Minnesota is first U.S. state to universally test newborns for CMV

Feb 09, 20230

Jeremy Olson, Star Tribune count

Leah Henrikson introduced her daughter, Vivian, the inspiration for Minnesota's Vivian Act legislation in 2021 that spread awareness about congenital cytomegalovirus, at a press conference Feb. 8 to announce statewide newborn screening for the infectious disease.

Minnesota is the first U.S. state to universally test newborns for cytomegalovirus, an easily transmissible virus and a leading cause of infant hearing loss and congenital birth defects.

The announcement Wednesday follows a year of work to create a state protocol for testing at birth for the virus, known as CMV, and two decades of research at the University of Minnesota on ways to identify, prevent and treat the infection.

"We did it!" said an excited Dr. Mark Schleiss, the U expert in pediatric infectious diseases who led the research. "We got it to the finish line."

https://www.startribune.com/minnesota-pioneers-universal-screening-for-common-source-of-birth-defects-cytomegalovirus/600250070/