Скачать или смотреть Common virus that could have devastating symptoms

(14 Jul 2014) LEADIN:
It's a common virus most people have never heard of because it's usually harmless.
But in rare cases, cytomegalovirus, or CMV, can be devastating for infants whose mothers were infected during pregnancy.
STORYLINE:
Erica Steadman didn't have any complications during her pregnancy and had no idea her baby daughter was infected whilst in the womb with a rare virus.
But the cytomegalovirus infection, or CMV, meant baby Evelyn was born with a small head and probable brain damage.
She's also deaf and potentially faces lifelong developmental problems.
"Part of what dealing with this virus is, is that it can happen to anybody. It can happen to a very healthy person like me," says Steadman.
CMV is a common, usually harmless virus. But in a rare, unlucky set of circumstances, it can be devastating for infants whose mothers become infected during pregnancy.
"The challenge we have is because the infection is asymptomatic, you don't know when the mum gets it," says Dr. Kenneth Alexander, a paediatric infectious diseases expert at the University of Chicago, where Evelyn is being treated.
"The challenge with Cytomegalovirus is that when it infects the baby, the part of the baby that's most affected is the growing nervous system. So what happens is that babies that acquire Cytomegalovirus during pregnancy are at high risk for hearing problems and for mental retardation. And so, it's important that we try and find ways to intervene. Now the challenge we have is because the infection is asymptomatic, you don't know when mum gets it."
Brain damage, deafness and other birth defects are among potential problems when women inadvertently transmit the virus in the womb.
"There are some children with CMV who present with normal hearing at birth but then their hearing loss deteriorates with time," says Dr. Dana Suskind, a professor of surgery and paediatrics at the University of Chicago, who is also treating Evelyn.
"And so, that's why it's very important that we continue to monitor these children."
Because those complications are so rare, most people have never heard of CMV.
The chances of getting infected while pregnant are small, and the chances of passing along the virus in utero are even smaller.
Of about four million annual U.S. births, about 30-thousand, less than one per cent, are born with a CMV infection.
About five thousand of those babies will have CMV-related permanent problems.
CMV is related to germs that cause genital herpes, cold sores, and chickenpox.
It spreads by exposure to body fluids from an infected person.
Infections are usually silent but can also cause sore throats and fatigue.
The virus can be serious for people with weakened immune systems, including HIV-infected patients and organ transplant recipients.
It can also interfere with prenatal brain growth.
Steadman says she did everything she could think of to stay healthy during her pregnancy, and her daughter's condition is overwhelming at times.
"Some days are really good, and she's such a cheerful, happy baby," says Steadman.
But there are times when she says the therapies, doctor appointments and MRI's are tough to handle.
Infectious disease specialists, parents of affected children, and even some legislators, are trying to spread awareness about the virus.
Evidence indicates doctors don't often mention CMV to pregnant patients.
Most experts don't recommend routine CMV testing in newborns, partly because congenital CMV is uncommon and usually causes no problems.
The CDC recommends hygiene measures that may reduce the chances of getting infected.

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