Tuesday, June 4, 2019

National Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Awareness Month--What's new from CDC and OSHA



June is National Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Awareness Month. See latest news below from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). I include additional resources at the end of this post. 

June 4, 2019 (email I received from CDC):

Greetings CMV Partners,

In June, CDC recognizes CMV Awareness Month as an opportunity to bring greater attention to congenital CMV, the most common infectious cause of birth defects in the United States. This year, CDC is:

·         Introducing a new banner to increase visibility of all our CMV Awareness Month communication products.

·         Rolling out a re-designed, more digital friendly CMV website (https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/
that includes new pages about National CMV Awareness Month and What CDC Is Doing.

·         Posting key social media messages about congenital CMV with links to information and resources on Twitter, FacebookInstagram, and LinkedIn.

·         Featuring CMV as the Disease of the Week on June 24.

All of our CMV website content is syndicated, so you can copy the embedded code from CDC’s Public Health Media Library and place CDC’s content on your own websitemobile application, RSS feed, or similar digital channels. Whenever CDC updates the content, it will be automatically updated on your website. Technical Help is available if needed.

All of our products are designed to increase public awareness and knowledge about congenital CMV, and to help healthcare professionals recognize the signs and symptoms of the disease early in children to ensure they get the services they need. You can find these products on our CMV website.   

How You Can Help
We hope you will share CDC’s materials about congenital CMV with your colleagues, partners, and patients, and post them on your social media outlets and websites. 

Sincerely,
Holly Patrick

Holly Patrick, MS, MPH
Communication Specialist
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Division of Viral Diseases

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
1600 Clifton Road, Mailstop A-34, Atlanta, GA 30333
404.718.5494  |   mdu8@cdc.gov 

***

May 22, 2019: 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) now has information on CMV for child care and healthcare workers. In its  recent issue of "QuickTakes," a twice monthly newsletter on workplace safety and health (May 22, 2019 , Volume 18, Issue 9), they made the following announcement: 


SAFETY AND HEALTH RESOURCES
Webpage Provides Information on Protecting Workers from CMV Exposure

A common virus, Cytomegalovirus (CMV) affects thousands of workers in childcare centers and healthcare facilities. These workers are at the greatest risk of exposure because the virus is often spread through saliva and other body fluids of young children. OSHA's new webpage on CMV (https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/cmv/), explains how to minimize health risks associated with workers' exposure to this virus.

***

June 4, 2019

Note from me, Lisa Saunders, a former child care provider and leader of the Child Care Providers Education Committee, National CMV Foundation:

Using the song by Debra Lynn Alt, "Had I Known (about CMV)," I created a public service announcement (PSA) on Congenital CMV:  Music Video--"Had I Known (about CMV)". The video is geared to parents who have a young child in group care and those who care for young children. YouTube version at https://youtu.be/1WoGjfieRhY. Please share this on TV, online, in presentations, etc. 

***

HOW YOU CAN HELP

Ask the following groups/departments to pass along to their organizations and networks OSHA's (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) action regarding CMV precautions listed at: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/cmv

Contact:

Country/state/county child care licensing programs, public health departments, OSHA, labor departments and labor unions geared to early childhood educators/child care providers. 

Also, reach out the staff of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the largest child care accrediting organization; the corporate leaders of Bright Horizons; the American Academy of Pediatrics staff of the Council on Early Childhood and Exchange Press, Inc., the
ChildCare Exchange Magazine.

Offer CMV prevention information:

1. OSHA Webpage Provides Information on Protecting Workers from CMV Exposure
A common virus, Cytomegalovirus (CMV) affects thousands of workers in childcare centers and healthcare facilities. These workers are at the greatest risk of exposure because the virus is often spread through saliva and other body fluids of young children. OSHA's new webpage on CMV (https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/cmv/), explains how to minimize health risks associated with workers' exposure to this virus.

2."Staff Education and Policies on Cytomegalovirus (CMV)," American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education. (Revised 2017). National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs. Retrieved from Caring for Our Children: http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1. You can download that page as a pdf by clicking on the upper right side of the webpage: "Save as PDF"



3.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) CMV info available in English and Spanish:
"Congenital CMV Facts for Pregnant Women and Parents":https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/

4. CMV prevention video, "Why Moms-to-be Should Care About CMV" (3:37-minutes): https://youtu.be/OM7WKS7J2mA (content by research nurse, Anna Bartholomew of central Ohio; video by Joel Copeland, Chief Operating Officer of KMI Learning, pro bono, Youtube,  2015).


6. Model Child Care Health Policies, a book by the American Academy of Pediatrics, has a sample document to be signed by staff (paid or volunteer) to show “Acceptance of Occupational Risk by Staff Members,” which includes “exposure to infectious diseases (including infections that can damage a fetus during pregnancy)” (American Academy of Pediatrics, Pennsylvania Chapter, Aronson, SS, ed., 2014, p. 116).

For more information on CMV, please feel free to contact me. 

Thank you for your time!

Lisa Saunders
Child Care Providers Education Committee
PO Box 389, Mystic, CT 06355

*S.Res.215 - A resolution designating the month of June 2011 as "National Cytomegalovirus Awareness Month": 112th Congress (2011-2012). (2011). Retrieved from Congress.gov: https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-resolution/215  

Additional ways to raise CMV awareness among child care workers:

Exchange Press, Inc.
ChildCare Exchange Magazine
https://www.childcareexchange.com/
Bimonthly publication features news and information for center owner and managers and other early childhood professionals, with special features including the "Annual Trend Report on For Profit Child Care" and "The Exchange Top 50" list (January issue) which ranks North America's largest for-profit and national franchising organizations by number of centers in operation and total licensed capacity. Write for Exhange to reach child care providers/directors: https://www.childcareexchange.com/opportunities-for-you/write-for-exchange/



No comments: