Minnesota Becomes First State to Screen for Viral Infection Connected to Newborn Hearing Loss

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) became the first state in the nation to screen all newborns for congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV), a common viral infection that can have serious health effects for children if not detected early. This common virus can lead to hearing loss in about 20 percent of diagnosed cases.  

Minnesota passed legislation—The Vivian Act—in 2021 authorizing MDH to educate pregnant women and their health care providers about cCMV. This legislation also required that the Advisory Committee on Heritable and Congenital Disorders review cCMV as a possible candidate condition for inclusion on the newborn screening panel. The committee finished that work and on January 11, 2023, and made its official recommendation that cCMV be added to the screening panel.