2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference

March 13 - 15, 2022

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8/22/2022  |   3:30 PM - 3:55 PM   |  Congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV) Infection Knowledge and CMV Risk Behaviors in Pregnant Women   |  Governor General II

Congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV) Infection Knowledge and CMV Risk Behaviors in Pregnant Women

BACKGROUND: Most women have never heard of cCMV or how to prevent possible CMV exposures that may result in infection. OBJECTIVE: To determine the level of knowledge about cCMV infection and CMV risk behaviors in pregnant women. METHODS: We enrolled two cohorts of pregnant women following their first prenatal visit in two CMV studies, 1) 215 women aged 16-29 years between Oct 2013-Jun 2015 (C1) and 2) 170 women aged 16-39 years between Mar 2021-Apr 2022 (C2). We collected information on their cCMV knowledge and CMV risk behaviors at enrollment. RESULTS: C1 is 91% Black with a mean age (SD) of 22 (± 3) years. C2 is 80% Black with a mean age of 26 (± 5) years. About 80% of women provided direct care to young children. In C1, 15% of women had heard of CMV compared to 8% of women in C2 (p=0.03). Women had CMV saliva sharing risk behaviors, including kissing a child on the mouth (34-40%), sharing food (30-45%), and not washing their hands after feeding or wiping a child’s face (19-28%). Only 4.5% reported hearing from their providers about CMV. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate low awareness of cCMV. Pregnant women engage in CMV saliva sharing risk behaviors that could increase the risk of cCMV in their offspring.

  • Define the level of CMV knowledge in pregnant women
  • Define the level of CMV saliva sharing risk behaviors in pregnant women
  • Identify sequelae that may occur following congenital CMV infection

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Presenters/Authors

Karen Fowler (), karenfowler@uabmc.edu;
Karen B. Fowler, DrPH, is a Professor of Pediatrics (Infectious Diseases) and Epidemiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Her research has primarily focused on studies of maternal and congenital cytomegalovirus infections and the role of congenital CMV infection in sensorineural hearing loss in children.


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