In the above interview, The Path to CMV Prevention - 03/20/2023 (Public Access Channel Baldwinsville), I share my cytomegalovirus (CMV) journey and laws passed or sought.
- National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has procedures in place to "reduce occupational hazards such as infectious diseases (e.g., exposure of pregnant staff to CMV…" (NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and Accreditation Criteria, p. 90).
- American Academy of Pediatrics states, "Up to 70% of children ages 1 to 3 years in group care settings excrete the virus...Female employees of childbearing age should be referred to their primary health care provider or to the health department authority for counseling about their risk of CMV infection. This counseling may include testing for serum antibodies to CMV to determine the employee’s immunity against CMV infection...it is also important for the child care center director to inform infant caregivers/teachers of the increased risk of exposure to CMV during pregnancy” (Staff Education and Policies on Cytomegalovirus (CMV), Caring for our Children, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education. Retrieved from: http://nrckids.org/CFOC/
Database/7.7.1.1, revised 2017). CDC and American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) guidelines, and those of other well-respected organizations, are below my signature.
Between 8 - 20% of child care providers contract CMV every year (American Academy of Pediatrics) as compared to 1-4% of women (who have never had CMV) in the general population (CDC).
1) Although OSHA lists CMV as a "Recognized Hazard", there are no federal laws governing CMV education policies for child care workers. The Department of Labor states, "Education and training requirements vary by setting, state, and employer." An employer once admitted to me that the inconvenient truth about CMV in child care made her worry about recruiting providers, but she did the right thing and sent a memo to her staff. However, months later, a volunteer there told me that none of the new staff knew about CMV (which is why I believe only laws will make a true difference). One state policy maker told me that the content of their health and safety training is part of "our state plan and is based on federal requirements."
2) CMV education is not "part of standard prenatal care” (Washington Post, 2021).
3) Doctors don’t want to frighten, worry or “burden” patients (New York Times, 2016).
4) CMV is a “silent virus” that goes largely undiagnosed, so even the medical community isn't fully aware of how common it is: "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.” (Washing our hands of the congenital cytomegalovirus disease epidemic, Cannon and Davis, 2005).
5) Medical training downplays the dangers. Michigan pediatrician Megan Pesch, MD, was shocked when her third daughter was born with congenital CMV. She stated that "many health-care providers tend to minimize or ignore the risks." She said, "I went back and looked at my notes at what I’d learned in residency and medical school, and what we learned was so rudimentary and basic...”(Washington Post, 2021).
In 2022, we three moms helped New York pass the CMV education bill A7560B, named "Elizabeth's Law" in memory of my daughter. Although it is now required for child care providers to receive printed information about CMV (NYAssembly.gov, 2022), they are still not required to receive actual training on this recognized "hazard”.
I, and others before me, have asked OSHA if they can add CMV to its bloodborne pathogens standard, because then, "employers having employees with exposure to blood or other potentially infectious materials (OPIM) must train employees annually regardless of the employees' prior training or education" (Standard Interpretations, 2007). I think it's important to recognize the significance of this statement made in 2022: "Childcare workers, but not healthcare workers, have an increased risk of prevalent and incident CMV infection...These findings suggest that enforcing simple, conventional hygienic measures in childcare settings could help reduce transmission of CMV..."(Balegamire et al.,2022).
Although there are several organizations geared to childcare providers that mention CMV, the information is not actually appearing in the training and/or packets of information given to new hires or volunteers. In the U.S., “61 % of children under the age of 5 are cared for in a child care facility...Intervening with child care providers and parents through child care facilities are key opportunities to reduce prevalence of CMV infection and other diseases” (Thackeray and Magnusson, 2016).
Parents of children in day-care centers are also at increased risk for contracting CMV (Pass et al, 1986). “Approximately 1-4% of all pregnant women will experience a primary CMV infection during their pregnancy. If you work in a child care setting, the risk increases to approximately 10%. If you have a toddler at home who is actively infected with CMV and shedding CMV in their saliva or urine, the risk is even higher, approaching 50% in some studies” (“CMV In Pregnancy: What Should I Know?”, Demmler-Harrison, 2014).
If training incurs additional costs, it is also important to consider the medical care costs of NOT preventing congenital CMV: "Congenital CMV-related sequelae affect over 5000 children annually, and costs are greater than $1 billion annually in direct medical care in the United States" (Kabani, 2020). Of course there are other costs to congenital CMV, such as lost wages, the cost of providing specialized education, etc. Another estimate: "at least 3000 [newborns] are estimated to develop permanent neurologic disabilities each year due to cCMV infection...With an estimated annual cost of up to $4 billion in the United States, cCMV infection is an enormous public health concern..." (Gantt, S, 2016).
njb7@cornell.edu, www.ilr.
Since our country's goal is to follow the guidelines of organizations such as the CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP); American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG); and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), I thought I would compile a list of organizations that promote CMV prevention education:
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) - Under "What infections should I be concerned about and how can I reduce my chances of getting them during pregnancy", ACOG states, “CMV can be spread by contact with an infected child’s urine or other body fluids. Pregnant women who work with young children, such as day care workers or health care workers, should take steps to prevent infection...(https://www.acog.
org/womens-health/faqs/ reducing-risks-of-birth- defects ). - American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) states: "Despite the magnitude of the problem as well as evidence for efficacy of preventive actions, awareness among women of childbearing potential is low..." (AAP, 2022). In its book, Caring for Our Children, AAP et al. feature: “The importance of hand hygiene measures (especially handwashing and avoiding contact with urine, saliva, and nasal secretions) to lower the risk of CMV; The availability of counseling and testing for serum antibody to CMV to determine the caregiver/teacher’s immune status. (AAP et al., nrckids.org/CFOC/
Database/7.7.1.1, 2017). In addition, its book, Model Child Care Health Policies, includes a 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)” (AAP, Pennsylvania Chapter, Aronson, SS, ed., 2014, p. 116). - U.S. Congress: "Recommends that more effort be taken to counsel women of childbearing age of the effect this virus can have on their children"(https://www.
congress.gov/bill/112th- congress/senate-resolution/215 ). - Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - "People who have frequent contact with young children may be at greater risk of CMV infection because young children are a common source of CMV. " (https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/
congenital-infection.html) - Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recognizes CMV as a “hazard” for childcare workers (https://www.osha.gov/
cytomegalovirus/hazards). - Moderna: "Moms-to-be should talk to their doctors about CMV and take precautions."
- March of Dimes - "CMV often spreads during diaper changes, bathing and other close contact with babies and young children. Children can get infected with CMV at child care or school and pass it on to their families, caregivers and other children... CMV spreads easily in child care centers or preschools where children share toys that may carry CMV." (https://www.marchofdimes.org/
complications/cytomegalovirus- and-pregnancy.aspx) - National CMV Foundation - "Cytomegalovirus, or CMV, is a public health issue... we support a policy agenda aimed at ensuring access to education for women of childbearing age, accelerating research funding, screening newborns for congenital CMV, and advocating for a vaccine. Congenital CMV infection is largely undetected because the majority of affected infants are asymptomatic at birth." https://www.
nationalcmv.org/about-us/ advocacy - National Association for the Education of Young Children and its document, “NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and Accreditation Criteria & Guidance for Assessment,” acknowledges the need to "reduce occupational hazards such as infectious diseases (e.g., exposure of pregnant staff to CMV…)”p.90.
- ChildCare Aware of America: "if you are a childcare worker, a nursery volunteer, or have a toddler in child care, you need to know about cytomegalovirus (CMV)." (The Danger of Spreading CMV: How We Can Protect Our Children (June 2017).
I have sent information similar to the above to organizations in the child care industry such as:
- National Association for Family Childcare (NAFCC) is the group that supports and does accreditation for home based/family chilldcare businesses, www.nafcc.org
- Zero to Three focuses on the development of babies and toddlers, especially social justice and equity work. www.zerotothree.org , and
- Child Trends does independent research about childhood issues and has a newsletter. https://www.childtrends.org/
- National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the group that does accreditation for childcare centers, https://www.naeyc.org/, naeyc@naeyc.org, woyc@naeyc.org