Congenital cytomegalovirus: Public health action towards awareness, prevention, and treatment

Key awareness issues surrounding congenital CMV infection are outlined and discussed to provide inspirational motivation for many diverse groups who may have the same goal of reducing congenital CMV disease. To this end, steps for public health action towards awareness, prevention and treatment are outlined. These steps include recommendations for universal screening for all newborns for congenital CMV infection at birth to further define the public health impact and facilitate early diagnosis and treatment of newborns, routine prenatal screening of all pregnant women for the presence of CMV antibody to identify women at risk who may benefit most from preventive behavioral interventions as well as to facilitate prenatal diagnosis and therapies, and grass roots efforts to promote CMV awareness in the community.