Minnesota Becomes First State To Add Infection To Newborn Screening Panel

(KNSI) – Minnesota is the first state in the country to automatically screen for congenital cytomegalovirus.

It is a viral infection that is passed from mother to child during pregnancy and is fairly common. The Minnesota Department of Health says that 300 babies are born with the disease each year. About 20 percent of babies diagnosed with the virus will have symptoms at birth or later in childhood. The most prevalent is permanent hearing loss.

MDH Commissioner Dr. Brooke Cunningham says including the infection in the screening panel will help prevent potential developmental delays for children affected. She says, “Adding congenital cytomegalovirus to our newborn screening program is a big advance in protecting and improving the health of all Minnesota children.”

The test to detect cCMV is a PCR test, similar to what is used for COVID-19. It can be done in real-time from a sample of dried blood rather than saliva or urine. It looks for the presence of virus DNA.

The newborn screening panel is a series of tests to uncover rare, but serious diseases. In a press release, the MDH says the illnesses do not present at birth in most cases and their effects can be mitigated if caught early. Being proactive in discovering the illnesses maximizes the benefits of early treatments.

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