The Cytomegalovirus, or CMV,
is a global common virus; many people are infected sometimes in their lifetime.
About 80% of adults in the US
have been infected by this virus.
The infection usually has no
effects, but can cause various diseases in people, who have a weak immune
system.
There isn’t yet a treatment
against CMV infection. Once someone has been infected, the virus remains latent
and can be reactivated at a weakening of the immune system.
The virus is spread by people,
and is not found in food, water or animals.
The virus passes from human to
human; a person with a CMV infection can spread the virus, even if this person has
no symptoms of the infection.
The virus is present in many
body fluids such as urine, blood, saliva and tears. Through these body fluids
the virus can be spread.
CMV can also be spread through
sexual contact, blood transfusion, organ transplants and breastfeeding.
Anyone can be infected by CMV,
almost everyone has been exposed to CMV by the time he is mature, but not
everyone gets sick.
The time between the exposure
to the virus and possibly become ill is 3 to 12 weeks.
A blood test can show whether
someone has been infected in the past.
People who are at higher risk
for complications are: children born to women, who become infected for the first
time during pregnancy,
pregnant women who use to work
with children, people with weakened immune systems such as cancer patients or
persons receiving an transplant organ and persons with HIV infection.
Symptoms of an active
infection may include high fever, chills, very tired feeling, a general ill
feeling and headache.
In adults, these symptoms last
for at most 2 to 3 weeks.
Most infected newborns have no
symptoms at birth, but in some cases symptoms may occur in the following years,
such as developmental delays and problems with vision or hearing.
Sometimes, a neonate may have
a life-threatening infection at birth. The disease can lead to a lifetime
development delays, possibly deafness or blindness.
One percent of all children
are born with a CMV infection. Only a small percentage of these children
experience problems.
Children who get an infection
after birth rarely have symptoms. If symptoms occur, this may include lung
problems, poor growth or liver problems.
People with weakened immune systems
can have more severe, life-threatening problems such as pneumonia, liver
inflammation and blood diseases.
In this people the disease can
last for weeks or months and can be fatal.
In individuals with HIV a CMV
infection can cause blindness.
There is no specific treatment
against this virus. The risk of infection can be reduced by good personal
hygiene and avoid oral contact with body fluids of young children.
