These were some of the conclusions of an international online conference that attracted more than 300 members of the public on Mother’s Day (27 March), and has just gone live on YouTube.
The conference was all about human cytomegalovirus (CMV). Most of us have never heard of the virus although it affects one in 100 pregnancies and the majority of people carry CMV for life.
For immunocompromised patients such as transplant recipients, CMV can cause organ rejection, multi-organ failure and even death.
When asked about future priorities Professor Asma Khalil, of St George’s Hospital, University of London, said: “The main one is raising awareness. I think educating pregnant women is a bit late, you need to educate everyone - all women.”
Sarah Dewar, from CMV Action UK, said 2there is no universal CMV screening of newborns in the UK, although it is becoming available in the US and Canada. Early testing is crucial to get anti-viral treatments in place and prevent disease such as hearing loss. Families frequently tell her they didn’t know anything about the virus, and wish they had – since it would have allowed them to take simple measures to prevent infection."
She added: “It’s not a rare virus and obviously awareness is important, particularly if we are thinking about a vaccine in the future.”
Dr Soren Gantt, from the Université de Montréal, Canada, added: “Screening newborns is the right thing to do. I think until we have a vaccine we know we can help enormous numbers of kids with this.”
Other panellists were Sharon Wood from CMV Action UK, Professor Paul Griffiths from University College London, Sheila Dollard from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Professor Paul Moss from the University of Birmingham and Professor Mark R. Schleiss of the University of Minnesota Medical School.
Conference co-organiser Professor Michael Weekes, an infectious disease expert at Addenbrooke’s Hospital and the University of Cambridge thanked all of the attending parents and panellists, adding: “It’s hugely important that families planning a pregnancy know about CMV. The panel agreed that more needs to be done to educate people, test for the virus in newborns and fund further research.”
To view the conference visit https://youtu.be/lCQCXiTujWQ
Image: Pictured left to right (top row) Professor Paul Moss, Professor Michael Weekes and Sarah Dewar. Left to right (middle row) Dr Soren Gantt, Sharon Wood and Professor Paul Griffiths. Bottom row (left to right) Professor Asma Khalil, Sheila Dollard and Mark R Schleiss.