What is CMV?
6/17/2025 11:09:33 AM
Cytomegalovirus (pronounced sy-toe-MEG-a-low-vy-rus or CMV) is a common virus found in people of all ages. A healthy person's immune system usually keeps the virus from causing illness. Some babies born with CMV can have health problems at birth or that develop later (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
What it is
CMV is a common virus that infects people of all ages. In the United States, nearly 1 in 3 children is already infected with CMV by age 5. Over half of adults have been infected with CMV by age 40.
Once CMV is in a person’s body, it stays there for life and can reactivate. A person can also be re-infected with a different strain of the virus.
Signs and symptoms
Most people with CMV show no signs or symptoms and aren’t aware that they have been infected.
Babies born with CMV can have brain, liver, spleen, lung, and growth problems. The most common long-term health problem in babies born with CMV infection is hearing loss. This may be detected soon after birth or may develop later in childhood.
Who is at risk
Anyone can get CMV. Some people are at higher risk for complications from CMV, like those who are pregnant or have weakened immune systems.
If you are pregnant and infected with CMV, you can pass CMV to your developing baby. When a baby is born with a CMV infection, it is called congenital CMV.
About 1 in 200 babies is born with congenital CMV infection. About 1 in 5 babies with congenital CMV infection will have birth defects or other long-term health problems.
The CDC explains more about how to prevent infection if you are pregnant.
Children with congenital CMV should have regular hearing and vision checks. There are other services a child may need to help them develop strong language and communications skills. Learn more about CMV in newborns (CDC).
Para español: Acerca del citomegalovirus
Interview with Kathleen Smith and Dr. Mark Schleiss: All about cCMV
The Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing was a supporter of the Vivian Act legislation in 2021, which directed an advisory committee to review congenital CMV for possible inclusion on Minnesota’s newborn screening panel. In 2022, the Minnesota Commissioner of Health approved the recommendation to add congenital CMV to the newborn screening panel, following the advisory committee’s recommendations. Minnesota is the first state in the country to screen all newborns for congenital CMV.
The Commission recently interviewed Kathleen Smith and Dr. Mark Schleiss about CMV. A full descriptive transcript of this video is on the Commission's webpage.
For more information
To learn more about CMV, visit these pages:
University of Minnesota: Pediatric Infectious Diseases CMV
CMV Family Support (private Facebook group)
Minnesota Department of Health
If you have questions about resources for children with hearing loss, please contact us.