The UK government and NHS should be doing more to protect pregnant women, and their unborn babies, from contracting cytomegalovirus (CMV). When a pregnant woman becomes infected with CMV for the first time, it can cause the unborn baby to have a range of physical & mental disabilities, deafness, blindness, autism, enlarged liver, respiratory problems, feeding problems, seizures and in some cases even death. The NHS currently does very little to warn people of the devastating effects that CMV can have on unborn babies, even though it occurs as many as 1 in 150. Congenital CMV is more common than Downs Syndrome, Spina Bifida and Foetal Alcohol Syndrome. It is one of the leading causes of infant deafness. And yet, people often only learn about CMV when it's too late. We want this to change, so that all expectant mothers can be made aware of the risks and make informed choices throughout their pregnancy. We have identified the key areas which need to be addressed, in order to minimize the damaging effects of CMV to babies in the womb: • ALL Midwives, Health visitors & Nurses need to be fully trained on Congenital CMV

 • All pregnant women need to be advised about the potential risks of CMV, by a healthcare professional, as early in the pregnancy as possible.
• All pregnant women need to be tested for CMV to determine whether or not they are at risk, ideally at their first midwife appointment.
• Advice & information about CMV should be included in all NHS pregnancy guides & publications, including the pregnancy section of NHS direct website
• More funding to be allocated to the research & development of a vaccine against CMV, so that ultimately, all women of child bearing age can be vaccinated against CMV.
* More research to be carried out into CMV hyperimmune globulin treatment, which can minimise damage to a foetus infected with CMV, if given during pregnancy. The UK CMV Association fully supports all of the above measures, and is willing to work in partnership with the relevant government bodies to ensure that they are undertaken. Please help us to prevent more children being born with profound and lifelong disabilities due to a preventable virus. Thank You

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