Congenital cytomegalovirus

PDF download is not available for Arabic and Urdu languages at this time. Please use the browser print function instead

Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) occurs when a fetus is infected with a virus called cytomegalovirus. Learn more about how cCMV happens, the signs and symptoms of cCMV and how it is diagnosed and treated.

Key points

  • Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a very common virus. In most countries, the majority of people will have been infected by the time they reach adulthood. In Canada, about 50 per cent of adults will have had CMV infection.
  • Most people do not know they have CMV because it rarely causes problems in healthy people.
  • When a fetus is infected with CMV during pregnancy, the infection can cause some babies to be born with symptoms or be at risk of developing health problems in early childhood.
  • Approximately 10 to 20 per cent of babies with congenital CMV (cCMV) infection will develop health problems. The most common problem is sensorineural hearing loss (nerve-related hearing loss). This type of hearing loss is most often permanent.
Last updated: October 16th 2024