Mom Asks CT AGAIN to Stop #1 Birth Defects Virus

 

RE: Congenital Cytomegalovirus Causes More Disabilities than Down Syndrome

Dear Connecticut Politicians,

I am the parent representative of Congenital Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Foundation and mother of Elizabeth born severely disabled by congenital CMV. Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) causes more disabilities than Down syndrome.

I am hoping you will support a 2015 version of the 2014 bill  that was unanimously passed by both the Public Health Committee and House of Representatives in spring 2014: H.B. 5147: "AN ACT CONCERNING NEWBORN SCREENING FOR CYTOMEGALOVIRUS AND ESTABLISHING A PUBLIC EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR CYTOMEGALOVIRUS."

The Senate failed to vote on it before the end of the session despite “Letters of Testimony” from mothers whose babies were disabled by the preventable disease and Yale University’s Eugene D. Shapiro, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics, Epidemiology and Investigative Medicine. Connecticut’s failure to pass the bill was mentioned in the internationally published Associated Press article, “Silent virus a rare, dangerous risk for the unborn.”

If I understand correctly, the following co-sponsors of H.B. 5147 were reelected to serve in 2015: Kevin Ryan, 139th Dist.; Emmett D. Riley, 46th Dist.; Michelle L. Cook, 65th Dist.; Rosa C. Rebimbas, 70th Dist.; Noreen S. Kokoruda, 101st Dist.; Peter A. Tercyak, 26th Dist.; Mitch Bolinsky, 106th Dist.; Hilda E. Santiago, 84th Dist.; Gerald M. Fox, 146th Dist.; and Michael L. Molgano, 144th Dist.*

The representative responsible for passing and enacting the bill in Utah has offered to advise CT politicians about the legislation and needed funding (you can contact Rep.Ronda Rudd Menlove, PhD, Utah State University, at  Ronda.Menlove@usu.edu, or visit the Utah CMV Council).

The cost of CT's HB 5147 (2014) was $40,000 for the first year, and $26,000 for consecutive years. The cost of caring for ONE child disabled by cCMV is estimated at $194,590/year. The annual cost of caring for Connecticut’s children disabled by cCMV is over $9 million (47 children x $194,590).  Educating women on prevention is shown to reduce transmission of this disease by at least 50%.

Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) causes more disabilities than Down syndrome and is the most common cause of nonhereditary sensorineural hearing loss in childhood. Between 50% and 80% of adults in the U.S. are infected with CMV by 40 years of age. According to the CDC, in the U.S.: 

• Every hour, congenital CMV causes one child to become disabled. 
• Approximately 1 in 150 children is born with congenital CMV infection (30,000 each year).
• Approximately 1 in 750 babies born are permanently disabled by cCMV. (Download CDC's flyer, What Women Should Know About Cytomegalovirus (CMV): http://congenitalcmv.org/CDCbrochure.pdf.)

 In 2014, Fox CT interviewed me in my home with Dr. Brenda Balch, Connecticut's Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Chapter Champion, about H.B. 5147 and disabilities caused by congenital CMV (cCMV).

Which women are most at risk for contracting CMV?

 “75% of women with a primary infection during pregnancy acquire CMV from their own child under two years of age,” said Stuart Adler, M.D., Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics and Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University. Data from a variety of day care center studies indicate that between 44 to 100% of two year olds at a single given time were shedding cytomegalovirus.  Day-care workers are at greater risk than people who don’t work in such a setting. Prevention measures include refraining from kissing toddlers on the mouth and frequent hand washing.

Why don’t doctors warn women of childbearing age about congenital CMV?

 

Doctors don’t realize how prevalent it is. Fewer than half (44%) of OB/GYNs surveyed reported counseling their patients about preventing CMV infection.

Utah is currently the only state working to prevent congenital CMV (cCVM). Utah’s H.B. 81, which went into effect July 1, 2013, requires the Health Department (click on Children's Hearing and Speech Services to download English/Spanish pamphlets for daycare providers, doctors and parents) to teach CMV prevention and test newborns for cCMV if they fail two hearing screen tests so their families can learn about the availability of early intervention services and treatment options. Utah has a health department Web page and pamphlets for doctors' offices about congenital cytomegalovirus. Less than a year after the law was enacted in Utah, "About 50 Utah newborns have had CMV tests so far; nine tested positive, said Stephanie McVicar, director of newborn hearing screening for Utah's health department."

Why is it important to know if a baby has congenital CMV?  
“CMV infection in newborns can be treated with ganciclovir by IV or valganciclovir by oral route - treatment reduces hearing loss progression and improves growth and head size/brain growth and improves developmental milestones,” says Dr. Demmler-Harrison, Director, Congenital CMV Disease Registry and Research Program

My daughter Elizabeth suffered for 16 years from severe disabilities caused by cCMV until her death during a seizure. Elizabeth was unable to walk and talk and suffered from frequent bouts of pneumonia and uncontrollable epilepsy. She required several surgeries as she aged, such as spinal fusion, and was gradually losing her hearing. I had run a licensed daycare center for young children when I was pregnant with Elizabeth. Nowhere in the licensing literature did it state the precautions to take when working with children under three years of age. As far as I can tell, Connecticut still does not promote CMV awareness and its licensed daycare centers.

I am the author of the memoir, Anything But A Dog!: The Perfect Pet For A Girl With Congenital Cmv (Cytomegalovirus), and lecture to international audiences about how they can help prevent the disease. I recently stood before my daughter's grave and promised her I would get Connecticut to pass this bill in 2015. Mothers like me need the support of our country to ensure Elizabeth and others like her didn't suffer in vain.

I provide a one-page Congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV) Fact Sheet with additional pages for sources of information, including contact information for the county’s cCMV experts, on my blog at:  http://congenitalcmv.blogspot.com. For more information about the Congenital Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Foundation, visit: www.congenitalcmv.org. You may contact me at LisaSaunders42@gmail.com

###

*Contact reelected Co-Sponsors of HB 5147 (2014) at: Kevin.Ryan@cga.ct.gov, Emmett.Riley@cga.ct.gov, Michelle.Cook@cga.ct.gov, Peter.Tercyak@cga.ct.gov, Noreen.Kokoruda@housegop.ct.gov, Hilda.Santiago@cga.ct.gov, Mitch.Bolinsky@housegop.ct.gov, Rosa.Rebimbas@housegop.ct.gov.

 

Additional comments from mothers:

 

Jenny Bailey of Texas said, "In 1990, I was seven-months pregnant with my daughter, Caroline, when her CMV was diagnosed in utero and I was told she would probably die or have multiple severe disabilities.  I am thankful she was the first baby in Houston treated with ganciclovir at birth and doesn't have disabilities other than deafness! She is living a full and independent life at age 24, but other babies are not being diagnosed and miss this chance of saving their hearing and promoting normal brain growth with a drug we got a quarter-century ago."

 

Farah Armstrong of Texas, whose infant daughter Maddie died from cCMV complications in February 2014, wrote to Connecticut legislators shortly thereafter: "You may not currently have a pregnant daughter, daughter-in-law, niece, granddaughter, neighbor, or friend, but chances are you will at some point in your lifetime. No mother should have to find out after giving birth that they had passed a preventable virus to their baby before birth."

*Congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV) Fact Sheet*

 

What is congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV)?

The #1 viral cause of birth defects. It causes more disabilities than Down syndrome and is the most common cause of nonhereditary sensorineural hearing loss in childhood. Between 50% and 80% of adults in the U.S. are infected with CMV by 40 years of age. According to the CDC, in the U.S.:

·           Every hour, congenital CMV causes one child to become disabled.

 

·           Approximately 1 in 150 children is born with congenital CMV infection (30,000 each year).

 

·           Approximately 1 in 750 babies born are permanently disabled by cCMV

 

Why don’t doctors warn women of childbearing age about congenital CMV?

 

Doctors don’t realize how prevalent it is. Fewer than half (44%) of OB/GYNs surveyed reported counseling their patients about preventing CMV infection. “The virtual absence of a prevention message has been due, in part, to the low profile of congenital CMV. Infection is usually asymptomatic in both mother and infant, and when symptoms do occur, they are non-specific, so most CMV infections go undiagnosed,” according to National Center for Biotechnology Information article, “Washing our hands of the congenital cytomegalovirus disease epidemic,”.

 

What percent of women of child-bearing age know about congenital CMV?

 

Only 22% of women surveyed had heard about congenital CMV , but most in that group didn’t know how to prevent it.

What can our state do to protect our children from congenital CMV?

Educate public. Pass a bill similar to Utah’s H.B 81 (2013) requiring the Health Department (Children's Hearing and Speech Services) to teach CMV prevention and test newborns for cCMV if they fail two hearing screen tests so their families can be educated about the possible impacts of cCMV, the availability of early intervention services, medical intervention, and treatment options.

What is the annual cost of implementing this congenital CMV education and hearing test bill?

 

Utah’s cost: $30,800 per year. In 2014, the cost in Connecticut was estimated at $40,000 first year, $26,000 subsequent years.
 

What is the annual cost of caring for children disabled by congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) in the U.S. and by state? According to researchers and the Institute of Medicine, the annual cost of cCMV is $1 - 4 billion. Using a conservative $1 billion per year, the following calculates cost per child (which varies with severity of disability). In 2012, 3,952,841 were born in U.S. with 1/750, or .0013, disabled by cCMV = 5,139.  Annual cost per disabled child = $1,000,000,000/5139 or $194,590/year/child.

 

ANNUAL COST FOR CONNECTICUT: Annual cost of caring for children disabled by congenital CMV in CT: 36,359 births X .0013 cCMV disabled = 47 children X $194,590/year/child= $9,145,730, or over $9 million annually to care for cCMV children. “This figure is almost certainly an underestimate, especially now with enhanced mobility aids, surgical interventions, cochlear implants, antiviral therapies, occupational and physical therapies, etc., which were not likely included in the older cost estimates,” says Dr. Demmler-Harrison, Director, Congenital CMV Disease Registry and Research Program.

Which women are most at risk for contracting CMV?

 “75% of women with a primary infection during pregnancy acquire CMV from their own child under two years of age,” said Stuart Adler, M.D., Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics and Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University. Data from a variety of day care center studies indicate that between 44 to 100% of two year olds at a single given time were shedding cytomegalovirus.  Day-care workers are at greater risk than people who don’t work in such a setting.

Will it really make a difference if women are educated on how to prevent contracting CMV?

Yes. Studies in France and the U.S. proved women educated about prevention reduced transmission to their unborn by at least 50%.

 

How can CMV be avoided? See CDC: CMV Prevention tips

·           Wash hands often with soap and water for 15-20 seconds, especially after wiping runny noses, changing diapers, picking up toys, etc. If soap and water are not available, use alcohol-based hand gel.

·           Use soap and water or a disinfectant to clean hard surfaces that have been contaminated by secretions.

·           Don’t share food, drinks, or eating utensils with young children.

·           Don’t kiss young children on the lips—give them a big hug and a kiss on top of the head.

 

·           If you work in a day care center, limit close contact with children younger than 2½ years of age, especially if you've never been infected with CMV or don't know if you've been infected.

 

Can you treat cCMV? “CMV infection in newborns can be treated with ganciclovir by IV or valganciclovir by oral route - treatment reduces hearing loss progression and improves growth and head size/brain growth and improves developmental milestones.  It is now recommended for newborns with symptomatic CMV disease at birth and even those that appear healthy yet fail their newborn hearing screens because of deafness,” says Dr. Demmler-Harrison, Director, Congenital CMV Disease Registry and Research Program.

 

 

 

Bibliography

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Adler, Stuart, MD, Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics and Chairman, Division of Infectious Disease. (2014, Feb. 28). Public Hearing Testimony, Raised H.B. No. 5147 . Retrieved from Connecticut General Assembly: http://www.cga.ct.gov/2014/PHdata/Tmy/2014HB-05147-R000228-Stuart%20Adler,%20Emeritus%20Professor%20of%20Pediatrics%20and%20Chairman,%20Division%20of%20Infectious%20Disease-TMY.PDF

Armstrong, Farah,President and Founder, Maddie's Mission. (2014, Feb. 28). Public Hearing Testimony, Raised H.B. No. 5147 . Retrieved from Connecticut General Assembly : http://www.cga.ct.gov/2014/PHdata/Tmy/2014HB-05147-R000228-Farah,%20Armstrong-TMY.PDF

Bailey, Jenny Meeden, Texas, baby first in Houston to receive ganciclovir treatment. (2014, Feb. 28). Public Hearing Testimony, Raised H.B. No. 5147. Retrieved from Connecticut General Assembly: http://www.cga.ct.gov/2014/PHdata/Tmy/2014HB-05147-R000228-Jenny%20Meeden%20Bailey-TMY.PDF

Blazek, Nicole, Senior Clinical Content Editor. (2014, June 21). Educate pregnant women to prevent congenital CMV. Retrieved Reference: 1.Pina AL. “Breaking the Silence About Congenital CMV.” Presented at: AAPN 2014. Jun 17-22; Nashville, Tenn., from The Clinical Advisor: http://www.clinicaladvisor.com/educate-pregnant-women-to-prevent-congenital-cmv/article/357115/

Cannon, Michael J.; Davis, Katherine Finn. (2005, June 20). Washing our hands of the congenital cytomegalovirus disease epidemic. Retrieved from National Center for Biotechnology Information : http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1182379/

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Retrieved from Congenital CMV Infection Trends and Statistics: http://www.cdc.gov/cmv/trends-stats.html

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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (n.d.). State and Territorial Data. Retrieved from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/state-and-territorial-data.htm

Children's Hearing and Speech Services. (n.d.). Retrieved from Utah Department of Health: http://www.health.utah.gov/cshcn/CHSS/CMV.html

Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection Time To Test Newborns. (2014, July 1). Retrieved December 6, 2014, from ENT Today: http://www.enttoday.org/article/congenital-cytomegalovirus-infection-time-to-test-newborns/

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) education bill on hold for now. (2014, May 8). Retrieved from Fox CT: http://foxct.com/2014/05/08/cytomegalovirus-cmv-education-bill-on-hold-for-now/

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Demmler-Harrison,Gail, MD,Director, Congenital CMV Disease Registry and Research Program. (2014, Feb. 28). Public Hearing Testimony, Raised H.B. No. 5147. Retrieved from Connectictut General Assembly: http://www.cga.ct.gov/2014/PHdata/Tmy/2014HB-05147-R000228-Gail%20Demmler,%20MD-TMY.PDF

Doutre, Sara, co-founder, Utah CMV Council; Menlove,Ronda, Utah House of Representatives,. (n.d.). Retrieved from Utah CMV Council: http://www.utahcmvcouncil.org/about-us/

Goderis, Julie, MD, et al. (2014, October 27). Hearing Loss and Congenital CMV Infection: A Systematic Review. Retrieved from Pediatrics: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2014/10/21/peds.2014-1173.abstract#aff-1

Greenlee, Janelle, President and Founder, Stop CMV. (2014, Feb. 28). Public Hearing Testimony, Raised H.B. No. 5147 . Retrieved from Connecticut General Assembly: http://www.cga.ct.gov/2014/PHdata/Tmy/2014HB-05147-R000228-Janelle%20Greenlee,%20President%20and%20Founder,%20Stop%20CMV-TMY.PDF

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Saunders, L. (2009). Anything But a Dog! The perfect pet for a girl with congenital CMV (cytomegalovirus). Retrieved from http://www.amazon.com/Anything-But-Dog-Congenital-Cytomegalovirus/dp/1588329968/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340644532&sr=1-1&keywords=anything+but+a+dog+lisa+saunders

Saunders, L. (2014, April 28). Parent representative, Congenital Cytomegalovirus Foundation, and Dr. Brenda Balch of Mystic, CT. Fox CT: Mommy Minute. (S. Cody, Interviewer) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lT2GpwzaMU&feature=youtu.be.

Saunders, Lisa, Parent Representative, Congenital CMV Foundation. (2014, Feb. 28). Public Hearing Testimony, Raised H.B. No. 5147. Retrieved from Connecictut General Assembly: http://www.cga.ct.gov/2014/PHdata/Tmy/2014HB-05147-R000228-Lisa%20Saunders,%20Parent%20Representative,%20Congenital%20CMV%20Foundation-TMY.PDF

Shapiro, Eugene, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics, Epidemiology and Investigative Medicine, Yale University. (2014, Feb. 28). Public Hearing Testimony, H.B. No. 5147. Retrieved from Connecticut General Assembly: http://www.cga.ct.gov/2014/PHdata/Tmy/2014HB-05147-R000228-Eugene%20Shapiro,%20M.D.,%20Professor%20of%20Pediatrics,%20Epidermiology%20and%20Investigative%20Medicine,%20Yale%20University-TMY.PDF

Tanner, L. (2014, May 17). Silent virus a rare, dangerous risk for the unborn. Retrieved from Associated Press: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/silent-virus-rare-dangerous-risk-unborn

Vaccines for the 21st Century: A Tool for Decisionmaking--CMV. (1999, March 1). Retrieved from Institute of Medicine: http://www.iom.edu/Reports/1999/Vaccines-for-the-21st-Century-A-Tool-for-Decisionmaking.aspx

Vauloup-Fellous,Christelle; Picone,Olivie; Cordier,Anne-Gaëlle; Parent-du-Châtelet,Isabelle;Senat,Marie-Victoire; Frydman,René; Grangeot-Keros, Liliane . (December 2009). Does hygiene counseling have an impact on the rate of CMV primary infection during pregnancy. Retrieved from Jounal of Clinical Virology: http://www.journalofclinicalvirology.com/article/S1386-6532(09)00419-3/abstract

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*This fact sheet was compiled by Lisa Saunders, the parent representative of Congenital Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Foundation. Contact: LisaSaunders42@gmail.com. Visit her website at www.authorlisasaunders.com or Congenital CMV blog at:  http://www.congenitalcmv.org/ 

Lisa Saunders lives in the 41st House District (Groton and New London, CT). Her newly elected House representative is:

Aundré Bumgardner,

aundrebumgardner@gmail.com
  

 

Lisa's State Senator: Senator Andrew Maynard
   
Here are reelected Co-Sponsors of HB 5147 (2014): Kevin.Ryan@cga.ct.gov, Emmett.Riley@cga.ct.gov, Michelle.Cook@cga.ct.gov, Peter.Tercyak@cga.ct.gov, Noreen.Kokoruda@housegop.ct.gov, Hilda.Santiago@cga.ct.gov, Mitch.Bolinsky@housegop.ct.gov, Rosa.Rebimbas@housegop.ct.gov.  

 

Newly elected  senator who may be supportive:   Paul  Formica, pmform2010@aol.com

 

 

 

 

Sara Doutre, co-founder of the Utah CMV Council, stands beside a Utah bus advertisement for congenital cytomegalovirus prevention. Doutre is mom to Daisy, born with congenital CMV, and daughter of Ronda Menlove, the representative responsible for leading Utah to pass and enact the first U.S. CMV awareness and testing legislation (2013). For advice, contact Representative Ronda Rudd Menlove, PhD, Utah State University, Ronda.Menlove@usu.edu,  or Sara Doutre at sara@doutreconsulting.com
 

 

CONNECTICUT

Lisa Saunders, Congenital CMV Foundation parent representative (mother of Elizabeth severely disabled by congenital CMV, 1989-2006), PO Box 389, Mystic, CT 06355, LisaSaunders42@gmail.com (sent Letter of Testimony to CT’s HB 5147).

Amy Mirizzi, MPH, CPH, Early Hearing Detection & Intervention (EHDI) Program, Family Health Section, Connecticut Department of Public Health, 410 Capitol Avenue, MS # 11MAT, Hartford, CT 06134-0308. Phone: (860) 509-8175, amy.mirizzi@ct.gov, http://www.ct.gov/dph/ehdi

Eugene D. Shapiro, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics, Epidemiology and Investigative Medicine, Yale University, eugene.shapiro@yale.edu (sent Letter of Testimony to CT’s HB 5147).

Casey Famigletti of New Canaan, Connecticut, mother of child born disabled by congenital CMV (sent Letter of Testimony to CT’s HB 5147).

UTAH

Rep.Ronda Rudd Menlove, PhD, Utah House of Representatives and Senior Vice Provost, Utah State University.  She was the representative responsible for passing and enacting the bill in Utah (2013) and has offered to advise CT politicians about the legislation and needed funding. Contact 435-760-2618, Ronda.Menlove@usu.edu or visit the Utah CMV Council.

Stephanie Browning McVicar, Au.D., CCC-A, DOCTOR OF AUDIOLOGY (she worked tirelessly to pass the Utah bill), Specialty Services Program Manager, State EHDI Director, State of Utah Department of Health, Children with Special Healthcare Needs, Children's Hearing and Speech Services, (801) 584-8218, smcvicar@utah.gov (click on Utah's Children's Hearing and Speech Services to download English/Spanish pamphlets for daycare providers, doctors and parents).

Sara Menlove Doutre, President and Education Policy Consultant at Doutre Consulting (her daughter was affected by congenital cytomegalovirus) and co-founder of Utah CMV Council. sara@doutreconsulting.com  (sent Letter of Testimony to CT’s HB 5147).

NATIONAL

CDC: Michael Cannon, Ph.D. mrc7@cdc.gov, a research epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Cannon is develops strategies to prevent congenital CMV infection through public awareness and education.

Gail J Demmler-Harrison, MD, Professor, Pediatrics, Section Infectious Diseases, Baylor College of Medicine, Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases Service, Texas Children's Hospital, CMV Registry, CMV Research and CMV Clinic. Contact: 832-824-4330, gjdemmle@texaschildrens.org. The CMV Registry supports CMV research, disseminates information and provides a parent support group (sent Letter of Testimony to CT’s HB 5147).

Lenore Pereira, Ph.D., Congenital CMV Foundation founder and Professor, Cell and Tissue Biology Department, University of California San Francisco, at lenore.pereira@ucsf.edu, or visit www.congenitalcmv.org. The Congenital CMV Foundation raises awareness about maternal testing for first infection during pregnancy, newborn testing and the need to develop a vaccine.

Stuart Adler, M.D., Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics and Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, Virginia Commonwealth University. sadler@vcu.edu (sent Letter of Testimony to CT’s HB 5147).

Alyson Ward, National Center for Hearing Assessment and Management (NCHAM), Alyson.Ward@usu.edu

Staley, Plotkin, MD, Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania, Vaccinology Consultant (sent Letter of Testimony to CT’s HB 5147). Contact: stanley.plotkin@vaxconsult.com