Congenital CMV Research & Innovations Webinar Series
CMV 101 | Gail Demmler-Harrison
Monday, August 31st, 2020 | 10:00 am - 11:00 am MDT
This session is designed to be an overview of Congenital CMV and will cover basic information about transmission, prevention, prevalence, treatment, and intervention.
Making a Difference without Legislation | Cara Gluck
Tuesday, September 1st, 2020 | 10:00 am - 11:00 am MDT
Oklahoma is a state that does not have legislation nor any pending. However, through collaborative partnerships with local leaders, the state department of health, and the National CMV Foundation, we have been able to increase awareness of the necessity of CMV public health education. This session will focus on the initiatives taken to increase awareness across the State of Oklahoma. Oklahoma has had a tumultuous past several years politically and it was determined early on to be able to affect change it would have to be through non-legislative measures. Awareness activities started with foundational presentations and local proclamations, which has grown into a statewide public service campaign and state proclamations in just a few short years. Participants will hear how family advocates have partnered with local county and the state health department to increase knowledge and educate about CMV.
Universal Congenital Cytomegalorvirus Screening: Experiences of Newborn Saliva Collection from Five Minnesota Hospitals | Emily Graupmann & Whitney Wunderlich
Wednesday, September 2nd, 2020 | 10:00 am - 11:00 am MDT
Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is the most common congenital viral infection and yet most pregnant mothers have never heard of it before. The majority of newborns with cCMV appear healthy at birth, but a portion are at risk for developing health problems, including hearing loss. There is a limited timeframe in determining if a newborn has a congenital versus acquired infection, thus universal screening of newborns in the postpartum setting is optimal for early intervention. Through a large study, across five metro hospitals we aim to determine the best sample source for detecting cCMV to fit the newborn screening paradigm. One possible method under consideration is saliva. Since 2016, we have enrolled over 15,000 families into a CDC-funded research study comparing dried bloodspot sensitivity and saliva for cCMV. We will share our experiences talking with families at time of collection, performing universal saliva specimen collection and shipping processes at five Minnesota hospitals. Topics included are timing consenter availability with parent availability, controlling humidity for swab storage, and increased parental anxiety with premature and NICU newborns. Lessons learned and ideas for future saliva testing will be discussed.
Hearing and Congenital CMV: Overview of Screening, Diagnosis, and Interprofessional Care for Infants and Children with cCMV | Angela Shoup & Albert Park
Thursday, September 3rd, 2020 | 10:00 am - 11:00 am MDT
Congenital cytomegalovirus is one of the leading causes of nongenetic congenital hearing loss and is also associated with delayed onset of hearing loss in infants and children. The goal of early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) is to maximize linguistic and communicative competence and literacy development for children who are hard of hearing or deaf. Achieving this result is dependent upon the early detection of, and intervention for, deaf and hard of hearing infants. This is achieved through integrated, interdisciplinary state and national systems of universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS), evaluation, and family-centered intervention. Increasingly, screening for cCMV is being incorporated into UNHS protocols which leads to earlier identification of infants with cCMV that are otherwise asymptomatic. This session will provide an overview of the medical and audiologic evaluation of infants and children identified with cCMV who are symptomatic and asymptomatic, with or without hearing loss. Recommended audiologic monitoring for those with cCMV that do not present with hearing loss will be discussed, as well as recommended follow-up and intervention for those who do have decreased hearing sensitivity. The screening process will be discussed and there will be a focus on providing a background for understanding audiologic test results and recommendations for treatment or monitoring, depending on individual infant/child needs. There will also be an overview of the hearing loss issues and considerations unique to infants/children with cCMV. The session will highlight the importance of interprofessional practice, with various providers who support the network of care, highlight parental issues related to newborn hearing screening and cCMV, diagnosis, and emphasize the importance of building collaborative partnerships between families, early intervention programs, pediatric audiology providers, otolaryngologists, and the medical home.
Universal Screening: The Ontario Story | Pranesh Chakraborty & Jessica Dunn
Friday, September 4th, 2020 | 10:00 am - 11:00 am MDT
Ontario is the first jurisdiction in the world to offer universal screening for congenital CMV. This session will discuss how cCMV screening was adopted as an expansion of the provincial Infant Hearing Program to include risk factors for hearing loss. Development of this policy arose from a unique collaboration between two government ministries, along with Newborn Screening Ontario, the Pediatric Infectious Diseases community, and the provincial Infant Hearing Program. Policy implementation, as well as the structure and delivery of the CMV screening program across Canada’s most populous province, will be described. There will be an opportunity to learn about the initial outcomes of this first-of-its-kind screen and share key lessons learned to date.
