6 Jul 2023

Opinions divided on CMV testing

From Morning Report, 8:47 am on 6 July 2023

Mothers-to-be are being warned that the most common infectious cause of permanent disabilities in newborn children is one they're likely to have never heard of.

Campaigners want more support for CMV infections, which can lead to intellectual disability and are the leading non-genetic cause of hearing loss.

But opinions are divided on whether there should be a screening programme to identify cases at birth.

Gill Bonnett reports.