are free of symptoms at birth.

>….more disturbing..

don’t look too hard

The greater majority of causes for congenital disabilities is not known. This was pointed out to me whilst working in that sector. The focus on being supportive of parents and families is always the priority.

From what I can gather this parent featured in the story was not aware of the risk in the first place and she wants parents to be aware of this risk and to simply raise awareness.

It’s one of those things, a prevalent risk, with potential adverse consequences, that’d have people go live in the woods, isolated, like recluses (without ways to soften the reality). Mum’s wouldn’t send their kids to childcare, or preschool, or primary school etc. Lot of contagion in those places. Not just obvious infection, but carriers.

And if you visit a doctor (waiting rooms), you’re at risk too.

And there’re shopping trolley handles, ATMs. The list is long.

There’s bugs everywhere, waiting to inhabit you, hitch a ride. Partying it up, replicating, evolving.