Support for Congenital Cytomegalovirus Screenings

Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is the number one cause of non-genetic sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) in children. One in every 3 children is infected by age 5, and more than 50 percent of adults are infected by age 40. In addition, one out of every 200 babies born will have cCMV, and a fifth of those babies will have long-term health problems, including hearing loss (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024).

Currently, only two states have universal screening for cCMV, and approximately 15 states have expanded or hearing-targeted screening programs (i.e., if a baby fails a hearing screening, they are screened for cCMV) (National CMV Foundation, 2025).

A recent study lends even more support for universal congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) screening for newborns. Recently, Richard et al. (2025) completed a retrospective cohort study on the audiological outcomes of 247 newborns who were screened and identified as cCMV-positive between 2016 and 2024.

• 77 (31 percent) of these infants were symptomatic
• 24 (10 percent) were identified with SNHL
• 8 (33 percent) of those babies developed late-onset hearing loss (between 6 and 12 months)
• 5 of the 8 late-onset cases occurred in infants who were asymptomatic at birth
• Social determinants were associated with fewer follow-up visits, and thus, long-term care

The authors conclude there is a continued and urgent need for comprehensive support systems alongside screening programs for all families, and that promoting cCMV screening legislation at both federal and state levels should be a priority.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, May 10). CMV in newborns. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Congenital CMV Infection.

Richard, C., Shakhtour, L., Gallo, N., Smith, R., MacDonald, C. B., Gentry, R., Scheerer, H., Arnold, S. R., & Carrillo‐Marquez, M. A. (2025). Audiological outcomes of cytomegalovirus saliva PCR‐positive newborns in support of universal screening. Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery, 173(5), 1241253.