Minnesota’s Universal Newborn Screening Program For CMV Identified Infants With Neurologic Abnormalities, Those At Risk For Permanent Hearing Loss, Data Show

MedPage Today (8/16, Kahn) reported, “Minnesota’s new universal newborn screening program for congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) identified infants with neurologic abnormalities and those at risk for permanent hearing loss who otherwise might have been missed by routine care or targeted screening, according to data from the state’s health department.” In total, investigators identified “184 cases of congenital CMV infection or disease...among 60,115 infants screened using dried blood spot polymerase chain reaction (PCR) testing, the majority of which (n=174) were detected during the first 21 days of life.” The findings were published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.