Here is it's current status: http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB05147
If you don't want to write everyone (a big job) just write to your representative. Here is how you find out who your rep is: http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/CGAFindLeg.asp
Here is a sample letter you can send (just take out my info unless you want to say you know someone who suffered from this disease):
Dear [ ]
I am Lisa Saunders of Mystic and came to Harford to testify on Feb. 28 in support of HB 5147, which includes cytomegalovirus (CMV) education. If you need any further information or to be connected to doctors who work with children disabled by congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV), I would be happy to help.
CMV is the #1 birth defects virus and causes more disabilities than Down syndrome, yet most women don’t know how to prevent it.
Lisa Saunders
P.O. Box 389
It’s too late for my daughter Elizabeth who was born with a severely damaged brain, but I hope you will support the bill to protect future unborn babies from such a fate. You will see from the testimony letters that a Yale professor along with other medical professionals, and parents support the passing of this bill. A similar bill was passed in Utah. Members of their health department are willing to speak to you.
Less than half of OB/GYNs surveyed said they counseled their patients on how to prevent CMV infection, despite these U.S. statistics from the CDC:
Less than half of OB/GYNs surveyed said they counseled their patients on how to prevent CMV infection, despite these U.S. statistics from the CDC:
•Congenital CMV causes one child to become disabled every hour.
•About 1 in 150 children is born with congenital CMV infection each year (approximately 30,000).
OB/GYNs didn’t tell me how to prevent CMV until after Elizabeth was born. Then I learned those working in daycare, or have a child in daycare, are at a higher risk for catching it as preschoolers are the majority of carriers. Mothers must wash their hands after handling toys and should not kiss their toddlers around the mouth. While I was pregnant, I had a toddler plus ran a licensed daycare center. In milder cases, children may lose hearing or struggle with learning. But Elizabeth's case was not a mild one. She died at 16.
I am the Congenital CMV Foundation parent representative and author of Anything But a Dog! The perfect pet for a girl with congenital CMV.
Sincerely,
P.O. Box 389
Mystic, CT 06355
I plan to write to everyone here
(minus the ones who voted yes already):
House Members: http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/hlist.asp
Senate Members: http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/slist.asp
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