Cleveland Clinic Children’s Expands Newborn Screening for Congenital Cytomegalovirus to Combat Hearing Loss and Developmental Delays
Cleveland Clinic Children’s has implemented an expanded newborn screening program to detect congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV), a common infection transmitted from mothers to babies during pregnancy. This initiative, detailed in a study published in Pediatrics, has significantly increased detection rates, identifying 34 babies with cCMV and boosting annual testing from approximately 150 to over 2,000 babies. The program, which involves an initial swab and, if necessary, a urine sample, was rolled out across Cleveland Clinic locations in Ohio between 2022 and 2025. During this period, more than 50,000 babies were born at these facilities, with nearly 7,500 undergoing screening in nurseries or neonatal intensive care units. While many infants with cCMV show no immediate symptoms, the virus can lead to long-term complications such as hearing loss and developmental delays. Dr. Frank Esper, senior author and pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Cleveland Clinic Children’s, emphasized that earlier identifi...
