Cmv Virus Symptoms

Lifecare Medical Centre Introduces Blood Test to Diagnose Infectious Diseases ...

The test, which Lifecare Medical Centre offers at Rs 2900, determine if the person has had a recent infection, a past infection, or has never been exposed. Elaborating on the significance of the test, Dr Vinay Goel, Promoter Director & Chairman, Lifecare Medical Centre, says, "These infections can be serious if they occur during pregnancy because they can cross the placenta from the mother to the developing foetus, risking miscarriage, still birth, or a child with congenital defects."

The test is performed before or as soon as pregnancy is diagnosed to determine the mother's history of exposure to these organisms. Dr Goel further informs that Rubella infection during the first 16 weeks of pregnancy poses major risks for the unborn baby. It is difficult for a physician to tell if a person has rubella by their clinical appearance since other infections may look the same. Similarly, Toxoplasma or CMV may have flu-like symptoms that are not easily differentiated from other illnesses. "Antibody testing will help the physician diagnose an infection that may be harmful to the unborn baby," he adds.

The test may also be ordered on the newborn when the infant shows any signs suggestive of these infections, such as exceptionally small size relative to the gestational age, deafness, mental retardation, seizures, heart defects, cataracts, enlarged liver or spleen, low platelet level, or jaundice.

He suggests that even people having pets as well as people flying to the UK and the US must also undergo this test.

Loving My Christmas Girl Born Disabled by Congenital CMV « STD and ...

Loving My Christmas Girl Born Disabled by Congenital CMV

Expecting our second child, due to arrive Christmas Eve of 1989, had been a delightful experience. What a Christmas present But the moment Elizabeth was born on December 18. I felt a stab of fear. My immediate thought was, Her head looks so small--so deformed. Before she was twelve hours old, I found out why.

When the neonatologist entered my room the following morning, he said, Your daughter has profound microcephaly--her brain is extremely damaged throughout. If she lives, she will never roll over, sit up, or feed herself.

He concluded that Elizabeth's birth defects were caused by congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) - a virus that may have no symptoms for the mother, known as a silent virus, or it may present itself with mild to severe flu-like symptoms.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that approximately 8,000 babies a year are born with or develop permanent disabilities because of congenital CMV. It is the #1 viral cause of birth defects--more common than Down syndrome.

How and why did I catch this virus that I had barely heard of? I read the CMV literature. It stated that women who care for young children are at a higher risk for catching it because it is frequently being shed in their saliva and urine. Pregnant women need to avoid kissing them on the mouth and sharing towels and utensils with them. Hands should be washed thoroughly, especially after wiping runny noses, diaper changes and picking up toys that have been in a toddler's mouth.

While I was pregnant with Elizabeth, I not only had a toddler of my own, Jackie, but also ran a licensed daycare center in my home. I felt sick at what my lack of knowledge had done to my little girl. In milder cases, children with congenital CMV may experience a gradual hearing loss, suffer some visual impairment or struggle with slight learning disabilities. But Elizabeth's case was not a mild one.

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