tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72429405981037318452024-03-15T16:08:15.840-07:00New York Stop CMV Project Moms/Caregivers/Teachers of toddlers at greater risk for #1 birth defects virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV).Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.comBlogger247125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-81782072758497793762024-03-10T08:01:00.000-07:002024-03-15T16:07:43.950-07:00"Stop CMV Act" Introduced in Congress! NY RESIDENTS: Write U.S. Senators/Congressmen to support Stop CMV Act AND NY Senators/Assemblymember to support universal CMV testing bill, A07997/S07659<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWAixC29KoQKpfU1NZkD-IEGMRFBZVHIfZYtrPVdJVDckigsRjDS8JP1FYl1gucTVTs7gFgVi0VslNmNdjDsGQMYMlgev1F1BI3RNlKWaiM3gkwIjNEnthRwzT2yigA9iU49jHuu8QiGy2EOqYjfjuaqBY1pAlvZ9AxInbhGLuR8DoAFz1l0KvWQjVfLrr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWAixC29KoQKpfU1NZkD-IEGMRFBZVHIfZYtrPVdJVDckigsRjDS8JP1FYl1gucTVTs7gFgVi0VslNmNdjDsGQMYMlgev1F1BI3RNlKWaiM3gkwIjNEnthRwzT2yigA9iU49jHuu8QiGy2EOqYjfjuaqBY1pAlvZ9AxInbhGLuR8DoAFz1l0KvWQjVfLrr=w240-h320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 5px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;">Dear </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;">New York State </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;">Residents:</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 5px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;">If you want to see an end to the leading viral cause of birth defects, there are currently two bills that need cosponsors. You can help find these cosponsors by contacting your New York </span></span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">assemblymembers and senators PLUS </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">your Congressman and</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> the two U.S. Senators representing New York.</span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"></p><ol style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><li style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;">STOP CMV Act 2024 introduced at the federal level: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3864?q%3D%257B%2522search%2522%253A%2522s3864%2522%257D%26s%3D2%26r%3D1&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw0S67_fu4PPsrhoBLHeWezf" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3864?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22s3864%22%7D&s=2&r=1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">S.3864</a> /<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7542?q%3D%257B%2522search%2522%253A%2522H.r.7542%2522%257D%26s%3D3%26r%3D1&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw0nbFyd6797Uj_jQm0XMPm6" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7542?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22H.r.7542%22%7D&s=3&r=1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">H.R.7542</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333;"> </span>(pdfs of bills: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://lawler.house.gov/uploadedfiles/stop_cmv_act_house.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw38zAv3yzMWHynqXjsQqLZU" href="https://lawler.house.gov/uploadedfiles/stop_cmv_act_house.pdf" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">House</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> and </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/3524stopcmvactbilltext.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw1BKF5jlwRYCZKfmTuQbqrj" href="https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/3524stopcmvactbilltext.pdf" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #555544; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Senate</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333;">)</span></li><li style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;">New York's</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"> universal CMV testing bill, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term%3D2023%26bn%3DA07997&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw2_gHT95VrFleCwmC2l7cPD" href="https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term=2023&bn=A07997" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">A07997</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit;">/</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term%3D2023%26bn%3DS07659&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw1s3CB_Sv5dTI4NS2ZwrcWs" href="https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term=2023&bn=S07659" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">S07659</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;">, which "r</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;">equires cytomegalovirus screening for every newborn..." The final wording of that bill and its effective date will depend, I believe, on the pilot study that is currently underway in New York.</span></li></ol><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">1) </b>Contact your congressman and U.S Senators and ask</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"> them to cosponsor the Stop CMV Act. (letter templates from the National CMV Foundation below, and/or you can use excerpts of my letter with info specific to NY). </span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Find your congressman in the House of Representatives by </span><span face="Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #676766;">entering your zip code in the window on the top right corner of this web page: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.house.gov/&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw1kaTqGQDnZhgDcJU2L7Zh2" href="https://www.house.gov/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #15c3dd; font-weight: bold; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.house.gov/</a>. Call their local office so you can find the best place to email your support, or you can try their established link for emails. </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://lawler.house.gov/about/%23:~:text%3DCongressman%2520Mike%2520Lawler%2520proudly%2520represents,of%2520Westchester%2520and%2520Dutchess%2520counties.&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw1lEyJMdMKW4GwmyONHui8b" href="https://lawler.house.gov/about/#:~:text=Congressman%20Mike%20Lawler%20proudly%20represents,of%20Westchester%20and%20Dutchess%20counties." style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Congressman Mike Lawler</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"> of the 17th District is the House of Representative sponsor. He attended my daughter Elizabeth's funeral services in 2006. His district includes all or parts of Rockland, Westchester, Putnam, and Dutchess counties. I called his Pearl River office to thank him at: 845-201-2060. </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;">Your New York Senators: <br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></p><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw2CQErTlO4e4hHuSxYpjugw" href="https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">Gillibrand, Kirsten</span></a>, <span face=""Source Sans Pro", sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; text-align: -webkit-right;">202-22</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;">4-4451, Letter through: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/contact/email-me/&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw0M_Xv-RxzVJ7uWDaIEb01_" href="https://www.gillibrand.senate.gov/contact/email-me/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr>gillibrand.senate.gov/contact/<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr>email-me/</a><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.schumer.senate.gov/&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw0yJiyYMs-M2iQ7PgtrK7F8" href="https://www.schumer.senate.gov/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">Schumer, Charle</span></a>s, <span face=""Source Sans Pro", sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; text-align: -webkit-right;">202-22</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;">4-6542, Letter through: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.schumer.senate.gov/contact/message-chuck&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw2EjeQYdDQDRzTP4YEsJnRs" href="https://www.schumer.senate.gov/contact/message-chuck" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.schumer.<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr>senate.gov/contact/message-<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr>chuck</a></span></div><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;">Letter templates from National CMV Foundation (or see mine below):</span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"><span face="Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676766; font-weight: bolder; outline: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/about-us/advocacy/HOUSE-LETTER.pdf.aspx&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw3TyW_YZtGv1Pjeli5m_ekp" href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/about-us/advocacy/HOUSE-LETTER.pdf.aspx" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #119cb1; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">House Letter Template</a><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; outline: 0px;" /><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/about-us/advocacy/SENATE-LETTER.pdf.aspx&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw3KFF6tVz9jVID67qhr0Na5" href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/about-us/advocacy/SENATE-LETTER.pdf.aspx" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #15c3dd; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Senate Letter Template</a></span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></p><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;">MY SAMPLE LETTER TO MY CONGRESSMAN SHOWS THE NEW YORK ANGLE (I sent through the website contact link, but also called his local office to get a more direct email):</span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;">Dear Congressman </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"> </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://brandonwilliams.house.gov/&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw1pT4AYyC5VDw18tFXfXsQj" href="https://brandonwilliams.house.gov/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Brandon Williams</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;">,</span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></p><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">Please cosponsor Stop CMV Act of 2024: </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3864?q%3D%257B%2522search%2522%253A%2522s3864%2522%257D%26s%3D2%26r%3D1&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw0S67_fu4PPsrhoBLHeWezf" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3864?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22s3864%22%7D&s=2&r=1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">S.3864</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;"> /</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7542?q%3D%257B%2522search%2522%253A%2522H.r.7542%2522%257D%26s%3D3%26r%3D1&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw0nbFyd6797Uj_jQm0XMPm6" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7542?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22H.r.7542%22%7D&s=3&r=1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">H.R.7542</a></span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;"> (pdfs of bills: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://lawler.house.gov/uploadedfiles/stop_cmv_act_house.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw38zAv3yzMWHynqXjsQqLZU" href="https://lawler.house.gov/uploadedfiles/stop_cmv_act_house.pdf" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #222222; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">House</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;"> and </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/3524stopcmvactbilltext.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw1BKF5jlwRYCZKfmTuQbqrj" href="https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/3524stopcmvactbilltext.pdf" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Senate</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333;">)</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;">.</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;">Congenital Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common infectious cause of birth defects and the leading non-genetic cause of hearing loss in infants. </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333;">“One in two hundred babies are born with congenital CMV, and 20% exhibit symptoms or long-term health problems. It is crucial that Congress invest in early intervention services to overcome these startling statistics,” </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; font-weight: bolder;">said Congressman Lawler. </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333;">“I’m proud to join my colleagues in introducing the bipartisan, bicameral STOP CMV Act. This legislation will improve access to screenings and invest in the critical research necessary to ensure children born with CMV grow up to live healthy lives” </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://lawler.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID%3D1432&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw3Nb7NAwx7eb4ww_o6FBx-P" href="https://lawler.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=1432" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">(Press Release, Mike Lawler</a><a style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;">, March 6, 2024</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333;">) </span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent;">I am on the Advisory Board (as a Parent Advocate) for </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.proactivenys.org/about/?lang%3Den&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw3te2dMMSNFhEMQXqnK8Qrm" href="https://www.proactivenys.org/about/?lang=en" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">PROACTIVE NYS</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent;">, the long-term follow-up study of infants who screen positive for congenital CMV in New York (contact information for the doctors involved with that below my signature).</span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: inherit;">Here is some recent New York media coverage of the Stop CMV Act where I was quoted:</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><ol style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><li style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">CNY Central:</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: blue; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://cnycentral.com/news/local/federal-push-to-protect-babies-from-cmv&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw1uHUvuvPV6zYTpQB4__KQW" href="https://cnycentral.com/news/local/federal-push-to-protect-babies-from-cmv" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: blue; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Baldwinsville mother applauds federal push to protect babies from CMV - CNY Centra</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: blue; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">l</span></a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: #15c3dd;"> (</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Megan</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Coleman, March 8,2024)</span></span></li><li style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The Citizen:</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> “</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/news/local/government-politics/cmv-newborn-screening-congress-legislation/article_49383bfa-dd4d-11ee-b558-83cc618bb68a.html&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw1dzrgyic1JYVfV93lORRyc" href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/government-politics/cmv-newborn-screening-congress-legislation/article_49383bfa-dd4d-11ee-b558-83cc618bb68a.html" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Bill in Congress aims to boost CMV newborn screening, researc</span></a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">h” (Robert Harding, Mar 8, 2024) </span></span></li></ol></div></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent;">Our daughter Elizabeth was born with profound brain damage because I contracted CMV just prior to or early into my pregnancy in 1989. As a professional child care provider and mother of a toddler, I was at higher risk for CMV yet was never told to reduce "contact with saliva and urine from babies and young children...not sharing food, utensils, or cups with a child" (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://cdc.gov/CMV&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw1gkSKh_0gJ-negTMSLzs3F" href="http://cdc.gov/CMV" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">CDC</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent;">). My efforts on a recently passed New York CMV law (named "Elizabeth's Law" in memory of my daughter) were featured in USA TODAY's article, "</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/10/02/cmv-newborn-screening-for-this-virus-that-can-cause-defects/70983341007/&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw0dRSXTJQY5TBCvUk2NHWO3" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/10/02/cmv-newborn-screening-for-this-virus-that-can-cause-defects/70983341007/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">This virus is a leading cause birth defects. Why isn't it screened more?</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent;">" (Oct. 2, 2023), by </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.usatoday.com/staff/4406782002/eduardo-cuevas/&source=gmail&ust=1710630020044000&usg=AOvVaw3fu97DP-52DRFqqsUTbxpc" href="https://www.usatoday.com/staff/4406782002/eduardo-cuevas/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Eduardo Cuevas</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333;">. </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: black;">Reporter </span>Cuevas<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: black;"> also included the news that New York "</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent;">joined a growing number of states to universally screen early for CMV</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent;">, prompted, in large part, by parents whose children have experienced health effects from the virus." Effective </span>October 2, 2023,<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent;"> "New York begins a one-year pilot [study], testing all newborns for CMV using the routine method of a heel prick that leaves a dried blood spot on filter paper...With its pilot program, New York is the largest state to enact CMV screening. It's available to about 220,000 babies born annually in the state. State </span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent;">Rep. Linda Rosenthal</b><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent;">, a Manhattan Democrat who sponsored Elizabeth's Law [</span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent;">John W. Mannion,</b><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent;"> Senate sponsor], now has a bill before the Legislature [</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term%3D2023%26bn%3DA07997&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw00U-MrGIBgJFhE21-Ak309" href="https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term=2023&bn=A07997" jslog="32272; 1:WyIjdGhyZWFkLWE6cjM3NTkxNjY5MjI5Njk5ODk1MTMiXQ..; 4:WyIjbXNnLWE6ci02NTA0MTExMjQzODU4MTA2NTE1Il0." style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">A07997</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent;">/</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term%3D2023%26bn%3DS07659&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw1vVGIabzsRb-qIiXiDe1Ao" href="https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term=2023&bn=S07659" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">S07659</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: black;">]</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent;"> following New York’s pilot, that would make universal screening permanent. It expands on a 2018 law Rosenthal sponsored that mandates hospitals test babies for CMV if they fail a hearing screening. The plan is to compare babies who failed a hearing screening with those who tested positive for CMV to babies who did not fail hearing tests, said Dr. Michele Caggana, director of the New York State Department of Health Newborn Screening Program...If CMV is found within the first 24 to 36 hours of birth, officials can connect families with primary care pediatricians and specialists to monitor and address neurologic, hearing and vision outcomes if problems develop, Caggana said."</span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;"><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;">The</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;"> STOP CMV bill introduced at the federal level will increase the conversation about the problem of CMV, which I believe will help advance New York's</span> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term%3D2023%26bn%3DA07997&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw00U-MrGIBgJFhE21-Ak309" href="https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term=2023&bn=A07997" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">A07997</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: #222222;">/</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term%3D2023%26bn%3DS07659&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw1vVGIabzsRb-qIiXiDe1Ao" href="https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term=2023&bn=S07659" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">S07659</a>, which "r<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;">equires cytomegalovirus screening for every newborn" in Albany.</span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: #222222;">The bipartisan Stop CMV Act authorizes funding to states for hospitals and other healthcare entities caring for infants to administer congenital CMV tests and encourages state healthcare agencies to prescribe standards and procedures for the administration of these tests. The bill also creates grant programs to provide funds to administer CMV tests, improve CMV data collection systems, and assist in CMV education and training. Lastly, the bill advances National Institutes of Health research for screening techniques, diagnostics, prevention, vaccines, and treatments. </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: #222222;">With your help, we can reduce the impact of cCMV! </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: #222222;">Please cosponsor this important bipartisan legislation today! </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;">Sincerely,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;">Lisa Saunders</p></div></div></div></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><div class="gmail_signature" dir="ltr" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;">Baldwinsville, NY 13027<br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" />845-222-8593, <a href="mailto:LisaSaunders42@gmail.com" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">LisaSaunders42@<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr>gmail.com</a></p></div></div></div></div></div><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">2)</b> <b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Contact your New York state senators and assemblymembers</b> and ask them to cosponsor New York's<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333;"> universal CMV testing bill, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term%3D2023%26bn%3DA07997&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw00U-MrGIBgJFhE21-Ak309" href="https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term=2023&bn=A07997" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">A07997</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent;">/</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term%3D2023%26bn%3DS07659&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw1vVGIabzsRb-qIiXiDe1Ao" href="https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term=2023&bn=S07659" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #0563c1; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">S07659</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333;">, which "r</span>equires cytomegalovirus screening for every newborn..." <br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></p><ul style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><li style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;">Find your Assemblymember: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nyassembly.gov/mem/search/&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw3w-9VOWq9OqV59d39eBdbb" href="https://nyassembly.gov/mem/search/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr>nyassembly.gov/mem/search/</a></span></li><li style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;">Find your New York Senator: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/find-my-senator&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw1L9PiIZMYuChGPfjuhKpFG" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/find-my-senator" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.nysenate.<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr>gov/find-my-senator</a></span></li></ul><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 5px;"></p><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div id="m_5562842658027577745m_-1179356690039507922m_-7163293336680734128m_5182961855427906071m_-3534344549206658747m_-1938656195442066159m_2120339936486976792m_-6681540535867924672m_-5249167601636983704m_1497285783839324992m_-3803881573419600717gmail-mem-dist" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; clear: right; color: #111111; margin-bottom: 10px;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div><div id="m_5562842658027577745m_-1179356690039507922m_-7163293336680734128m_5182961855427906071m_-3534344549206658747m_-1938656195442066159m_2120339936486976792m_-6681540535867924672m_-5249167601636983704m_1497285783839324992m_-3803881573419600717gmail-mem-dist" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; clear: right; color: #111111; margin-bottom: 10px;">MY SAMPLE LETTER TO MY ASSEMBLYMEMBER</div><div id="m_5562842658027577745m_-1179356690039507922m_-7163293336680734128m_5182961855427906071m_-3534344549206658747m_-1938656195442066159m_2120339936486976792m_-6681540535867924672m_-5249167601636983704m_1497285783839324992m_-3803881573419600717gmail-mem-dist" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; clear: right; color: #111111; margin-bottom: 10px;">Dear Assemblymember William B. Magnarelli,<br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div><div id="m_5562842658027577745m_-1179356690039507922m_-7163293336680734128m_5182961855427906071m_-3534344549206658747m_-1938656195442066159m_2120339936486976792m_-6681540535867924672m_-5249167601636983704m_1497285783839324992m_-3803881573419600717gmail-mem-dist" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; clear: right; margin-bottom: 10px;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111;">My name is Lisa Saunders and I live in your district on 216 Peakwood Lane in the Town of Van Buren. <span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">Thank you again for co-sponsoring</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;"> </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #202124;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.syracuse.com/news/2022/12/how-a-baldwinsville-mother-fought-for-30-years-to-pass-a-law-that-might-have-saved-her-daughter.html%23:~:text%3DAfter%2520more%2520than%252030%2520years,the%2520dangers%2520of%2520congenital%2520CMV.&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw25uNyu6wmmb5hTtSsDLH5Z" href="https://www.syracuse.com/news/2022/12/how-a-baldwinsville-mother-fought-for-30-years-to-pass-a-law-that-might-have-saved-her-daughter.html#:~:text=After%20more%20than%2030%20years,the%20dangers%20of%20congenital%20CMV." rel="noopener noreferrer" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; margin: 0px; outline: 0px;" target="_blank">Elizabeth’s Law</a>, named in memory of my daughter (it </span></span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #202124;">passed in 2022), requiring the provision of CMV educational materials to child care providers and pregnant women. The new law was featured recently in </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; vertical-align: baseline;">USA TODAY:</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; vertical-align: baseline;">"</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/10/02/cmv-newborn-screening-for-this-virus-that-can-cause-defects/70983341007/&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw0USi0dFwIjNOUsoJq6Af0U" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/10/02/cmv-newborn-screening-for-this-virus-that-can-cause-defects/70983341007/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; vertical-align: baseline;">This virus is a leading cause birth defects. Why isn't it screened more?</span></a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; vertical-align: baseline;">" (2023</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; vertical-align: baseline;">).</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111;">Because it's important to test every newborn for CMV, I am asking that you now co-sponsor <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term%3D2023%26bn%3DA07997&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw00U-MrGIBgJFhE21-Ak309" href="https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term=2023&bn=A07997" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">A07997</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">/</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term%3D2023%26bn%3DS07659&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw1vVGIabzsRb-qIiXiDe1Ao" href="https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term=2023&bn=S07659" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">S07659</a>, which<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"> "Requires cytomegalovirus screening for every newborn by administration of a urine polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test." I</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">ntroduced on </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Sept. 20, 2023, </span> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term%3D2023%26bn%3DA07997&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw00U-MrGIBgJFhE21-Ak309" href="https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term=2023&bn=A07997" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">A07997</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">/</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term%3D2023%26bn%3DS07659&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw1vVGIabzsRb-qIiXiDe1Ao" href="https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term=2023&bn=S07659" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">S07659</a> <span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">is an </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">amendment to the </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/S2816%23:~:text%3DS2816%2520%252D%2520Summary-,Requires%2520urine%2520polymerase%2520chain%2520reaction%2520testing%2520for%2520cytomegalovirus%2520of%2520newborns,to%2520various%2520aspects%2520of%2520cytomegalovirus.&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw31EfkFotAi9e6-EV5x5k9H" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/S2816#:~:text=S2816%20%2D%20Summary-,Requires%20urine%20polymerase%20chain%20reaction%20testing%20for%20cytomegalovirus%20of%20newborns,to%20various%20aspects%20of%20cytomegalovirus." rel="nofollow" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">2018 CMV law</a>, requiring<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #500050; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"> only </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">newborns who fail the hearing screen be tested for CMV.</span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> </span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">According to </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.crainsnewyork.com/health-pulse/most-ny-nursing-homes-already-meet-federal-staffing-rule-calling-question-whether&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw1_Lh6Z2JNNL-xezNkCvjnQ" href="https://www.crainsnewyork.com/health-pulse/most-ny-nursing-homes-already-meet-federal-staffing-rule-calling-question-whether" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Crain's New York Business</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #555544; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">, </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">"</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #555544; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">State Sen. John Mannion, who sponsors [this] bill that would make the screening permanent, said early diagnosis and treatment are key in mitigating long-term health problems for babies, emphasizing the need for screening. According to Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, who also sponsors the bill, further action will depend on the results of the pilot (</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #555544; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Sept. 28, 2023). </span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">According to Joseph Domachowske, MD, professor of pediatrics, microbiology and immunology with a specialty in pediatric infectious diseases at SUNY Upstate Medical University, </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #050505; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">"not all congenitally infected babies have hearing loss at birth, and most babies born with CMV can be asymptomatic, so the best way to diagnose CMV early involves prevention education and better forms of testing. 'Hearing tests are somewhat helpful, but it’s not the best answer, and it’s not the best way to handle this,' Domachowske said. “What’s coming down the pike is adding CMV to universal newborn screening panels, and </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #050505; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><a style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #385898;"></a></span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #050505; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">having that test done will be very specific for CMV”</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> (</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Post-Standard</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">,</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">"</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.syracuse.com/news/2022/12/how-a-baldwinsville-mother-fought-for-30-years-to-pass-a-law-that-might-have-saved-her-daughter.html&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw2NOeTK4ktu5WmTZRwLpiov" href="https://www.syracuse.com/news/2022/12/how-a-baldwinsville-mother-fought-for-30-years-to-pass-a-law-that-might-have-saved-her-daughter.html" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">How a Baldwinsville mother fought for 30 years to pass a law that might have saved her daughte</span></a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">r", 2023</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">).</span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111;">Senator Mannion and Assemblymember Rosenthal may ask that universal testing become permanent practice in New York after the results are in from the pilot study (see below), and they will discuss further if it's best to require blood or urine testing.</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111;"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Current Pilot Study in New York:</b></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">"</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">The New York State Department of Health announced that effective October 2, 2023, all babies will be screened for Congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV), making New York the second state in the nation, after Minnesota, to screen all babies for the virus" </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">(<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.health.ny.gov/press/releases/2023/2023-09-29_newborn_screening.htm&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw3zvnmZ1jJnaIl5SIy0T8SC" href="https://www.health.ny.gov/press/releases/2023/2023-09-29_newborn_screening.htm" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">NY Dept. of Health, Sept. 29, 202</a>3). </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px;">The NY Newborn Screening Program is provisionally adding congenital CMV (cCMV) to its "screening panel for a period of one year" using dried blood spot (DBS) (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wadsworth.org/news/congenital-cytomegalovirus-ccmv-screening&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw2QKy1o70E8M5HZb5-cJjlI" href="https://www.wadsworth.org/news/congenital-cytomegalovirus-ccmv-screening" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">NY Dept. Health, Wadsworth Center, Sept 1, 2023</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px;">). </span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;"> </span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div class="gmail_quote" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #555544; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px;">According to the September 8, 2023, webinar held by New York State Newborn Screening Program, the goal of testing every newborn for cCMV for one year is to help answer questions about whether or not universal cCMV screening can be successful nationwide. They need to see if cCMV can be detected by dried blood spot newborn screening and "Is catching and diagnosing cCMV at birth helpful?" It is believed that "Screening in a diverse population like New York will help determine true incidence" (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wadsworth.org/sites/default/files/WebDoc/FINAL%2520cCMV%2520webinar%2520for%2520HOBs%2520-%25205.23.23.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw1wIKHVaORmySb3nssPVa-m" href="https://www.wadsworth.org/sites/default/files/WebDoc/FINAL%20cCMV%20webinar%20for%20HOBs%20-%205.23.23.pdf" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Newborn Screening for Congenital Cytomegalovirus: A 1 Year Pilot</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: 13px;">, Sarah Bradley, MS, CGC, 2023).</span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">According to<i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> USA Today</i>, "With its pilot program, New York is the largest state to enact CMV screening. It's available to about 220,000 babies born annually in the state. State Rep. Linda Rosenthal, a Manhattan Democrat who sponsored Elizabeth's Law, now has a bill before the Legislature following New York’s pilot, that would make universal screening permanent. It expands on a 2018 law Rosenthal sponsored that mandates hospitals test babies for CMV if they fail a hearing screening. The plan is to compare babies who failed a hearing screening with those who tested positive for CMV to babies who did not fail hearing tests, said Dr. Michele Caggana, director of the New York State Department of Health Newborn Screening Program.<i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">" </i>(<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/10/02/cmv-newborn-screening-for-this-virus-that-can-cause-defects/70983341007/&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw0USi0dFwIjNOUsoJq6Af0U" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/10/02/cmv-newborn-screening-for-this-virus-that-can-cause-defects/70983341007/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">USA Today, Oct 2, 2023</a>)</div></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-size: 14px;">CMV educational materials, some created by the New York Department of Health can be found </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wadsworth.org/programs/newborn/screening/additional-testing&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw1t-3gtds79Uo2K4sIm-HAr" href="https://www.wadsworth.org/programs/newborn/screening/additional-testing" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #1155cc; font-size: 14px;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-size: 14px;"> under Additional Resources and Family Brochures (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wadsworth.org/programs/newborn/screening/additional-testing&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw1t-3gtds79Uo2K4sIm-HAr" href="https://www.wadsworth.org/programs/newborn/screening/additional-testing" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.wadsworth.org/<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr>programs/newborn/screening/<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr>additional-testing</a>). </div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">To learn more about <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/issues/elizabeths-law&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw32Zk7CtRwnIoc7e2_gAhh-" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/issues/elizabeths-law" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">New York and CMV</a>, </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">contact the sponsors of </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term%3D2023%26bn%3DA07997&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw00U-MrGIBgJFhE21-Ak309" href="https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term=2023&bn=A07997" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">A07997</span></a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;">/</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term%3D2023%26bn%3DS07659&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw1vVGIabzsRb-qIiXiDe1Ao" href="https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term=2023&bn=S07659" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">S07659</span></a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111;"> at: </span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div></div></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><ul style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><li style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Assemblymember </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Linda B. </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Rosenthal’s office at 518/455-5802, or email Nick Guile, Legislative Director for Assemblymember Rosenthal, at </span><a href="mailto:guilen@nyassembly.gov" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: navy; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #1155cc;">guilen@nyassembly.gov</span></a></li><li style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Senator John W. Mannion's office at </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;">518-455-2954, </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">or email </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;">Noah Rohde, Legislative Director </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;">for </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Senator Mannion</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;">, at </span><a href="mailto:noah@senatormannion.com" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">noah@senatormannion.com</a></li></ul></div></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">In 2022, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.health.state.mn.us/news/pressrel/2022/newborn020222.html&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw2Et8j61X20nOxtbubCXroV" href="https://www.health.state.mn.us/news/pressrel/2022/newborn020222.html" rel="nofollow" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Minnesota</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> became the first state to pass legislation requiring every newborn be tested for CMV.</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;">Sincerely, </span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div></div></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Lisa Saunders, CMV Parent Advocate<br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div>Advisory Board, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.proactivenys.org/&source=gmail&ust=1710630020045000&usg=AOvVaw3SIDOtzqk3FuCytkIQIsuh" href="https://www.proactivenys.org/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">PROACTIVE NYS</a> (the NIH-funded follow-up study of young children with congenital CMV).</div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Baldwinsville, NY 13027</span></div></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="mailto:LisaSaunders42@gmail.com" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">LisaSaunders42@<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr>gmail.com</a></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Doctor contacts:</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Doctors who helped provide backup information on the 2022 CMV "Elizabeth's Law" (I can give you phone numbers if you need them):</span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></p></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;">Dr. Sallie Permar</b><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; font-weight: 400;">, M.D. PhD., Weill Cornell Pediatrician-in-Chief, Board member of the National CMV Program, </span><a href="mailto:sap4017@med.cornell.edu" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #1155cc; font-weight: 400;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">sap4017@med.cornell.<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr>edu</span></a></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;">Sunil K. Sood, M.D.</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, Chair of Pediatrics, South Shore University Hospital, Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases, Cohen Children's Medical Center and Professor, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><a href="mailto:SSood@northwell.edu" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">SSood@northwell.edu</a></span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333;">To learn more about </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> PROACTIVE NYS, the NIH-funded long-term follow-up study of young children with congenital CMV (cCMV), visit: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.proactivenys.org/&source=gmail&ust=1710412675408000&usg=AOvVaw3CKz7w9LLapQMn5hKhgXDE" href="https://www.proactivenys.org/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #333333; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr>proactivenys.org/</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"> or contact:</span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #500050;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Andrew S. Handel, MD, FAAP</b></span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;"></span></p><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">Assistant Professor of Pediatrics<br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">Division of Infectious Diseases<br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">Stony Brook Children's Hospital<br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University<br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">Office: 631.444.7692<br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;"><a href="mailto:Andrew.Handel@stonybrookmedicine.edu" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Andrew.Handel@<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr>stonybrookmedicine.edu</a><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #242424;">Sharon Nachman MD</b><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;"><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #242424; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0in;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px;">Distinguished Professor</span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #242424; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0in;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px;">Department of Pediatrics</span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #242424; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0in;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px;">Associate Dean for Research</span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #242424; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0in;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px;">Renaissance School of Medicine</span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #242424; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0in;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px;">SUNY Stony Brook</span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #242424; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0in;"><a href="mailto:Sharon.nachman@stonybrookmedicine.edu" id="m_-9174556283655332427m_6215777149286753956m_4830963000722810929m_3325230185550666724m_-7170690547175999050m_8338708842040544563m_-8981122059804877712m_5636805053078056998m_-6973149692696379157m_-5551179816472534319m_-1881689839306103845m_-4163348529940930482OWAc8ac3747-71c3-5f86-dce3-30546b4bb942" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: blue; margin: 0px;">Sharon.nachman@<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr>stonybrookmedicine.edu</span></a></p></div></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">MY NOTES:</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333;">1. </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3864?q%3D%257B%2522search%2522%253A%2522s3864%2522%257D%26s%3D2%26r%3D1&source=gmail&ust=1710412675408000&usg=AOvVaw2Vq7k_tV5w_9Fjv8YGB0vy" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3864?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22s3864%22%7D&s=2&r=1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc;" target="_blank">S.3864</a> — 118th Congress (2023-2024)</span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333;"></span></span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333; display: block; font-weight: bold; padding-bottom: 5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Stop CMV Act of 2024</span></span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333; display: block; padding-bottom: 5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: bolder; vertical-align: top;">Sponsor:</span> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.congress.gov/member/richard-blumenthal/B001277?q%3D%257B%2522search%2522%253A%2522s3864%2522%257D&source=gmail&ust=1710412675408000&usg=AOvVaw0dzAav3tOcPaz3l0TWAD9m" href="https://www.congress.gov/member/richard-blumenthal/B001277?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22s3864%22%7D" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc;" target="_blank">Blumenthal, Richard [Sen.-D-CT]</a> (Introduced 03/05/2024) <span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: bolder; vertical-align: top;">Cosponsors:</span> (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3864/cosponsors?q%3D%257B%2522search%2522%253A%2522s3864%2522%257D%26s%3D2%26r%3D1%26overview%3Dclosed%23tabs&source=gmail&ust=1710412675408000&usg=AOvVaw2qnT2fB-8G1U55PvnrCkq-" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3864/cosponsors?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22s3864%22%7D&s=2&r=1&overview=closed#tabs" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc;" target="_blank">2</a>)</span></span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333; display: block; padding-bottom: 5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: bolder; vertical-align: top;">Com<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr>mittees:</span> Senate - Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions</span></span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333; display: block; padding-bottom: 5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: bolder; vertical-align: top;">Latest Action:</span> Senate - 03/05/2024 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3864/all-actions?q%3D%257B%2522search%2522%253A%2522s3864%2522%257D%26s%3D2%26r%3D1%26overview%3Dclosed%23tabs&source=gmail&ust=1710412675408000&usg=AOvVaw2SyqLQN6p9wJOMLBLvUTBK" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3864/all-actions?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22s3864%22%7D&s=2&r=1&overview=closed#tabs" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc;" target="_blank">All Actions</a>)</span></span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333; display: block; padding-bottom: 5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333; display: block; padding-bottom: 5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1. <span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7542?q%3D%257B%2522search%2522%253A%2522H.r.7542%2522%257D%26s%3D3%26r%3D1&source=gmail&ust=1710412675408000&usg=AOvVaw1tKRRdVfap7gwvzQfGGe-n" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7542?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22H.r.7542%22%7D&s=3&r=1" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc;" target="_blank">H.R.7542</a> — 118th Congress (2023-2024)</span></span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; display: block; font-weight: bold; padding-bottom: 5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">To amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for congenital Cytomegalovirus screening of newborns.</span></span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; display: block; padding-bottom: 5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: bolder; vertical-align: top;">Sponsor:</span> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.congress.gov/member/michael-lawler/L000599?q%3D%257B%2522search%2522%253A%2522H.r.7542%2522%257D&source=gmail&ust=1710412675408000&usg=AOvVaw0wpWbZVzRyAX4zqP8kVFxU" href="https://www.congress.gov/member/michael-lawler/L000599?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22H.r.7542%22%7D" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc;" target="_blank">Lawler, Michael [Rep.-R-NY-17]</a> (Introduced 03/05/2024) <span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: bolder; vertical-align: top;">Cosponsors:</span> (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7542/cosponsors?q%3D%257B%2522search%2522%253A%2522H.r.7542%2522%257D%26s%3D3%26r%3D1%26overview%3Dclosed%23tabs&source=gmail&ust=1710412675408000&usg=AOvVaw23VFG8Qx1iK0GbGwXaCVZ4" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7542/cosponsors?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22H.r.7542%22%7D&s=3&r=1&overview=closed#tabs" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc;" target="_blank">1</a>)</span></span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; display: block; padding-bottom: 5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: bolder; vertical-align: top;">Com<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr>mittees:</span> House - Energy and Commerce</span></span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; display: block; padding-bottom: 5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-weight: bolder; vertical-align: top;">Latest Action:</span> House - 03/05/2024 Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7542/all-actions?q%3D%257B%2522search%2522%253A%2522H.r.7542%2522%257D%26s%3D3%26r%3D1%26overview%3Dclosed%23tabs&source=gmail&ust=1710412675408000&usg=AOvVaw0zqa-rbfaYOIy-nsAQ5EhF" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/7542/all-actions?q=%7B%22search%22%3A%22H.r.7542%22%7D&s=3&r=1&overview=closed#tabs" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: transparent; color: #3366cc;" target="_blank">All Actions</a>)</span></span></span></div><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; padding-bottom: 0.5em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><div class="gmail_quote" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div class="gmail_quote" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;">Brandi Hurtubise, New York National CMV Alliance Chair</b><span style="color: #222222;">, is hosting a NY Strides for CMV event. It will take place at Knox Farms on June 29, 2024, in honor of June CMV Awareness Month. This may be the link for where the event is being held, but I'm not sure: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://parks.ny.gov/parks/knoxfarm/details.aspx&source=gmail&ust=1710165495335000&usg=AOvVaw0fBjw9ADhY20w3EcbMXF1L" href="https://parks.ny.gov/parks/knoxfarm/details.aspx" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Knox Farm State Park</a><span style="color: #222222;">, </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333;">East Aurora, NY</span><span style="color: #222222;">. For more info, contact Brandi at:</span><a href="mailto:nationalcmvny@gmail.com" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">nationalcmvny@gmail.com</a><span style="color: #222222;">)</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">Kara Russell of Penfield (near Rochester) said, "</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">My daughter is the perfect example of why all newborns should be tested for CMV and receive early intervention in their first critical months of life. </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">Lyla, my youngest child, was born in 2018 and passed her newborn hearing screen, so she wasn't tested for CMV. Therefore, she never received the recommended regular hearing checks to catch the possibility of a progressive hearing loss. It wasn't until Lyla's </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">five-year well check in summer 2023 that we learned she had profound hearing loss - that she was totally deaf in her left ear. We have no idea how long she was unable to hear accurately, even though she was receiving speech services </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;">since age four and had some </span><span style="color: #222222;">coordination delays</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;">. According to the CDC, "</span><span style="color: #222222;">Hearing loss can affect a child’s ability to develop communication, language, and social skills. The earlier children with hearing loss start getting services, the more likely they are to reach their full potential" (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hearingloss/index.html%23:~:text%3DHearing%2520loss%2520can%2520affect%2520a,to%2520reach%2520their%2520full%2520potential.&source=gmail&ust=1710414176108000&usg=AOvVaw2ORIZtydWxsYCqpvtzed8T" href="https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hearingloss/index.html#:~:text=Hearing%20loss%20can%20affect%20a,to%20reach%20their%20full%20potential." rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" shape="rect" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">CDC/HearingLossinChildren</a><span style="color: #222222;">). </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">L<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr>yla's pediatrician referred us to a pediatric audiologist who, after confirming the hearing loss, referred us to an ENT. In January 2024, the ENT said she wanted to test Lyla's newborn blood spot for Congenital CMV. She explained that I may have contracted CMV while pregnant, passing it to my unborn child. The test came back positive. I was told that Lyla might lose hearing in her other ear and she needed to have her hearing tested every three months indefinitely because hearing loss from congenital CMV can be progressive. </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">To say I was dumbfounded is an understatement.</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;"> </span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">I</b><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;"> had never heard of CMV despite having two older children and numerous prenatal visits.</span><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;"> </b><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">I was angry to learn that something I never knew existed can cause permanent disabilities and that I might have been able to prevent it if I had known the precautions to take. Now, </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">Lyla's school is </span><span style="color: #222222;">conducting cognitive testing as they suspect a delay. </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">My goal is for every newborn to be screened for congenital CMV and for CMV education to be presented during prenatal visits since a woman may be able to reduce her chances of contracting it.</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">"</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWAixC29KoQKpfU1NZkD-IEGMRFBZVHIfZYtrPVdJVDckigsRjDS8JP1FYl1gucTVTs7gFgVi0VslNmNdjDsGQMYMlgev1F1BI3RNlKWaiM3gkwIjNEnthRwzT2yigA9iU49jHuu8QiGy2EOqYjfjuaqBY1pAlvZ9AxInbhGLuR8DoAFz1l0KvWQjVfLrr" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhWAixC29KoQKpfU1NZkD-IEGMRFBZVHIfZYtrPVdJVDckigsRjDS8JP1FYl1gucTVTs7gFgVi0VslNmNdjDsGQMYMlgev1F1BI3RNlKWaiM3gkwIjNEnthRwzT2yigA9iU49jHuu8QiGy2EOqYjfjuaqBY1pAlvZ9AxInbhGLuR8DoAFz1l0KvWQjVfLrr=w240-h320" width="240" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><i style="color: black; text-align: left;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">Rocks painted by </span><span face=""Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.9); color: #202124;">Tabitha Rodenhaus in honor of daughter </span><span face="Google Sans, Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #202124;">Kaia. Jim and I leave them along the Erie Canalway Trail between Albany and Buffalo.</span></i></span></div><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #333333; font-family: inherit;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZiCjdqjAP4ul9Ct4hSX0G4htIXiy1-BASZqKZS67T9TrJgFiO9LOi-CrQE6kA3LKu09zaoCp5NdIqVJz4W-jMDUuB_j_RBw_oTV1n_51Y0E8rukSh1wG7GAW0yaBDFTdxfN7HGOabOV2Muk8d0oqrqMmxF-sQDMqp020ZekDzSMIhiXAf7ystmQ7W0l0q/s1297/Stop%20CMV%20rocks%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1297" data-original-width="1059" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZiCjdqjAP4ul9Ct4hSX0G4htIXiy1-BASZqKZS67T9TrJgFiO9LOi-CrQE6kA3LKu09zaoCp5NdIqVJz4W-jMDUuB_j_RBw_oTV1n_51Y0E8rukSh1wG7GAW0yaBDFTdxfN7HGOabOV2Muk8d0oqrqMmxF-sQDMqp020ZekDzSMIhiXAf7ystmQ7W0l0q/s320/Stop%20CMV%20rocks%20(2).jpg" width="261" /></a></span><p></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0.8em;"><b style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;">Kristin Schuster of Canandaigua</b><span style="font-family: inherit;">, mom to Autumn (born 2015), said, "Unfortunately, my daughter wasn't diagnosed with congenital CMV until 18 months old--well after the opportunity had passed to receive treatment most effective when given between ages zero to six months. She was not diagnosed with congenital CMV at birth despite failing her newborn hearing screen multiple times, having 'low for gestational age' birth weight, and microcephaly. Autumn received her first pair of hearing aids for bilateral severe hearing loss at 4 months old, glasses for vision impairment at 5 months, an MRI showing brain calcifications, very significant global delays, and received a g-tube for feeding at 15 months of age. Up until then, all of the doctors and specialists we were seeing claimed that her diagnoses were 'unrelated.' It wasn't until I read an article about CMV posted in a Facebook group for Rochester parents of children with hearing loss that I had that 'aha' moment that congenital CMV must be the root cause of all of my daughter's difficulties. When I requested to have her tested for CMV, I was initially given pushback, but when I demanded her newborn blood spot be tested, her neurologist arranged to have it tested from where it was banked in Albany. When the test came back, we finally had our confirmed diagnosis of congenital CMV--too late for her to receive treatment in the optimal first months of life." </span></p><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature" dir="ltr" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #555544;">Kristin, myself and Brandi Hurtubise, New York National CMV Foundation Alliance Chair and mother of Samantha, were already featured together in the article,</span><span id="m_1893458169669143523gmail-docs-internal-guid-5a17e7be-7fff-f5af-7e89-8b7397100c06" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #555544;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">"</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.syracuse.com/news/2022/12/how-a-baldwinsville-mother-fought-for-30-years-to-pass-a-law-that-might-have-saved-her-daughter.html&source=gmail&ust=1710414316654000&usg=AOvVaw39ISVoFYOnftLlHngfVkPO" href="https://www.syracuse.com/news/2022/12/how-a-baldwinsville-mother-fought-for-30-years-to-pass-a-law-that-might-have-saved-her-daughter.html" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">How a Baldwinsville mother fought for 30 years to pass a law that might have saved her daughte</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">r", <i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">The Post-Standard</i>, Vallelunga, E., Jan.1, 2023, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Syracuse.com.</span></span><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="mailto:LisaSaunders42@gmail.com" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">LisaSaunders42@<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr><span class="il" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">gmail.com</span></a></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">"Our daughter Elizabeth was born with profound brain damage because I contracted CMV just prior to or during my pregnancy in 1989. As a professional child care provider and mother of a toddler, I was at higher risk for CMV, yet was never educated about this risk or how to prevent contracting CMV. Elizabeth's disabilities might have been prevented had I known to reduce "contact with saliva and urine from babies and young children...not sharing food, utensils, or cups with a child" <span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">(<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://cdc.gov/CMV&source=gmail&ust=1710414316655000&usg=AOvVaw1iiKf0fonuiO68sVPB02lC" href="http://cdc.gov/CMV" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; margin: 0px; outline: 0px;" target="_blank">CDC.gov/CMV</a>)</span>. My goal is that all women of childbearing age across the U.S. will know how to prevent CMV before becoming pregnant."</i> In 2022, <span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #202124;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.syracuse.com/news/2022/12/how-a-baldwinsville-mother-fought-for-30-years-to-pass-a-law-that-might-have-saved-her-daughter.html%23:~:text%3DAfter%2520more%2520than%252030%2520years,the%2520dangers%2520of%2520congenital%2520CMV.&source=gmail&ust=1710414316655000&usg=AOvVaw1JsRGbGdY9DRG_PVHOPY_W" href="https://www.syracuse.com/news/2022/12/how-a-baldwinsville-mother-fought-for-30-years-to-pass-a-law-that-might-have-saved-her-daughter.html#:~:text=After%20more%20than%2030%20years,the%20dangers%20of%20congenital%20CMV." rel="noopener noreferrer" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; margin: 0px; outline: 0px;" target="_blank">Elizabeth’s Law</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;"> </span></span></span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #202124;">was passed in New York requiring the provision of CMV educational materials to child care providers and pregnant women. </span>(<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">USA TODAY:</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">"</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/10/02/cmv-newborn-screening-for-this-virus-that-can-cause-defects/70983341007/&source=gmail&ust=1710414316655000&usg=AOvVaw1ZxcaaluqywPS6TXhAxNig" href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/10/02/cmv-newborn-screening-for-this-virus-that-can-cause-defects/70983341007/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; vertical-align: baseline;">This virus is a leading cause birth defects. Why isn't it screened more?</span></a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">", 2023</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">).</span></span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-60297377064165704992023-12-11T04:35:00.000-08:002023-12-11T04:37:50.239-08:00Honoring the memory of your child<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wW8_K5hmd4xmS46LrdSYaKh29RGim-GFTvB6YbSIi5wi4LwAdPc7yWF498FL6e8KJTotaIFnn26kg1WtYpcLvKMaI-LoRCZ3gEnzprClV91Q9jnOE2sxoicQSfPiJFzi0Mitybdv2nrLRP-XEhMAA3paq_k6x9bs0XfbaNmzxgY4lYQP_quhZn5AycVv/s3264/Elizabeth%20empty%20Christmas%20Chair.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3264" data-original-width="2448" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0wW8_K5hmd4xmS46LrdSYaKh29RGim-GFTvB6YbSIi5wi4LwAdPc7yWF498FL6e8KJTotaIFnn26kg1WtYpcLvKMaI-LoRCZ3gEnzprClV91Q9jnOE2sxoicQSfPiJFzi0Mitybdv2nrLRP-XEhMAA3paq_k6x9bs0XfbaNmzxgY4lYQP_quhZn5AycVv/s320/Elizabeth%20empty%20Christmas%20Chair.png" width="240" /></a></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span face="Roboto, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #737373; font-size: 16px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="background-color: transparent;">The empty seat symbolizes my daughter's absence at Christmas. (Lisa Saunders)</i></div></span></i><p></p><p><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">I know several mothers who are missing a child this holiday season. Hopefully, they have found - or will find - a way to honor their child's memory and a reason to move forward until they meet again. </span></p><p><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">One mom, Marti Perhach, just told me her holiday tradition: "We have a little stocking for Rose and a little tree we put up for her every year." Rose, Marti's fourth child, was stillborn due to group B strep (GBS). Marti has made it her mission to help prevent this from happening to other families. "Although there are many ways to constructively work through grief and honor the memory of a loved one, what helped take the edge off the pain for me has been to advocate for awareness and prevention of group B strep disease, the cause of Rose's death in utero." Marti Perhach is the co-founder of</span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"> </span><a href="http://www.groupbstrepinternational.org/" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Group B Strep International </a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">(GBSI) and contributed significantly to the collaborative efforts to successfully campaign for universal screening for GBS. </span></p><p><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">My daughter Elizabeth would have been 34 this Christmas 2023 if she hadn't been born with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV). The moment she arrived on December 18, 1989, I felt a stab of fear. My immediate thought was, “Her head looks so small—so deformed. "The neonatologist said, "Your daughter has microcephaly--her brain is very small with calcium deposits throughout. If she lives, she will never roll over, sit up, or feed herself." Pregnant women who care for young children are at a higher risk for catching CMV because preschoolers are the majority of carriers. Just prior to or during pregnancy, women need to be careful not to kiss young children on the mouth or share food with them. I felt sick at what my lack of knowledge had done to my little girl.</span></p><p><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">When my husband Jim heard Elizabeth's grim prognosis, he stared at her and said, “She needs me”—just like Charlie Brown with that pathetic Christmas tree. It took me about a year, but I eventually stopped praying that a nuclear bomb would drop on my house to escape my overwhelming anguish over Elizabeth's condition. Life did become good again—but it took a lot of help from family, friends, some Valium, the Book of</span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"> </span><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+6%3A7&version=NABRE" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Psalms</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">, and inspiring movies such as "It's a Wonderful Life," where character George Bailey, contemplating suicide, prayed, "</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5p9fENMjJg" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Dear Father in Heaven …show me the way. I’m at the end of my rope…show me the way, oh God</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">.”</span></p><p><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">Sixteen years later, I awoke feeling so proud of Elizabeth. It was her 16th birthday and just one week before her 17th Christmas. When the song “I’ll be home for Christmas” played on the radio, I cried thinking how hard Elizabeth fought to be home with us, overcoming several battles with pneumonia, major surgeries, and most recently, seizures. Weighing only 50 pounds, she looked funny to strangers as a result of her small head and adult teeth, but she was lovely to us with her long, brown hair, large blue eyes and soul-capturing smile. Although still in diapers and unable to speak or hold up her head, Elizabeth was very happy and especially enjoyed being surrounded by people, paying no mind to the stares of “normal” children who thought she belonged on the "Island of Misfit Toys." </span></p><p><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">Less than two months after she turned 16, I dropped Elizabeth off at school. Strapping her into her wheelchair, I held her face in my hands, kissed her cheek, and said, “Now be a good girl today.” She smiled as she heard her teacher say what she said every time, “Elizabeth is always a good girl!” With that, I left. At the end of the day, I got the call I had always feared. “Mrs. Saunders, Elizabeth had a seizure and she’s not breathing." The medical team did all they could, but she was gone. While holding Elizabeth’s body on his lap, my husband looked down into her partially open, lifeless eyes and cried, “No one is ever going to look at me again the way she did.” </span></p><p><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">As we prepare to celebrate another Christmas without Elizabeth, I no longer feel heartache when I bring the decorations out of storage. I smile remembering how Elizabeth used to love to sit on the couch with her lazy, old dog and watch us decorate. </span></p><p><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8qaCOLNo2pU9XyrqYDctWZk4OUI6mC7dG9ounPBv_K_EDPgr3Ulv1l_nK8OkT_3Ffi4C-2C00Cr7g3j-vnpiI3Y-vG8r5GqwjiuPGZvo1j0SrcBNRy8vOMet3EH0KQFXE3Fwk7GY403bJEjzA7E8Wprd3rVI349H1gh7TPd0vIi9y4Q4sXydEd4NeZep2" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8qaCOLNo2pU9XyrqYDctWZk4OUI6mC7dG9ounPBv_K_EDPgr3Ulv1l_nK8OkT_3Ffi4C-2C00Cr7g3j-vnpiI3Y-vG8r5GqwjiuPGZvo1j0SrcBNRy8vOMet3EH0KQFXE3Fwk7GY403bJEjzA7E8Wprd3rVI349H1gh7TPd0vIi9y4Q4sXydEd4NeZep2" width="320" /></span></a></span></p><p><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">Now</span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">, I perform a new Christmas tradition. I carefully unfold the black and red checked shirt Elizabeth wore on her last day and hang it beside the fireplace. Although she can't be home for Christmas, I feel that she is my “Tiny Tim” who would say, if she could, “God bless us, everyone!” </span></p><p><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">Like my friend Marti, I, too, found a way to take the edge off the pain of missing her. Since Elizabeth no longer needed my care, the only thing I can do for her now is to care for those not yet born—to prevent them from suffering as Elizabeth did. I do that by speaking and writing about congenital CMV prevention. Elizabeth's disabilities might have been prevented had I known to reduce "contact with saliva and urine from babies and young children...not sharing food, utensils, or cups with a child" (</span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/fact-sheets/parents-pregnant-women.html" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">CDC.gov/CMV</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">). In 2022, “Elizabeth’s Law,” was passed in New York requiring the provision of CMV educational materials to child care providers and pregnant women (</span><a href="https://cnycentral.com/news/local/baldwinsville-couple-inspire-elizabeths-law-for-cmv-education-and-newborn-screening-in-new-york" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Baldwinsville couple's advocacy inspires legislation for CMV awareness</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">, 2023). </span></p><p><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">My ultimate dream is that all women of childbearing age will learn about CMV prevention</span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"> </span><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px;">before </em><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">getting pregnant since half of pregnancies are unplanned. One way I continue to raise awareness is by walking across the State of New York leaving behind "Stop CMV" rocks with CMV prevention tips painted on the back by another mom, Tabitha Rodenhaus. (Learn more from the</span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"> </span><a href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">National CMV Foundation</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">, founded by other moms). </span></p><p><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">Since commencing our trek in 2020, Jim and I have walked over 2/3 across New York (242 miles) on the 360-mile Erie Canalway Trail between Albany and Buffalo. We tackle new sections of the trail about twice a month – in all kinds of weather. We’ve been chased by mosquitoes, biting flies and lightning. We’ve endured torrential downpours, blinding snow, chafing underwear, aching feet, and swollen knees. We’ve faced snakes, floods, ice, and a smelly, dead opossum. You can join our adventure by clicking on my travel video, “</span><a href="https://youtu.be/kbLp-lBz96U?si=D6pt_wEn77JC4aCg" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Hiking the Erie Canalway Trail, Vote on 7 Wonders, Stop CMV</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">,” which features why the Canal was considered the 8th Wonder of the World, what it's like to walk, rather than bike, the Trail (even Santa bikes the Trail!), and where my Aunt Rebecca’s body was found in the canal in an apparent suicide. The bridge she likely drove into the canal from reminds me of the bridge over the canal in Seneca Falls, New York, where a woman’s 1917 suicide attempt is noted on a plaque honoring the man who drowned while successfully saving her. </span></p><p><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">Seneca Falls is believed to be the inspiration for Bedford Falls in the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life." Much of the memorabilia featured in the It’s a Wonderful Life Museum in Seneca Falls was donated by a mother, Karolyn Grimes, the actress who played little Zuzu Bailey. She wanted to honor the memory of her son who committed suicide at 18. "Grimes says the optimistic message of It’s a Wonderful Life, which she helps to spread through personal appearances, resonates because it acknowledges life’s hardships" (</span><a href="https://people.com/celebrity/its-a-wonderful-life-actress-karolyn-grimes-looks-at-life/" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">People.com</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">). Every December, Seneca Falls hosts an annual "</span><a href="https://www.wonderfullifemuseum.com/2021-festival/" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">It's A Wonderful Life Festival</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">." Last year, I met actress Karolyn Grimes and was touched by how compassionately she listened to our story about Elizabeth. </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEm4iXzYM0TfXEYTDfCAT6J4pwsFhEQg3TMJU9cNNuJs9de2dcBfwr-LlZKTlX7PyW2aRQYOxl92LRx8tCFfwzGS85iCQoZsccQPLk8iOVFgs1CEVEv_x6cI9twdPme3OuU6pM5LGcf019P1op31BnTSGOV3R7aPoJ_yCxXoDXCNEsDJD6Jlk2RHQ0PzA5/s4032/IMG_6735.HEIC" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEm4iXzYM0TfXEYTDfCAT6J4pwsFhEQg3TMJU9cNNuJs9de2dcBfwr-LlZKTlX7PyW2aRQYOxl92LRx8tCFfwzGS85iCQoZsccQPLk8iOVFgs1CEVEv_x6cI9twdPme3OuU6pM5LGcf019P1op31BnTSGOV3R7aPoJ_yCxXoDXCNEsDJD6Jlk2RHQ0PzA5/s320/IMG_6735.HEIC" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><i><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Jim and I met actress Karolyn Grimes, who played little Zuzu Bailey, at the It's a Wonderful Life Festival in 2022.</i></div></i><p></p><p><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">Another way I fondly recall Elizabeth's short life is to remember I will see her again someday. My father captured that truth when he wrote the fairy tale, "</span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Surviving-Loss-Woodcutters-Lisa-Saunders/dp/1482315505/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1489933299&sr=1-4&keywords=the+woodcutter%27s+tale" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">The Woodcutter’s Tale</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">" (you can read this very short story on my blog by clicking</span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"> </span><a href="https://congenitalcmv.blogspot.com/2016/03/surviving-loss-woodcutters-tale.html" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">).</span></p><p><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">I find this Scripture motivating for moving forward after the death of a child: "But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me” (</span><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2+Samuel+12%3A23&version=NABRE" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">2 Samuel 12:23</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">).</span></p>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-19543921795304538262023-12-01T09:59:00.000-08:002023-12-02T05:32:42.754-08:00After Losing a Child: My Christmas wish for others<p><span style="background-color: white;"><span face="tahoma, Trebuchet MS, lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial;"><br /></span><p></p><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYXYasJ22vMkI7sgbwsoCzClmvkaFRR623TbLEAAsSpbfC4NpCnCe5425X-K5PjSYgJpNBMYMJxt1UfZCGuRo0sx5S-YLwPRm-s5__WsUyHM8pEIj5h8Tu6Usoj6258RbgAoUBhp5X94u/s1600/Elizabeth+empty+Christmas+Chair.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; clear: left; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipYXYasJ22vMkI7sgbwsoCzClmvkaFRR623TbLEAAsSpbfC4NpCnCe5425X-K5PjSYgJpNBMYMJxt1UfZCGuRo0sx5S-YLwPRm-s5__WsUyHM8pEIj5h8Tu6Usoj6258RbgAoUBhp5X94u/s320/Elizabeth+empty+Christmas+Chair.png" style="border: 0px; display: block;" width="240" /></span></a></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial;">My daughter Elizabeth, born December 18, 1989, would have been 34 this Christmas 2023 if she hadn't been born with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV). I know there are a lot of other mothers out there who are missing a child this Christmas. Hopefully, they have found a reason to move forward. </span></span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-9099352056447327750" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 5px;"><div style="color: #555544; margin-top: 1em;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 13.65pt; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></div></div><div style="color: #555544; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Expecting Elizabeth, due to be born on Christmas Eve of 1989, had been an exciting experience. But the moment she arrived on the 18th, I felt a stab of fear. My immediate thought was, “Her head looks so small—so deformed. ”The neonatologist said, "Your daughter has microcephaly--her brain is very small with calcium deposits throughout. If she lives, she will never roll over, sit up, or feed herself." He concluded that Elizabeth's birth defects were caused by congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV). Women who care for young children are at a higher risk for catching it because preschoolers are the majority of carriers. Pregnant women need to be careful not to kiss young children on or around the mouth or share food or towels with them. </span></div><div style="color: #555544; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Why hadn’t I heard of CMV before and the precautions to take? While I was pregnant with Elizabeth, I not only had a toddler of my own, but I also ran a licensed daycare center in my home. I felt sick at what my lack of knowledge had done to my little girl. In milder cases, children with congenital CMV may lose hearing or struggle with learning disabilities later in life. But Elizabeth's case was not a mild one.<br /><br />When my husband Jim heard Elizabeth's grim prognosis, he stared at her and said, “She needs me”—just like Charlie Brown with that pathetic Christmas tree. It took me about a year, but I eventually stopped praying that a nuclear bomb would drop on my house so I could escape my overwhelming anguish over Elizabeth's condition. Life did become good again—but it took a lot of help from family, friends, some Valium, and the Book of Psalms. We were eventually able to move forward as a happy, "normal" family. <br /><br />Sixteen years later, I awoke feeling so proud of Elizabeth. It was her 16th birthday and just one week before her 17th Christmas. When the song “I’ll be home for Christmas” played on the radio, I cried thinking how hard Elizabeth fought to be home with us, overcoming several battles with pneumonia, major surgeries, and most recently, seizures. Weighing only 50 pounds, she looked funny to strangers as a result of her small head and adult teeth, but she was lovely to us with her long, brown hair, large blue eyes and soul-capturing smile. Although still in diapers and unable to speak or hold up her head, Elizabeth was very happy and loved going for long car rides. She especially enjoyed going to school and being surrounded by people, paying no mind to the stares of “normal” children who thought she belonged on the "Island of Misfit Toys."<br /><br />Less than two months after she turned 16, I dropped Elizabeth off at school. Strapping her into her wheelchair, I held her face in my hands, kissed her cheek, and said, “Now be a good girl today.” She smiled as she heard her teacher say what she said every time, “Elizabeth is always a good girl!” With that, I left.<br /><br />At the end of the day, I got the call I had always feared. “Mrs. Saunders, Elizabeth had a seizure and she’s not breathing." The medical team did all they could, but she was gone. While holding Elizabeth’s body on his lap, my husband looked down into her partially open, lifeless eyes and cried, “No one is ever going to look at me again the way she did.”</span></div><div style="margin-top: 1em;"><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial;">As we prepare to celebrate another Christmas without Elizabeth, I no longer feel heartache when I bring the decorations out of storage. I smile remembering how Elizabeth used to love to sit on the couch with her lazy old dog Riley, and watch us decorate. </span></div><div style="color: #555544; margin-top: 1em;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8qaCOLNo2pU9XyrqYDctWZk4OUI6mC7dG9ounPBv_K_EDPgr3Ulv1l_nK8OkT_3Ffi4C-2C00Cr7g3j-vnpiI3Y-vG8r5GqwjiuPGZvo1j0SrcBNRy8vOMet3EH0KQFXE3Fwk7GY403bJEjzA7E8Wprd3rVI349H1gh7TPd0vIi9y4Q4sXydEd4NeZep2" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img alt="" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg8qaCOLNo2pU9XyrqYDctWZk4OUI6mC7dG9ounPBv_K_EDPgr3Ulv1l_nK8OkT_3Ffi4C-2C00Cr7g3j-vnpiI3Y-vG8r5GqwjiuPGZvo1j0SrcBNRy8vOMet3EH0KQFXE3Fwk7GY403bJEjzA7E8Wprd3rVI349H1gh7TPd0vIi9y4Q4sXydEd4NeZep2" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="color: #555544; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div>Now, I perform a new Christmas tradition. I carefully unfold the black and red checked shirt Elizabeth wore on her last day and hang it beside our fireplace. Although she can't be home for Christmas, I feel that she is my “Tiny Tim” who would say, if she could, “God bless us, everyone!”</span></div><div style="color: #555544; margin-top: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_GNi7Tm-bZF8eI1irqHLNHNLfqAGjYbjyNoXEXJrtEuQKyizLJWMyVt2d8Pk-W52urvCPzUgJDu4H9-mDPHc38fTGEHCrxQOqbVougnyL5m0tStaMLtwiCndr39btugqQq0RFvtQ-CWaF/s1600/DSCN0708.JPG" style="background: transparent; clear: left; color: #669922; display: inline; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_GNi7Tm-bZF8eI1irqHLNHNLfqAGjYbjyNoXEXJrtEuQKyizLJWMyVt2d8Pk-W52urvCPzUgJDu4H9-mDPHc38fTGEHCrxQOqbVougnyL5m0tStaMLtwiCndr39btugqQq0RFvtQ-CWaF/s320/DSCN0708.JPG" style="border: 0px; display: block;" width="320" /></a></div><div style="color: #555544; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #555544;">I’m glad Elizabeth is free from suffering, glad she is safe in her new, Heavenly home. I knew I would need reminders of where Elizabeth was and what she is enjoying, so I had engravers etch on the back of her headstone that she is dwelling in the house of the Lord where: "...the lame leap like a deer and the mute tongue shout for joy" (Isaiah 35:6). Many times when I was lost in despair those first few years, I visited her stone, hugged it, and left somewhat cheered as I pondered her new life. </span><span style="color: #555544;">When my time comes, I will see Elizabeth again. </span></span></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-9099352056447327750" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 5px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8SRSE2ipvmFniCDy6hKsIFgulvKM41sGSU06zCPl3tQeSasxNVFcGBuXSMd5BehBNYZoB4EYJtMjeCgGIaW3opltTDP6nVSgvZiCkzRJEnT4ltS3cRqwWIjoxX2Jnjcnt5gi97rZglKSD/s1600/Eliz+stone+back.jpg" style="background: transparent; clear: left; color: #669922; font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8SRSE2ipvmFniCDy6hKsIFgulvKM41sGSU06zCPl3tQeSasxNVFcGBuXSMd5BehBNYZoB4EYJtMjeCgGIaW3opltTDP6nVSgvZiCkzRJEnT4ltS3cRqwWIjoxX2Jnjcnt5gi97rZglKSD/s320/Eliz+stone+back.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block;" width="268" /></a></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-9099352056447327750" itemprop="description articleBody" style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 5px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; color: #555544; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #555544;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncAPaSg8BKwIOPMZ2Nogm0rlKhMLI7jtjP0eoKxM6s2aoLonzCjIJJ9vOxnBa-x6BGyN0UuvLkxemKgWU_MX9E2OGkizJXd0dT8Wnx3DkHKYaZzjZS1VjX2To2jBNU7lw6VCzxdb2yKHm/s1600/Woodcutter+book+cover+for+Widows.jpg" style="background: transparent; clear: left; color: #669922; float: left; font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgncAPaSg8BKwIOPMZ2Nogm0rlKhMLI7jtjP0eoKxM6s2aoLonzCjIJJ9vOxnBa-x6BGyN0UuvLkxemKgWU_MX9E2OGkizJXd0dT8Wnx3DkHKYaZzjZS1VjX2To2jBNU7lw6VCzxdb2yKHm/s320/Woodcutter+book+cover+for+Widows.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block;" width="214" /></a><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><br /></span><h4 style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My father wrote a fairy tale that I found very helpful after Elizabeth died, <a href="http://authorlisasaunders.blogspot.com/2012/12/death-of-child-woodcutters-tale.html?spref=bl" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-style: italic; text-decoration-line: none;">The Woodcutter’s Tale</a>. To read it on my blog, <a href="http://authorlisasaunders.blogspot.com/2012/12/death-of-child-woodcutters-tale.html?spref=bl" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; text-decoration-line: none;">click here</a>, or download the free pdf with its color images and comments by a therapist on grief by <a href="http://www.authorlisasaunders.com/files/63485408.pdf" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; text-decoration-line: none;">clicking here</a>.* </span></h4></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #555544;"><br /></span><span style="color: #555544;"> </span><span style="color: #555544;"> </span><b style="color: #555544;">The Only Thing I Can Do for Elizabeth Now</b><br /></span><div style="color: #555544; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Since Elizabeth no longer needs my care, the only thing I can do for her now is to care for those not yet born—to prevent them from suffering as Elizabeth did. I do that by speaking and writing about congenital CMV prevention. <br /></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in; text-align: justify; text-indent: -0.25in;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div></div><div style="color: #555544; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;">After presenting the story of Elizabeth's life at the first international Congenital CMV conference held in the U.S, at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, GA, in 2008, scientists from all over the world approached to thank me for inspiring them to continue their work. Mothers, on the other hand, pushed their children towards me in wheelchairs and asked, “Why didn’t my OB/GYN tell me how to prevent this?” One mother even asked, "Learning what you did, why didn't you do all you could to shout it from the rooftops?"</span></div><div style="color: #555544; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Until OB/GYNs make CMV prevention a standard practice of care, I'm trying to "shout it from the rooftops" through my writing, speaking engagements, and contacting agencies I hope will help. Thankfully, there is a large army of CMV parents and medical professionals doing the same thing. </span></div><div style="color: #555544; margin-top: 1em;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;">Please share the following with women of childbearing age: Elizabeth's disabilities might have been prevented had I known to reduce "contact with saliva and urine from babies and young children...not sharing food, utensils, or cups with a child" (<a href="http://cdc.gov/CMV" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="background: transparent; margin: 0px; outline: 0px;" target="_blank">CDC.gov/CMV</a>). </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;">In 2022, “</span><a href="https://www.syracuse.com/news/2022/12/how-a-baldwinsville-mother-fought-for-30-years-to-pass-a-law-that-might-have-saved-her-daughter.html#:~:text=After%20more%20than%2030%20years,the%20dangers%20of%20congenital%20CMV." rel="noopener noreferrer" style="background: transparent; margin: 0px; outline: 0px;" target="_blank">Elizabeth’s Law</a><span style="color: black;">,” was passed in New York requiring the provision of CMV educational materials to child care providers and pregnant women (</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">USA TODAY:</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;"> "</span><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/10/02/cmv-newborn-screening-for-this-virus-that-can-cause-defects/70983341007/" target="_blank"><span style="vertical-align: baseline;">This virus is a leading cause birth defects. Why isn't it screened more?</span></a><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">", 2023</span><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">).</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">Thank you for reading my story.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">Sincerely,</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">Lisa Saunders</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; vertical-align: baseline;">LisaSaunders42@gmail.com</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://authorlisasaunders.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">AuthorLisaSaunders.com</a><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/stores/Lisa-Saunders/author/B001K7Z5AC?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;">My history and CMV books </span></a></p></div><div style="color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13px; margin-top: 1em;"><span face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div></div>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-83035532389387675382023-10-04T05:33:00.006-07:002023-10-10T09:27:32.312-07:00USA Today - Women's Rights Issue Gets National Publicity. Help promote a "Woman's Right to Know About #1 Birth Defects Virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV)" and find co-sponsor to Blumenthal's "Stop CMV Act of 2023"<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRk7svyGSxYQbKOyzruaLhWbyoeT8J4XP15kaLJGsUv4vNjxlVHjDoekbduM9tmzcboXWpL6h0ifW2JYVpGhF9aRHbTzvTziOUuex5S7k1kYWyyNkIzelvWUQWBFe7f1M8-U35_QWahNncjgXcSHeX215KB_Vlc-OYCV20dCqsUOiU-WFG8srU9M7bLdQq" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="303" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiRk7svyGSxYQbKOyzruaLhWbyoeT8J4XP15kaLJGsUv4vNjxlVHjDoekbduM9tmzcboXWpL6h0ifW2JYVpGhF9aRHbTzvTziOUuex5S7k1kYWyyNkIzelvWUQWBFe7f1M8-U35_QWahNncjgXcSHeX215KB_Vlc-OYCV20dCqsUOiU-WFG8srU9M7bLdQq=w227-h303" width="227" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /><span style="font-family: inherit;">I've been working on a women's rights issue for decades, but only recently has it been getting the major publicity it deserves. In </span><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/10/02/cmv-newborn-screening-for-this-virus-that-can-cause-defects/70983341007/" style="font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">USA Today</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">, in the front page article, </span><i style="font-family: inherit;"> "<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/10/02/cmv-newborn-screening-for-this-virus-that-can-cause-defects/70983341007/" target="_blank">This virus is a leading cause birth defects. Why isn't it screened more?</a>" </i><span style="font-family: inherit;"> the reporter included the following information about how we're trying to build on the women's rights movement that started in Seneca Falls, NY: </span></span><p></p><div><div><i style="font-family: inherit;">"Saunders, whose daughter contracted the disease in the 80s, <b>has continued to advocate for CMV awareness as a women’s rights issue</b>. In the last three years, she and her husband Jim, 65, have <b>begun walking the entire Erie Canalway that runs across New York. </b>They hope to complete it by the canal's bicentennial anniversary, in 2025. </i><i style="font-family: inherit;">The 363-mile waterway allowed American commerce to expand. It also passes near several historic sites from the <b>suffragist movement, including Seneca Falls, the site of the pioneering 1848 women’s rights convention. </b></i><i style="font-family: inherit;">Saunders said she hopes that women find out about CMV before they’re pregnant, during their childbearing years. </i><i style="font-family: inherit;">She wants prevention and newborn screening for the infection to become the standard of care, and, more than anything, she hopes knowledge about CMV to be commonplace."</i></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Congress established the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor in 2000 because it “<b>facilitated the movement of ideas …like…women's rights…across upstate New York to the rest of the countr</b>y”(<a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-106hr5375ih/html/BILLS-106hr5375ih.htm" rel="noreferrer" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">106th Congress</a>). We are leaving #Stop CMV rocks along the Erie Canalway Trail to comply with Congress' recommendation that "more effort be taken to counsel women of childbearing age of the effect this virus can have on their children" (<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-resolution/215" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">112th Congress</a>, 2011). </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Our daughter Elizabeth was born with brain damage in 1989 because I contracted CMV just prior to or during my pregnancy. I might have prevented her disabilities had I known to lessen my "risk of getting CMV by reducing contact with saliva and urine from babies and young children...not sharing food, utensils, or cups with a child" (<a href="http://cdc.gov/CMV" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px;" target="_blank">CDC.gov/CMV</a>). </span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;">In 2022, “</span><a href="https://www.syracuse.com/news/2022/12/how-a-baldwinsville-mother-fought-for-30-years-to-pass-a-law-that-might-have-saved-her-daughter.html#:~:text=After%20more%20than%2030%20years,the%20dangers%20of%20congenital%20CMV." rel="noopener noreferrer" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; outline: 0px;" target="_blank">Elizabeth’s Law</a><span style="color: black;">,” named in memory of our daughter, was passed in New York requiring the provision of CMV educational materials to child care providers and pregnant women. </span></span><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="color: #555544;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="color: #555544;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Many women across the country have already signed the "</span><a href="https://congenitalcmv.blogspot.com/2021/03/womens-cmv-rights-women-have-right-to.html" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Declaration of Women's CMV Rights and Sentiments</a><span style="color: black;">," which is based on the 1848 Women's Rights "Declaration of Sentiments" signed in Seneca Falls. </span></span></span></div><div style="color: #555544;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="color: #555544;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The following are some of the reasons women are not routinely educated about CMV:</span></span></div></div></div><blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;"><div><div style="color: #555544;"><span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div></div><div><div style="color: #555544;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">1)<b> </b><b>Doctors don’t want to frighten, worry or burden” patients: </b><i>New York Times</i>: "Guidelines from ACOG suggest that pregnant women will find CMV prevention 'impractical and burdensome,' especially if they are told not to kiss their toddlers on the mouth — a possible route of transmission.” (<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Saint Louis, 2016</a>). </span></div></div></div><div><div style="color: #555544;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div><div><div style="color: #555544;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">2)<b> Fearmongering:</b> "N<span style="color: #212529;">early half of surveyed healthcare professionals (HCPs) hesitate to discuss CMV, citing concerns of fearmongering among their patients."(</span><span style="color: #212529;">Panther, MD, </span><span style="color: #212529;">"</span><span style="color: #212529;"><a href="https://www.clinicalleader.com/doc/moderna-addresses-awareness-gap-builds-community-trust-to-boost-cmv-trial-recruitment-0001" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Moderna Addresses Awareness Gap, Builds Community Trust To Boost CMV Trial Recruitment</a>," Sept. 20,2023)</span></span></div></div></div></div><div><div style="color: #555544;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: #212529;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div></div></div><div><div style="color: #555544;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>3) Medical training downplays the dangers.</b> Pediatrician Megan Pesch, M.D., of the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, whose third daughter was born with congenital CMV and a progressive hearing loss, 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...I waver between feeling guilty and feeling furious. I have spent — how many years of my life in developmental pediatrics? — how could I not have known?”(<i>Washington Post</i>, "<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid=IwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">How a common, often harmless virus called cytomegalovirus can damage a fetus,</a>" May 15, 2021.)</span></div></div></div><div><div style="color: #555544;"><div class="MsoNormal"><b><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></b></div></div></div><div><div style="color: #555544;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">4) <b>Caregivers/Teachers at greater risk, but there are n</b><b>o federal laws governing CMV education policies</b>: Although U.S. workers have the right to “receive information and training about hazards” (<a href="https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3021.pdf" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970</a>), the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Department of Labor</a> states, "Education and training requirements vary by setting, state, and employer."</span></div></div></div><div><div style="color: #555544;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div><div style="color: #555544;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: inherit;">5)"<b>Infection is usually asymptomatic in both mother and infant</b>, and when symptoms do occur, they are non-specific, so most CMV infections go undiagnosed” (<a href="http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/5/70" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;"><span color="windowtext">Cannon and Davis, 2005</span></a>).</span></div></div></div></blockquote><div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">There is still a lot to do to raise awareness among women of childbearing age so they can know about CMV <em style="box-sizing: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px;">before </em>getting pregnant. The song, "<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2CmjRGN0cnBNQXRDdExMQWJOVHVZRGR1aWFJX0lJ/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-sRLqxboO0JUxdmqlo0-Mcw" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Had I known (about CMV)</a><span style="color: #555544;">,</span>" by <a href="https://www.debrasong.com/">Debra Lynn Alt</a>, expresses how many of us mothers feel. <br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Perhaps you are able to help raise awareness of CMV through sharing this message? </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">And/or, perhaps you can help find a Republican U.S. Senator to co-sponsor "<a class="gmail-gnt_ar_b_a" href="https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/senator-blumenthal-week-in-review-06/02/202306/09/2023" style="color: #303030; text-decoration-color: rgb(0, 152, 254); text-decoration-thickness: 2px; text-underline-offset: 2px;">Stop CMV Act of 2023</a>"? The <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/10/02/cmv-newborn-screening-for-this-virus-that-can-cause-defects/70983341007/" target="_blank">USA Today</a> article<i> </i>announced, "<span style="color: #303030;">In June, U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., announced he would introduce the</span><span style="color: #303030;"> </span><a class="gmail-gnt_ar_b_a" href="https://www.blumenthal.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/senator-blumenthal-week-in-review-06/02/202306/09/2023" style="color: #303030; text-decoration-color: rgb(0, 152, 254); text-decoration-thickness: 2px; text-underline-offset: 2px;">Stop CMV Act of 2023</a><span style="color: #303030;"> </span><span style="color: #303030;">to incentivize hospitals and health care providers to screen for CMV in newborns’ first three weeks. The bill has yet to be formally introduced in Congress. Blumenthal is seeking a Republican co-sponsor. '</span><span style="color: #303030;">Congenital CMV is a major public health challenge and, unfortunately, parents are almost totally unaware of it and providers aren’t able to detect it as often as they should,' Blumenthal said in a statement" (</span><span style="background-color: white; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">USA TODAY,</span><span style="background-color: white; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> "</span><a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/10/02/cmv-newborn-screening-for-this-virus-that-can-cause-defects/70983341007/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This virus is a leading cause birth defects. Why isn't it screened more?</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">", Cuevas, E. Oct. 2, 2023). </span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Perhaps you have a connection to one of these </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050;">Republican U.S. Senators found at: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.republicanleader.senate.gov/senate-resources/republican-senators&source=gmail&ust=1696506397497000&usg=AOvVaw2K8WT3vp7v2-22DTjlfnd7" href="https://www.republicanleader.senate.gov/senate-resources/republican-senators" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr>republicanleader.senate.gov/<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr>senate-resources/republican-<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr>senators</a></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sincerely,</span></div><div></div></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br clear="all" /></span><div><div class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature" dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Lisa Saunders</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a href="http://authorlisasaunders.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: inherit;">AuthorLisaSaunders.com</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="mailto:LisaSaunders42@gmail.com" target="_blank">LisaSaunders42@gmail.com</a><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">The USA Today article made it into Yahoo news (see newsfeed below)</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjv7_AlLHBxkZhdvnO7kZ9hq4VzvN1ytNUv2WCtbIzexbDNHdBtqYot1Hxc-sB44GItzW2fywTBDnbg9TiWKUrZx44-leJxLL2CzGpCyM50i58srvkgPBogb5CYkmkURyfAgD5WbgyU6mDeMp47aa5aeZ6QU_4wGBTFmyoej_AJ2UaHdTUXDv6YLyhLM9V/s1334/CMV%20Yahoo%20news.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1334" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjv7_AlLHBxkZhdvnO7kZ9hq4VzvN1ytNUv2WCtbIzexbDNHdBtqYot1Hxc-sB44GItzW2fywTBDnbg9TiWKUrZx44-leJxLL2CzGpCyM50i58srvkgPBogb5CYkmkURyfAgD5WbgyU6mDeMp47aa5aeZ6QU_4wGBTFmyoej_AJ2UaHdTUXDv6YLyhLM9V/s320/CMV%20Yahoo%20news.PNG" width="180" /></a></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">Democrat and Chronicle</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieiVM9emxovclTPUi73YmBYg8tdQac3fkdN5zuTSVopoAVhfRwXenYIgiGBwsx1k8ZDFnlzCUe1ISwTOGneaW0zEoCUoiXQGPbXqKw_6fLSRC0W4Q8EosFaMgiOUhqDtx2eO5k6x2UjZ6sRhTImLNWRG9UC0tAvyUdgenmtzWiIbhCyEbVsqdC7mRtP2gv/s3718/Democrat%20and%20Chronical%20CMV%20testing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3020" data-original-width="3718" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieiVM9emxovclTPUi73YmBYg8tdQac3fkdN5zuTSVopoAVhfRwXenYIgiGBwsx1k8ZDFnlzCUe1ISwTOGneaW0zEoCUoiXQGPbXqKw_6fLSRC0W4Q8EosFaMgiOUhqDtx2eO5k6x2UjZ6sRhTImLNWRG9UC0tAvyUdgenmtzWiIbhCyEbVsqdC7mRtP2gv/s320/Democrat%20and%20Chronical%20CMV%20testing.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2jb3i3a8TfRPMo_1BRsJZA8HVyznzTjiPQvTSOtWjeHEYxUawJW7j7Zzif5eqwN_0HjLfFb2Uwm0VTvI3v8F12vC6QZbc13qbkbidbfMFeic3_A1dW61kcokk9nyqq9r57N93E1s9qgeD8taLz3Kb8OB6dtCnpZ_fubekEMrLE9-6zVXhfbnT5OdOnPZ/s4032/Democrat%20and%20Chronical%20CMV%20testing%20Elizabeth%20photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie2jb3i3a8TfRPMo_1BRsJZA8HVyznzTjiPQvTSOtWjeHEYxUawJW7j7Zzif5eqwN_0HjLfFb2Uwm0VTvI3v8F12vC6QZbc13qbkbidbfMFeic3_A1dW61kcokk9nyqq9r57N93E1s9qgeD8taLz3Kb8OB6dtCnpZ_fubekEMrLE9-6zVXhfbnT5OdOnPZ/s320/Democrat%20and%20Chronical%20CMV%20testing%20Elizabeth%20photo.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><br /></p></div></div></div>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-80298552182150314812023-09-23T05:49:00.016-07:002023-10-09T04:22:39.785-07:00CMV New from NY: All newborns tested (DBS) for 1 year, bill submitted for universal screening (PCR), and new travel video features moms raising awareness across the state and song, "Had I Known (about CMV)"<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLPQwy8aHQYfLdTTu3zRyqgSmh7rRhg8_a4y_AV-WdFKeE3Mi5b1jrZkULSSIwHw-1rY45rXuLcvivIUwqKJ54RcxTxfSQqk5TY-zk-xHvNOmCMVDC2Nv6CFRXmb5hkXgdEh22ulbIPf3wEpF1zXHx0YlCg2A0uE8bYg_n5QlzJeG0fpIuVNyZd6NDqu8/s4032/Stop%20CMV%20rock%20new%20front%20and%20back.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRLPQwy8aHQYfLdTTu3zRyqgSmh7rRhg8_a4y_AV-WdFKeE3Mi5b1jrZkULSSIwHw-1rY45rXuLcvivIUwqKJ54RcxTxfSQqk5TY-zk-xHvNOmCMVDC2Nv6CFRXmb5hkXgdEh22ulbIPf3wEpF1zXHx0YlCg2A0uE8bYg_n5QlzJeG0fpIuVNyZd6NDqu8/s320/Stop%20CMV%20rock%20new%20front%20and%20back.jpg" width="240" /></a></b></div><span><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><i>#Stop CMV rocks painted by Kaia's mom, </i></span></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Tabitha Rodenhaus of Kenmore (near Buffalo).</i></span></span></p></span><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">1) </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent;">"</span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="color: #222222;">The New York State Department of Health announced that effective October 2, 2023, all babies will be screened for Congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV), making New York the second state in the nation, after Minnesota, to screen all babies for the virus" </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent;">(<a href="https://www.health.ny.gov/press/releases/2023/2023-09-29_newborn_screening.htm">NY Dept. of Health, Sept. 29, 202</a>3). </span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;">The NY Newborn Screening Program is provisionally adding congenital CMV (cCMV) to its "screening panel for a period of one year" using dried blood spot (DBS) (</span><a href="https://www.wadsworth.org/news/congenital-cytomegalovirus-ccmv-screening" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">NY Dept. Health, Wadsworth Center, Sept 1, 2023</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;">). More information below my signature. </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;">2) On Sept. 20, 2023, the New York Assembly and Senate introduced bill <a href="https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term=2023&bn=A07997" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;">A07997</a>/<a href="https://assembly.state.ny.us/leg/?term=2023&bn=S07659" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;">S07659</a>: "Requires cytomegalovirus screening for every newborn by administration of a urine polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test." "</span></span>State Sen. John Mannion, who sponsors [this] bill that would make the screening permanent, said early diagnosis and treatment are key in mitigating long-term health problems for babies, emphasizing the need for screening. According to Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, who also sponsors the bill, further action will depend on the results of the pilot. (<a href="https://www.crainsnewyork.com/health-pulse/most-ny-nursing-homes-already-meet-federal-staffing-rule-calling-question-whether">Crain's New York Business</a>, Sept. 28, 2023). (<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">New York already has laws regarding targeted CMV testing and the provision of prevention education materials to pregnant women and child care providers.)</span></p><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">3) My new travel video about our 360-mile walk across New York State to raise CMV awareness is now airing. "<a href="https://youtu.be/kbLp-lBz96U?si=D6pt_wEn77JC4aCg" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #1155cc; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Hiking the Erie Canalway Trail, Vote on 7 Wonders, Stop CMV</a>" showcases the work of New York parents, National CMV Foundation, and others. The video reminds the public that Congress established the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor in 2000 because it “<b><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">facilitated the movement of ideas </span>…like…<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">women's rights</span>…across upstate New York to the rest of the countr</b>y”</span></span>(<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-106hr5375ih/html/BILLS-106hr5375ih.htm&source=gmail&ust=1695636062773000&usg=AOvVaw3JlzOMEaQG_NVpRGCg_U81" href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-106hr5375ih/html/BILLS-106hr5375ih.htm" rel="noreferrer" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: #1155cc; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Congressional Bills 106th Congress</a>)<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">. We are leaving #Stop CMV rocks along the Trail to</span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;"> comply with Congress' recommendation that "more effort be taken to counsel women of childbearing age of the effect this virus can have on their children" (</span><a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-resolution/215" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #1155cc; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">S.Res.215 — 112th Congress</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">, 2011). </span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white;"><span><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">Many women across the country have already signed the "</span><a href="https://congenitalcmv.blogspot.com/2021/03/womens-cmv-rights-women-have-right-to.html">Declaration of Women's CMV Rights and Sentiments</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">," which is based on the 1848 Women's Rights "Declaration of Sentiments" signed in Seneca Falls. </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">The song, "</span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2CmjRGN0cnBNQXRDdExMQWJOVHVZRGR1aWFJX0lJ/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-sRLqxboO0JUxdmqlo0-Mcw" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit;">Had I known (about CMV)</a>,<span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">" </span><span style="color: #222222;">expresses</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"> how many of us feel. </span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">There is still a lot to do to raise awareness among women of childbearing age so they can know about CMV </span><em style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: inherit; color: black; margin: 0px; outline: 0px;">before </em><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">getting pregnant. So, we keep putting one foot in front of the other.</span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">More information about the pilot study below my signature.</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Sincerely,</span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222;"><div class="gmail_signature" dir="ltr" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 5px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">Lisa Saunders</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 5px 0px 0.0001pt;"><u>www.<a href="http://authorlisasaunders.com/" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">AuthorLisaSaunders.com</span></a></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 5px 0px 0.0001pt;"><a href="mailto:LisaSaunders42@gmail.com" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">LisaSaunders42@gmail.com</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 5px 0px 0.0001pt;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/NYStopCMV" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;">New York Stop CMV</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 5px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: inherit;">How CMV affected me: <i>Our daughter Elizabeth was born with brain damage in 1989 because I contracted CMV just prior to or during my pregnancy. I might have prevented her disabilities had I known to lessen my "risk of getting CMV by reducing contact with saliva and urine from babies and young children...not sharing food, utensils, or cups with a child" (<a href="http://cdc.gov/CMV" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: inherit; color: #1155cc; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;">CDC.gov/CMV</a>). </i></span><i style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">In 2022, “</span><a href="https://www.syracuse.com/news/2022/12/how-a-baldwinsville-mother-fought-for-30-years-to-pass-a-law-that-might-have-saved-her-daughter.html#:~:text=After%20more%20than%2030%20years,the%20dangers%20of%20congenital%20CMV." rel="noopener noreferrer" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #1155cc; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Elizabeth’s Law</a><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">,” named in memory of our daughter, was passed in New York requiring the provision of CMV educational materials to child care providers and pregnant women. </span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 5px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></span></p><div style="line-height: 18.2px; margin: 5px 0px 0.0001pt; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">New York's </span><a href="https://www.wadsworth.org/news/congenital-cytomegalovirus-ccmv-screening" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black;">Congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV) Screening</span></a><span> </span></span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 5px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(<span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: black; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;"><a href="https://www.wadsworth.org/news/congenital-cytomegalovirus-ccmv-screenin">https://www.wadsworth.org/news/congenital-cytomegalovirus-ccmv-screenin</a><a href="https://www.wadsworth.org/news/congenital-cytomegalovirus-ccmv-screening">g</a></span>).</span></p></div></div></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span>According to the September 8, 2023, webinar held by New York State Newborn Screening Program, the goal of testing every newborn for cCMV for one year is to help answer questions about whether or not universal cCMV screening can be successful nationwide. They need to see if cCMV can be detected by dried blood spot newborn screening and "</span><span>Is catching and diagnosing cCMV at birth helpful?</span><span>" It is believed that "Screening in a diverse population like New York will help determine true incidence" (</span><a href="https://www.wadsworth.org/sites/default/files/WebDoc/FINAL%20cCMV%20webinar%20for%20HOBs%20-%205.23.23.pdf" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Newborn Screening for Congenital Cytomegalovirus: A 1 Year Pilot</a><span style="color: black;">, Sarah Bradley, MS, CGC, 2023).</span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white;"><i>"<span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;">With its pilot program, New York is the largest state to enact CMV screening. It's available to about 220,000 babies born annually in the state. State Rep. Linda Rosenthal, a Manhattan Democrat who sponsored Elizabeth's Law, now has a bill before the Legislature following New York’s pilot, that would make universal screening permanent. It expands on a 2018 law Rosenthal sponsored that mandates hospitals test babies for CMV if they fail a hearing screening.</span></i></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white;"><span><span><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><i><span> </span>"The plan is to compare babies who failed a hearing screening with those who tested positive for CMV to babies who did not fail hearing tests, said Dr. Michele Caggana, director of the New York State Department of Health Newborn Screening Program." </i>(<a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2023/10/02/cmv-newborn-screening-for-this-virus-that-can-cause-defects/70983341007/">USA Today, Oct 2, 2023</a>) </div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I'm delighted about the pilot study because in addition to being helpful in regard to early intervention and research, it will further educate healthcare professionals about CMV. Too many children with disabilities have never been properly diagnosed with congenital CMV. The article, "Washing our hands of the congenital cytomegalovirus disease epidemic," makes the point that 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” (</span><a href="http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/5/70" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Cannon and Davis, 2005</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">). </span></div></span></span></span></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: inherit;"></span></p>The following mother expresses why screening all newborns for CMV is important:<blockquote style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" type="cite"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div class="im" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #500050;"><div dir="ltr" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><span face="Google Sans, Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #1f1f1f;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-variant-ligatures: no-contextual;"><br clear="all" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;" /></span></span><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></div><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #111111; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;">Kristin Schuster of Canandaigua, mom to Autumn (born 2015), said, "Unfortunately, my daughter wasn't diagnosed with congenital CMV until 18 months old--well after the opportunity had passed to receive treatment most effective when given between ages zero to six months. She was not diagnosed with congenital CMV at birth despite failing her newborn hearing screen multiple times, having 'low for gestational age' birth weight, and microcephaly. Autumn received her first pair of hearing aids for bilateral severe hearing loss at 4 months old, glasses for vision impairment at 5 months, an MRI showing brain calcifications, very significant global delays, and received a g-tube for feeding at 15 months of age. Up until then, all of the doctors and specialists we were seeing claimed that her diagnoses were 'unrelated.' It wasn't until I read an article about CMV posted in a Facebook group for Rochester parents of children with hearing loss that I had that 'aha' moment that congenital CMV must be the root cause of all of my daughter's difficulties. When I requested to have her tested for CMV, I was initially given pushback, but when I demanded her newborn blood spot be tested, her neurologist arranged to have it tested from where it was banked in Albany. When the test came back, we finally had our confirmed diagnosis of congenital CMV--too late for her to receive treatment in the optimal first months of life" </span><span face="Google Sans, Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #1f1f1f;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-variant-ligatures: no-contextual;"> (</span></span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://congenitalcmv.blogspot.com/2023/01/new-york-test-every-newborn-for-cmv.html&source=gmail&ust=1696153649463000&usg=AOvVaw3jdcgZymyW9yhCTu0Wo4oC" href="https://congenitalcmv.blogspot.com/2023/01/new-york-test-every-newborn-for-cmv.html" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://congenitalcmv.<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr>blogspot.com/2023/01/new-york-<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr>test-every-newborn-for-cmv.<wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"></wbr>html</a>).</div></div></div></div></div></blockquote><br />Kristin's daughter Autumn was her first child, so Kristin assumes she caught CMV from the young children she worked with. Kristin told me, "I was teaching in a pre-kindergarten inclusion classroom while pregnant with Autumn and was unaware of the dangers of CMV exposure." (You can watch Kristin with her daughter Autumn at our June CMV Awareness Month event in the music video, <a href="https://youtu.be/dUEQmKrG354">Had I Known, Lyrics and Music by Debra Lynn Alt </a>, 2021.) </div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;"><br /></div><div style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Kristin, myself and Brandi Hurtubise, New York National CMV Foundation Alliance Chair and mother of Samantha, are featured in the article,<span id="docs-internal-guid-5a17e7be-7fff-f5af-7e89-8b7397100c06"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">"</span><a href="https://www.syracuse.com/news/2022/12/how-a-baldwinsville-mother-fought-for-30-years-to-pass-a-law-that-might-have-saved-her-daughter.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">How a Baldwinsville mother fought for 30 years to pass a law that might have saved her daughte</span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">r", <i>The Post-Standard</i>, Vallelunga, E., Jan.1, 2023, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Syracuse.com, </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Dec. 27, 2022 (</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=534592442039427&set=a.357635489735124" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Facebook</span></a>). </span><br /><br /><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: inherit;">It's interesting that recent newborn screening for CMV has seen a decrease in congenital infections. <i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">"The hygienic precautions we all have engaged in during the pandemic -- masking, hand-washing and infection prevention behaviors -- were almost certainly responsible for the reduction in CMV transmission, which in turn protected mothers and newborns from the potentially devastating effects of the CMV virus," Schleiss said in a school news release. </i><i style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased;">Researchers also attributed the reduction to stay-at-home initiatives and the closing of group child care centers during those months."(</i><a href="https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2022-09-12/pandemic-silver-lining-drop-in-infections-that-cause-birth-defects" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background: transparent; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Pandemic Silver Lining: Drop in Infections That Cause Birth Defects</a>, USNews.com, Sept. 12, 2022). </span></p><p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; background-color: white; box-sizing: inherit; color: #222222; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: black; font-family: inherit;">Minnesota has a good list of protocols to follow when a child tests positive for cCMV: </span><a href="https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/newbornscreening/program/cmv/faq.html"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: small;">https://www.health.state.mn.</span><wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></wbr><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: small;">us/people/newbornscreening/</span><wbr style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"></wbr><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: small;">program/cmv/faq.html</span></a></p></div></div></div></div>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-83846174746044948732023-03-25T04:42:00.005-07:002023-03-25T05:22:06.733-07:00Who will ensure pregnant caregivers/teachers know about cytomegalovirus (CMV), the #1 birth defects virus, and how to reduce their risk of contracting it?<p><span face="arial, sans-serif"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pUSCiIQL1Rs" width="320" youtube-src-id="pUSCiIQL1Rs"></iframe></div><br /><i>In the above interview, <a href="https://youtu.be/pUSCiIQL1Rs">The Path to CMV Prevention - 03/20/2023</a> (Public Access Channel Baldwinsville), I share my cytomegalovirus (CMV) journey and laws passed or sought. </i><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I am a former, licensed in-home child care provider who was unaware of her occupational risk for CMV - and how to reduce that risk-- until it was too late to help my newborn. When I learned about CMV<i> after </i>receiving my daughter Elizabeth’s diagnosis of congenital CMV, my head spun. I thought I lived in a country that told its workers about their occupational hazards. Elizabeth’s brain was small and damaged. She had hearing loss, blindness, mental challenges, cerebral palsy and epilepsy. She died after a seizure in 2006 at the age of 16.<p></p><div><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif">In 2012, I received an email from a distressed grandmother about her grandson just born with congenital CMV in Connecticut. The baby's mother was a high school student interning in a daycare center. The young mother, just like me decades earlier, was unaware she was putting her pregnancy at increased risk by working with young children. When I visited the family in the hospital, the attending nurse asked me, "Knowing what you do about CMV, why haven’t you launched an awareness campaign?" I tried to explain that I've been doing just that for years through my writing and speaking, but with little, long-term result. I believe it will take laws to ensure child care providers learn about CMV.</span></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif">To date, I continue to hear from child care providers distraught that their employers didn't educate them about CMV--despite the fact OSHA recognizes CMV as an occupational hazard to them (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/hazards&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw3q5eZ1UwWfuikqkgW8E1gY" href="https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/hazards" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.osha.gov/<wbr></wbr>cytomegalovirus/hazards</a>). </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">It pains me that the newborns of our nation's caregivers/teachers are not benefitting from the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, which requires workers receive "information and training about hazards”. </span></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">R</span><span face="arial, sans-serif">ecent studies show that child care providers are largely unaware of CMV and many acknowledge using diaper wipes to clean (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10566-015-9325-y&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw2PS25AMq_ijyaipL3AbmIm" href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10566-015-9325-y" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Thackeray and Magnusson, 2016</a><span face="arial, sans-serif">). Diaper wipes do not effectively remove CMV from hands (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://aem.asm.org/content/80/2/455.full&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw1WX1QyE_54H1NADEYff6oB" href="https://aem.asm.org/content/80/2/455.full" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Stowell et al., 2014</a><span face="arial, sans-serif">). </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">In addition,</span></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif">specific information about CMV is not reaching child care providers despite guidelines from the following organizations: </span></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><ul style="text-align: left;"><li><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;"><b>National Association for the Education of Young Children</b> (NAEYC) has </span><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; padding: 0in;">procedures in place to </span>"reduce occupational hazards such as infectious diseases (e.g., exposure of pregnant staff to CMV…" (<u><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://url.emailprotection.link/?btQZGdFI9IaRmmbtTohIW-BJ5VXDQDRGvHlpGVQsEepUtjDlljr41HWww4pryO58AZSnhM4QrqaLSJ_hV4afcf3bswEgQGAelA1irPctyw3DjyvRIvBSD5bHQ91LwR-AkAzS0ufVQPlzZrWNNuuodWhEx51WqiqFXk93pEjnWQd7xkeBpm02tEzivcdmSI6fxk0_bgaO88zwxu3MHG46gMQ~~&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw3gHco6NHFmioJiPGNVrqOR" href="https://url.emailprotection.link/?btQZGdFI9IaRmmbtTohIW-BJ5VXDQDRGvHlpGVQsEepUtjDlljr41HWww4pryO58AZSnhM4QrqaLSJ_hV4afcf3bswEgQGAelA1irPctyw3DjyvRIvBSD5bHQ91LwR-AkAzS0ufVQPlzZrWNNuuodWhEx51WqiqFXk93pEjnWQd7xkeBpm02tEzivcdmSI6fxk0_bgaO88zwxu3MHG46gMQ~~" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and Accreditation Criteria</a></u>, p. 90).</span></li><li><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b>American Academy of Pediatrics</b> 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), </span><i style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Caring for our Children</i><span face="arial, sans-serif">, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education. Retrieved from: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw1C8Yi1cit4-L3S-TypJJcn" href="http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif;" target="_blank">http://nrckids.org/CFOC/<wbr></wbr>Database/7.7.1.1</a><span face="arial, sans-serif">, revised 2017).</span></li><li><span face="arial, sans-serif"><h4 style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">CDC <span style="font-weight: normal;">and</span> </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">(ACOG) <span style="font-weight: normal;">guidelines, and those of other well-respected organizations, are below my signature. </span></span></h4></span></li></ul></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif">According to the CDC, about 1 out of 200 babies is born with congenital cytomegalovirus or CMV. Of those, 1 out of 5 will have permanent disabilities (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.cdc.gov/cmv/congenital-infection.html&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw35WHYRCg2eiunl9SvCyTMh" href="http://www.cdc.gov/cmv/congenital-infection.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.cdc.gov/cmv</a>). </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">"CMV is more common among socially disadvantaged groups, and it clusters geographically in poor communities" (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5907865/&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw0V_pVhMlyhw5t7zmv9n0Vq" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5907865/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Lantos et al, 2017</a><span face="arial, sans-serif">).</span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Between </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">8 - 20% of child care providers contract CMV every year (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw3SAo5hp6lfXRrAuGnch_n3" href="https://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">American Academy of Pediatrics</span></a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) as compared to 1-4% of women (who have never had CMV) in the general population (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/clinical/overview.html&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw13UG-gfpWsaUXOOEWtgk2r" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/clinical/overview.html" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">CDC</span></a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). </span><span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span></p><div><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span><div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Most caregivers/teachers are still unaware of CMV because:</span><br /></span></div><div><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 6pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1) </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although OSHA lists CMV as a </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/cmv/hazards.html&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw1NsPWC7lIEOYt-zdRw5jO1" href="http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/cmv/hazards.html" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Recognized Hazard</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">",</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> there are no federal laws governing CMV education policies for child care workers. The</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw1esr7B_uddTfh-gcfJxkpJ" href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Department of Labor</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> 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 </span></span>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."</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 6pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2) C</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MV education is not "part of standard prenatal care” (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid%3DIwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw0grPmo2LKrxFOvbaFTEI96" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid=IwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Washington Post</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 2021).</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3) Doctors don’t want to frighten, worry or “burden” patients (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw1QezdGDW1WIOgiLxYQ-0jX" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New York Times</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 2016).</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">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.” (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-5-70%23:~:text%3DIn%2520addition%252C%2520more%2520than%2520100,an%2520important%2520vehicle%2520for%2520transmission.&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw04tyxuvvo_3zO4oABIMfPA" href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-5-70#:~:text=In%20addition%2C%20more%20than%20100,an%20important%20vehicle%20for%20transmission." style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Washing our hands of the congenital cytomegalovirus disease epidemic</span></a><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cannon and Davis, 2005).</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">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...”(</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid%3DIwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw0grPmo2LKrxFOvbaFTEI96" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid=IwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Washington Post</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 2021).</span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><span face="arial, sans-serif"><div><span face="arial, sans-serif">Some in the medical community are unsure that prevention education can make a difference (so why "burden" women with information about CMV), yet according to education studies, </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the efficacy of hygienic precautions has been shown to be greater than 75% </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4588411/&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw0B7tbvPW8hiqaXyzk4HaZ2" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4588411/" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Adler, 2015</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). In addition, if child care providers knew about CMV, they could discuss their risk with their doctor and decide their best course of action to protect their pregnancies. Child care providers may determine to be 1) more careful to follow infection control protocol, 2) ask to work with children over two, or 3) decide to leave the child care industry during pregnancy. </span></div><div><br /></div><div>I recently met two mothers like me, former caregivers/teachers, at the <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://trackbill.com/bill/new-york-assembly-legislative-resolution-346-memorializing-governor-andrew-m-cuomo-to-proclaim-june-2021-as-cytomegalovirus-awareness-month-in-the-state-of-new-york/2131474/&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw2L6TzfhUj4SFDRndzQeVDr" href="https://trackbill.com/bill/new-york-assembly-legislative-resolution-346-memorializing-governor-andrew-m-cuomo-to-proclaim-june-2021-as-cytomegalovirus-awareness-month-in-the-state-of-new-york/2131474/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">June 2021 Cytomegalovirus Awareness Month</a> event in central New York where we placed over 220 silver rocks (the color of CMV awareness) on the Trail of Hope (<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.fltimes.com/news/trail-of-hope-celebration-in-lyons-marks-cmv-month-in-new-york/article_09c0f4b7-a777-5501-b346-f85ffa4cfd83.html&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw2DvhHlfqBgyYglkmn4pj3d" href="https://www.fltimes.com/news/trail-of-hope-celebration-in-lyons-marks-cmv-month-in-new-york/article_09c0f4b7-a777-5501-b346-f85ffa4cfd83.html" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Buchiere, 2021</a>)</span> to honor the estimated number of babies born disabled by congenital CMV in New York each year. You can watch Autumn (born with congenital CMV in 2015), the beautiful daughter of Kristin Schuster of Canandaigua, "help" us with the rocks in the music video, "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DdUEQmKrG354&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw04siXxoQk1T6Iqol8R6Sn2" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUEQmKrG354" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Had I Known, Lyrics and Music by Debra Lynn Alt</a>" (YouTube). Autumn's mother, Kristin, stated that her "<span style="letter-spacing: 0.234px;">risk for contracting CMV came through her former job as a pre-kindergarten teacher when she was pregnant with her daughter Autumn</span>" <span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.84px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(</span><span style="font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.013em;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.syracuse.com/news/2022/12/how-a-baldwinsville-mother-fought-for-30-years-to-pass-a-law-that-might-have-saved-her-daughter.html&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw3kqfm99AvZJwyjrgfT3XiO" href="https://www.syracuse.com/news/2022/12/how-a-baldwinsville-mother-fought-for-30-years-to-pass-a-law-that-might-have-saved-her-daughter.html" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Vallelunga, 2022</a>). </span>Jessica Keukelaar of Macedon watched us place the CMV rocks with her first child Kyleigh, born with congenital CMV in 2018. Like Kristin and myself, Jessica worked with young children during her pregnancy and was unaware of her occupational risk for CMV. In support of a 2022 New York CMV education bill (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw2ZoELY6-AaAwih0zYG_mNO" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">A7560B</a>), Jessica Keukelaar wrote a letter stating, “I was a caregiver in a daycare center when I became pregnant with my daughter born with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV)... I had never heard of CMV or the precautions to take. This bill is important to me because it came as a complete shock when my daughter was born full term, in 2018, with numerous urgent health issues due to CMV... My daughter has developmental delays, spastic cerebral palsy which affects her entire body, eating and digestive difficulties, progressive hearing loss, microcephaly, and more...Congenital CMV has affected every aspect of Kyleigh’s life, as well as our whole family. I wish that someone took the time to educate me about CMV since I was at an increased risk of infection ”(<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://drive.google.com/file/d/18taK4C4CUDdW8q7iJq3wFS_lvawJm0fc/view?usp%3Dsharing&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw0S58MY_-wcKRzN2xLH5hl9" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/18taK4C4CUDdW8q7iJq3wFS_lvawJm0fc/view?usp=sharing" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Memo in Support of A7560B, 2022</a>). </div></span></div><div><div><p style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: black;">In 2022, we three moms helped New York pass the CMV education bill <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw2ZoELY6-AaAwih0zYG_mNO" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">A7560B</a>, named "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.newyorkfamily.com/elizabeths-law-cmv-info-passes-in-new-york/&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw33g9Ga-jA2-ZRTiz6ObFVz" href="https://www.newyorkfamily.com/elizabeths-law-cmv-info-passes-in-new-york/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Elizabeth's Law"</a> in memory of my daughter. Although it is now required for child care providers to receive printed information about CMV (<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://nyassembly.gov/&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw3Zqv4ReP0FL66cZ6UGiXlb" href="http://nyassembly.gov/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">NYAssembly.gov</a></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid%3DIwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw10lvz3HtXVJZUYvy4CKpjj" href="https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid=IwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">, 2022</a>)</span>, they are still not required to receive actual training on this recognized "<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">hazard”. </span></span></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">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" (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2007-01-09%23:~:text%3DUnder%2520OSHA's%2520bloodborne%2520pathogens%2520standard,employees'%2520prior%2520training%2520or%2520education.&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw3iZOIuCGKVB9lHXI9hiDP-" href="https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2007-01-09#:~:text=Under%20OSHA's%20bloodborne%20pathogens%20standard,employees'%20prior%20training%20or%20education." style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Standard Interpretations, 2007</a>). 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..."(<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://systematicreviewsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13643-022-02004-4&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw14d_ycLP1dYgNlHVdvnhTD" href="https://systematicreviewsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13643-022-02004-4" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Balegamire et al.,2022</a>).</span></p><p style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">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” (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://authorlisasaunders.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D0dd2dc5fa327d215c27770e46%26id%3D629328d354%26e%3D9a4503beb7&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw1iA8dDceh2JFldyhP0odfE" href="http://authorlisasaunders.us4.list-manage.com/track/click?u=0dd2dc5fa327d215c27770e46&id=629328d354&e=9a4503beb7" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span color="windowtext">Thackeray and Magnusson, 2016</span></a>). </span></p><p style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Parents of children in day-care centers are also at increased risk for contracting CMV (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM198605293142204&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw3lq4IqrD4Z3lUurIyiXKqc" href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM198605293142204" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Pass et al, 1986).</a> “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?”, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.texaschildrens.org/blog/2014/12/cmv-pregnancy-what-should-i-know&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw2vohif_IEQ7gVO00i3cx7l" href="https://www.texaschildrens.org/blog/2014/12/cmv-pregnancy-what-should-i-know" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Demmler-Harrison, 2014</a>).</span></p></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: #555544;">If training incurs additional costs, it is also important to consider the medical care costs of <span style="color: #222222;">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" (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8453618/&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw00Is0JciumCXvY34lStDIu" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8453618/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Kabani, 2020</a><span style="color: #222222;">). Of course there are other costs to congenital CMV, such as lost wages, the cost of providing specialized education, etc. Another </span><span style="color: #222222;">estimate</span><span style="color: #222222;">: </span></span><span style="color: #500050;">"</span><span style="color: #500050;">at least 3000 [newborns] are estimated to develop permanent neurologic disabilities each year </span><span style="color: #500050;">due to cCMV infection...</span><span style="color: #500050;">With an estimated annual cost of </span><span style="color: #500050;">up to $4 billion in the United States, cCMV infection is an enormous public health concern...</span><span style="color: #500050;">" (</span><span style="color: #500050;"><a style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922;">Gantt, S, 2016</a>). </span><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></p></div><div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"> <br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><div dir="ltr"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><div><span face="calibri, sans-serif"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Please see CMV educational resources below my signature. Thank you for your attention to this matter.</span></span></div><div><span face="calibri, sans-serif"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div><span face="calibri, sans-serif"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Sincerely,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Lisa Saunders</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Baldwinsville, NY </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/NYStopCMV&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw2kLw-AXR6vVnH_-WsH7tDb" href="https://www.facebook.com/NYStopCMV" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif;" target="_blank">New York Stop CMV</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://authorlisasaunders.com/&source=gmail&ust=1679829129081000&usg=AOvVaw2wDVLTMq5tn_ZbdQVElNpp" href="http://authorlisasaunders.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span face="arial, sans-serif">AuthorLisaSaunders.com</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">About Lisa's <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nSO9X0Bzj0wtUzofBpKUTbZ5oaCkgnBd/edit?usp%3Dsharing%26ouid%3D112272037130908785892%26rtpof%3Dtrue%26sd%3Dtrue&source=gmail&ust=1679829129082000&usg=AOvVaw1nJpKdbHDgQKcrkLUAH-j6" href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nSO9X0Bzj0wtUzofBpKUTbZ5oaCkgnBd/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=112272037130908785892&rtpof=true&sd=true" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">CMV work</a></span></p></div></div></span></div><div><span face="calibri, sans-serif"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div><span face="calibri, sans-serif"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><b>RESOURCES TO HELP EDUCATE CHILD CARE PROVIDERS</b><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""calibri" , sans-serif">1. </span></span>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) CMV info available in English and Spanish: <span face=""lato" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif">"Congenital CMV Facts for Pregnant Women and Parents":</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html&source=gmail&ust=1679829129082000&usg=AOvVaw2D3waV8obBHejn-D44mDNQ" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.cdc.gov/<wbr></wbr>cmv/resources/pregnant-women-<wbr></wbr>parents.html</a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><div dir="ltr"><br /></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><span face=""calibri" , sans-serif">2. <i>Caring for Our Children</i> (AAP et al.) has a page that can be downloaded/ printed as a pdf. Click </span></span>"Save as PDF" found on the right hand corner of: <span face=""calibri" , sans-serif">"<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1&source=gmail&ust=1679829129082000&usg=AOvVaw2-CYoUQa_Ql7cNRfRqIg7I" href="http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Staff Education and Policies on Cytomegalovirus (CMV)</a>" (</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif">American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education. (Revised 2017). </span><i>National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs</i><span face=""arial" , sans-serif">. Retrieved from Caring for Our Children:<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1&source=gmail&ust=1679829129082000&usg=AOvVaw2-CYoUQa_Ql7cNRfRqIg7I" href="http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://nrckids.org/<wbr></wbr>CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1</a>).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><div dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;">3. CMV Training Module for child care providers (University of Connecticut):<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/k9MFAEYVuLs&source=gmail&ust=1679829129082000&usg=AOvVaw0Rplun2XQ-4T16u7YT3YGx" href="https://youtu.be/k9MFAEYVuLs" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/<wbr></wbr>k9MFAEYVuLs</a></span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><div><span style="color: black;">4. National CMV Foundation has attractive wall fliers: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationalcmv.org/resources/educational-downloads&source=gmail&ust=1679829129082000&usg=AOvVaw3DxCxWF_yLSjCDGCJIs9kl" href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/resources/educational-downloads" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr></wbr>nationalcmv.org/resources/<wbr></wbr>educational-downloads</a></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: black;">5. <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://d3knp61p33sjvn.cloudfront.net/2015/01/AAP_Model_Child_Care_Health_Policies.pdf.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1679829129082000&usg=AOvVaw1-kjupTAqOvQH93hrL8EDF" href="https://d3knp61p33sjvn.cloudfront.net/2015/01/AAP_Model_Child_Care_Health_Policies.pdf.pdf" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Model Child Care Health Policies</a><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">, a book published 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)” (AAP Pennsylvania Chapter, Aronson, SS, ed., 2014, p. 116).</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">6. </span><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">For Employers: </span><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">Publication: Brown, N. J. (2019, November). "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/conference/45/&source=gmail&ust=1679829129082000&usg=AOvVaw3fF675dclKlBMkOtCFmSrE" href="https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/conference/45/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Occupational exposure to cytomegalovirus (CMV): Preventing exposure in child care and educational settings, including OSHA advisories</a>." Ithaca, NY: Cornell University, ILR School. </span><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif"> </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://vimeo.com/user43999427/download/450219803/e5b7be27db&source=gmail&ust=1679829129082000&usg=AOvVaw376QmUdk4BOIiSwqtgDR6Y" href="https://vimeo.com/user43999427/download/450219803/e5b7be27db" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Download video workshop</a>. <span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">This publication/presentation is by </span></span>Nellie Brown, MS, CIH, Director of Workplace Health & Safety Programs, </div>Lead Programs Manager, Certified Industrial Hygienist, ILR Outreach Statewide And Buffalo Co-Lab, 617 Main St. – Suite 300, Buffalo, NY 14203, ILR School, Cornell University, t. 716 852 1444 x111,<br /><a href="mailto:njb7@cornell.edu" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">njb7@cornell.edu</a>, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/&source=gmail&ust=1679829129082000&usg=AOvVaw1S_vzt38vouwXryubfLP-j" href="http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.ilr.<wbr></wbr>cornell.edu</a></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">7. Moderna: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.nowiknowcmv.com/&source=gmail&ust=1679829129082000&usg=AOvVaw1gFvkauvYI_2mEfvczV8oL" href="http://www.nowiknowcmv.com/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #000f9f; outline: 0px;" target="_blank">www.nowiknowcmv.com</a></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr"><span face="arial, sans-serif">8. M</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">edscape, which offers free professional online education and CME (Continuing Medical Education) to physicians and healthcare professionals, is now working to advance awareness of congenital CMV. Gail J. Demmler-Harrison, MD can be seen introducing its new CMV program: “As chair of the steering committee, I’d like to welcome you to Clinical Advances in Cytomegalovirus or CMV, a comprehensive learning center for clinicians who treat patients with CMV or who treat patients who are at risk for CMV…” (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.medscape.org/sites/advances/cmv&source=gmail&ust=1679829129082000&usg=AOvVaw1ZvC0WRtiteOQsHjFGRw80" href="https://www.medscape.org/sites/advances/cmv" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">medscape.org/sites/advances/<wbr></wbr>cmv</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). Steering Committee members include </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sallie Permar,</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> MD, PhD; </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amanda Devereaux</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, RN, BSN; </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Megan Pesch</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, MD, MS; </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Natali Aziz</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, MD, MS; and </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nancy Durand</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, MD, FRCSC.(Series supported by an independent educational grant from Moderna, Inc.)</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">###</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div dir="ltr"><h4 style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Since our country's goal is to follow the guidelines of organizations such as the CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP); </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">(ACOG); and the </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">Occupational Safety and Health Administration</span><span face="arial, sans-serif"> (OSHA)</span><span face="arial, sans-serif">, I thought I would compile a list of organizations that promote CMV prevention education:</span></h4><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><ol><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b>American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists </b><span face="arial, sans-serif">(ACOG) - Under "What infections should I be concerned about and how can I reduce my chances of getting them during pregnancy", ACOG states, </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">“</span><span face="arial, sans-serif">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...(<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/reducing-risks-of-birth-defects&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw2fY8H_tB23jHtShXO81dGQ" href="https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/reducing-risks-of-birth-defects" style="background: transparent; color: navy; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u>https://www.acog.<wbr></wbr>org/womens-health/faqs/<wbr></wbr>reducing-risks-of-birth-<wbr></wbr>defects</u></span></a> ).</span></span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><b>American Academy of Pediatrics </b>(AAP)<span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;"> states: </span> "<span style="color: #1a1a1a;">Despite the magnitude of the problem as well as evidence for efficacy of preventive actions, awareness among women of childbearing potential is low..." (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://publications.aap.org/pediatricsinreview/article-abstract/43/5/291/186824/Congenital-Cytomegalovirus?redirectedFrom%3Dfulltext&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw2CnBLryzI7EyQj7dWVLxMU" href="https://publications.aap.org/pediatricsinreview/article-abstract/43/5/291/186824/Congenital-Cytomegalovirus?redirectedFrom=fulltext" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">AAP, 2022</a>). In its book, </span><i style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw1BmXj45uiLHy-uIHSEXq4j" href="https://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Caring for Our Children</a></i><span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;">,</span> AAP et al. feature: “<i style="color: #333333;">The importance of hand hygiene measures (especially handwashing and avoiding contact with urine, saliva, and nasal secretions) to lower the risk of CMV; <i>The availability of counseling and testing for serum antibody to CMV to determine the caregiver/teacher’s immune status.</i></i> (AAP et al., </span></span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw1ma7Tye6f1YKbIOl3aZkw7" href="http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="background: transparent; color: navy; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">nrckids.org/CFOC/<wbr></wbr>Database/7.7.1.1</span></u></span></span></a>, 2017<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">). In addition, its book, </span></span><span style="color: #500050;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://d3knp61p33sjvn.cloudfront.net/2015/01/AAP_Model_Child_Care_Health_Policies.pdf.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw29iDORTltB9wyN6T6FOUtb" href="https://d3knp61p33sjvn.cloudfront.net/2015/01/AAP_Model_Child_Care_Health_Policies.pdf.pdf" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Model Child Care Health Policies</a>, includes a <span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544;">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).</span></span></span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b>U.S. Congress: </b>"Recommends that more effort be taken to counsel women of childbearing age of the effect this virus can have on their children"<span style="background-color: transparent;">(</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-resolution/215&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw3RkGo3HDrS1_dAeAEaLCM9" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-resolution/215" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr></wbr>congress.gov/bill/112th-<wbr></wbr>congress/senate-resolution/215</a><wbr></wbr>).</span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/congenital-infection.html&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw0XmuNmfYadaEuSBAFsdbjt" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/congenital-infection.html" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Centers for Disease Control and Preventio</a>n </b>(CDC) -<b> "</b><span style="color: black;">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.</span><span style="color: black;"> " (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/congenital-infection.html&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw0XmuNmfYadaEuSBAFsdbjt" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/congenital-infection.html" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/<wbr></wbr>congenital-infection.html</a>)</span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b>Occupational Safety and Health Administration</b> (OSHA) recognizes CMV as a “hazard” for childcare workers (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/hazards&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw2xjzEkEw5d3UyA56Ghy9-R" href="https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/hazards" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.osha.gov/<wbr></wbr>cytomegalovirus/hazards</a>).</span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nowiknowcmv.com/?fbclid%3DIwAR34nKxp2O7HBTVog-vLC3fjiHE2EsoTrA2ht1jkKEdE1p7aHrRUZmi3OJ0&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw1Rx1kZciZIszfBxTLSxhcl" href="https://nowiknowcmv.com/?fbclid=IwAR34nKxp2O7HBTVog-vLC3fjiHE2EsoTrA2ht1jkKEdE1p7aHrRUZmi3OJ0" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Moderna</a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">: "Moms-to-be should talk to their doctors about CMV and take precautions."</span></span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b>March of Dimes</b> - "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." (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/cytomegalovirus-and-pregnancy.aspx&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw1OmhKVWpRnsni4_giAhrvE" href="https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/cytomegalovirus-and-pregnancy.aspx" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.marchofdimes.org/<wbr></wbr>complications/cytomegalovirus-<wbr></wbr>and-pregnancy.aspx</a>)</span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b>National CMV Foundation </b>- "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." <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationalcmv.org/about-us/advocacy&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw3a3qb2aYkK46O8uvMIif0a" href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/about-us/advocacy" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr></wbr>nationalcmv.org/about-us/<wbr></wbr>advocacy</a> </span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b>National Association for the Education of Young Children</b> and its document, “<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://url.emailprotection.link/?btQZGdFI9IaRmmbtTohIW-BJ5VXDQDRGvHlpGVQsEepUtjDlljr41HWww4pryO58AZSnhM4QrqaLSJ_hV4afcf3bswEgQGAelA1irPctyw3DjyvRIvBSD5bHQ91LwR-AkAzS0ufVQPlzZrWNNuuodWhEx51WqiqFXk93pEjnWQd7xkeBpm02tEzivcdmSI6fxk0_bgaO88zwxu3MHG46gMQ~~&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw3lnp9sXoJWveLdudYHHXgt" href="https://url.emailprotection.link/?btQZGdFI9IaRmmbtTohIW-BJ5VXDQDRGvHlpGVQsEepUtjDlljr41HWww4pryO58AZSnhM4QrqaLSJ_hV4afcf3bswEgQGAelA1irPctyw3DjyvRIvBSD5bHQ91LwR-AkAzS0ufVQPlzZrWNNuuodWhEx51WqiqFXk93pEjnWQd7xkeBpm02tEzivcdmSI6fxk0_bgaO88zwxu3MHG46gMQ~~" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and Accreditation Criteria & Guidance for Assessment</a><span style="color: black;">,” acknowledges the need to "reduce occupational hazards such as infectious diseases (e.g., exposure of pregnant staff to CMV…)”p.90.</span></span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://info.childcareaware.org/blog/the-danger-of-spreading-cmv-how-we-we-can-protect-our-children&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw0WmyR81up1D7CiNpEUwm5o" href="https://info.childcareaware.org/blog/the-danger-of-spreading-cmv-how-we-we-can-protect-our-children" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">ChildCare Aware of America</a>: </b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">"i</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">f you are a childcare worker, a nursery volunteer, or have a toddler in child care, you need to know about cytomegalovirus (CMV)." (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://info.childcareaware.org/blog/the-danger-of-spreading-cmv-how-we-we-can-protect-our-children&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw0WmyR81up1D7CiNpEUwm5o" href="https://info.childcareaware.org/blog/the-danger-of-spreading-cmv-how-we-we-can-protect-our-children" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">The Danger of Spreading CMV: How We Can Protect Our Children</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (June 2017).</span></span></li></ol></div></div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div>NOTE 1<br /><br />I have sent information similar to the above to organizations in the child care industry such as:<br /><br /><ul style="text-align: left;"><li>National Association for Family Childcare (NAFCC) is the group that supports and does accreditation for home based/family chilldcare businesses, <a href="http://www.nafcc.org/">www.nafcc.org</a></li><li>Zero to Three focuses on the development of babies and toddlers, especially social justice and equity work. <a href="http://www.zerotothree.org/">www.zerotothree.org</a> , and</li><li>Child Trends does independent research about childhood issues and has a newsletter. <a href="https://www.childtrends.org/">https://www.childtrends.org/</a></li><li>National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) is the group that does accreditation for childcare centers, <a href="https://www.naeyc.org/">https://www.naeyc.org/</a>, <a href="mailto:naeyc@naeyc.org">naeyc@naeyc.org</a>, <a href="mailto:woyc@naeyc.org">woyc@naeyc.org</a></li></ul><div></div></div></div></div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br />Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-32459940388183692052023-03-15T05:18:00.006-07:002023-03-21T05:37:17.884-07:00Why add cytomegalovirus (CMV) to the OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens Standard<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysBppIaiI96GbF4QbKIWIDbxSCEaXPCLoJQL3KFGiezLldXpjFpSOlXANb1TCLA6a10whzTcP7_IMDaOmsjJVpDZu2KdfZHIWoaxLJUboVc1eFTfkPfCc_oXE9Ik91bebHdpENv9q5xunDl50vrxqdb7Kjadic8tpiB3Lp3QG_0ouX4RSA1daNF0QAA/s434/Mother%20w_%20boy%20color%20NY%20CMV%20Project%20cropped%20no%20letters.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="434" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiysBppIaiI96GbF4QbKIWIDbxSCEaXPCLoJQL3KFGiezLldXpjFpSOlXANb1TCLA6a10whzTcP7_IMDaOmsjJVpDZu2KdfZHIWoaxLJUboVc1eFTfkPfCc_oXE9Ik91bebHdpENv9q5xunDl50vrxqdb7Kjadic8tpiB3Lp3QG_0ouX4RSA1daNF0QAA/s320/Mother%20w_%20boy%20color%20NY%20CMV%20Project%20cropped%20no%20letters.png" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><p style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(Illustration from the Woodcutter's Tale by Marianne Greiner. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Coloring by Suzanne Doukas Niermeyer)</span></span></i></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p>C<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">aregivers/teachers regularly bandage bloody cuts. </span></span><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cytomegalovirus (CMV), the leading viral cause of birth defects, is transmitted through bodily fluids such as saliva, urine</span><b style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <i>and</i> <i>blood</i>. </b><p></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">I, along with others before me, have asked </span>OSHA if they can add CMV to its bloodborne pathogens standard, because then, <span style="background-color: transparent;">"</span><span style="background-color: transparent;">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" (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2007-01-09%23:~:text%3DUnder%2520OSHA's%2520bloodborne%2520pathogens%2520standard,employees'%2520prior%2520training%2520or%2520education.&source=gmail&ust=1678966277646000&usg=AOvVaw1EUv4OVcXs1BqJPi2qZCYy" href="https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2007-01-09#:~:text=Under%20OSHA's%20bloodborne%20pathogens%20standard,employees'%20prior%20training%20or%20education." style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Standard Interpretations, 2007</a><span style="background-color: transparent;">). </span></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;">Despite OSHA recognizing CMV as a hazard to childcare workers on its webpage at: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/hazards&source=gmail&ust=1678966277646000&usg=AOvVaw0LeRO7kajpZGwikwnD26W3" href="https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/hazards" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.osha.gov/<wbr></wbr>cytomegalovirus/hazards</a>, I know from personal experience that m<span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;">ost child care providers are unaware of their occupational risk for congenital <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/index.html&source=gmail&ust=1678966277646000&usg=AOvVaw2OvJsxu3iV3i9k1zcvU8jr" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/index.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">CMV</a> (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.cdc.gov/cmv/index.html&source=gmail&ust=1678966277646000&usg=AOvVaw2n5vYqUpAnbs0TmNXyUuF2" href="http://www.cdc.gov/cmv/index.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.cdc.gov/cmv/index.html</a>)<span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although I was a licensed, in-home child care provider at the time of my pregnancy with Elizabeth, born with congenital CMV in 1989, I was not educated about the virus. When I learned about CMV after receiving Elizabeth’s diagnosis, my head spun. I thought I lived in a country that told its workers about their occupational hazards. Elizabeth’s brain was small and damaged. She had deafness, blindness, mental challenges, cerebral palsy and epilepsy. She died during a seizure in 2006. </span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;">Shockingly, years later, child care providers are still unaware of CMV. </span><span style="color: #555544;">In 2012, I received an email from a distressed grandmother about her grandson just born with congenital CMV. The baby's mother was a high school student interning in a daycare center. The young mother, just like me decades earlier, was unaware she was putting her pregnancy at increased risk by working with young children. When I visited the family in the hospital, the attending nurse asked me, "Knowing what you do about CMV, why haven’t you launched an awareness campaign?" I explained to her that I've been trying for years--with little, long-term result. </span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;">Between </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">8 - 20% of child care providers contract CMV every year (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1&source=gmail&ust=1678966277646000&usg=AOvVaw0fbJFfQaH4CHs2IvIJzmY8" href="https://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">American Academy of Pediatrics 2017</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">) as compared to 1-4% of women (who have never had CMV) in the general population (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/clinical/overview.html&source=gmail&ust=1678966277646000&usg=AOvVaw3hdspQA7CfbzROXX9PHx8n" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/clinical/overview.html" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">CDC</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">R</span><span style="color: #555544;">ecent studies show that child care providers are largely unaware of CMV and many acknowledge using diaper wipes to clean (</span><span style="color: #555544;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10566-015-9325-y&source=gmail&ust=1678966277646000&usg=AOvVaw2IRpHuSS6exxAeCCEGxSxr" href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10566-015-9325-y" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Thackeray and Magnusson, 2016</a></span><span style="color: #555544;">). Diaper wipes do not effectively remove CMV from hands (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://aem.asm.org/content/80/2/455.full&source=gmail&ust=1678966277646000&usg=AOvVaw2kt8lr5G4ijkdel1avIwMP" href="https://aem.asm.org/content/80/2/455.full" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span color="windowtext">Stowell et al., 2014</span></a><span style="color: #555544;">). </span> </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;">Most caregivers/teachers are still unaware of CMV because:</span><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 6pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1) </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although OSHA lists CMV as a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/cmv/hazards.html&source=gmail&ust=1678966277646000&usg=AOvVaw1T9Pjhrl2QC9sQDaq6ZPHg" href="http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/cmv/hazards.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Recognized Hazard</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">",</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> there are no federal laws governing CMV education policies for child care workers. The</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm&source=gmail&ust=1678966277646000&usg=AOvVaw1RFuLCqzPAyvCr-gN8TkL9" href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Department of Labor</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> states, "Education and training requirements vary by setting, state, and employer." </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 6pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2) C</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MV education is not "part of standard prenatal care” (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid%3DIwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA&source=gmail&ust=1678966277646000&usg=AOvVaw2mgf23yVn7om5PAq9pvoTL" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid=IwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Washington Post</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 2021);</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3) Doctors don’t want to frighten, worry or “burden” patients (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html&source=gmail&ust=1678966277646000&usg=AOvVaw1-YQMnejJABkinKHprAGoH" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New York Times</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 2016);</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4) CMV is a “silent virus” that goes largely undiagnosed--"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.” (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-5-70%23:~:text%3DIn%2520addition%252C%2520more%2520than%2520100,an%2520important%2520vehicle%2520for%2520transmission.&source=gmail&ust=1678966277646000&usg=AOvVaw2mDsy9hMDUJkZjwcCTcHKW" href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-5-70#:~:text=In%20addition%2C%20more%20than%20100,an%20important%20vehicle%20for%20transmission." style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Washing our hands of the congenital cytomegalovirus disease epidemic</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cannon and Davis, 2005).</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">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...”(</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid%3DIwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA&source=gmail&ust=1678966277647000&usg=AOvVaw1ZJa1j9QMCv4Aa9Bh_bOYk" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid=IwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Washington Post</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 2021).</span></span></p></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">It pains me that caregivers/teachers are slipping through the cracks--that their unborn children are not benefitting from <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3021.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1678966277647000&usg=AOvVaw2yx0Vlruzqek65QsntIvar" href="https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3021.pdf" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970</span></a>. Most workers in the childcare industry <span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;">are not receiving their right to “receive information and training about hazards”. Their babies are paying the price for this neglect. </span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Please take a moment to "meet" these two mothers living near me who had no other children at the time of their pregnancy, but because of their professions, were unknowingly at increased risk for CMV. I met them at the <span style="color: #555544;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://trackbill.com/bill/new-york-assembly-legislative-resolution-346-memorializing-governor-andrew-m-cuomo-to-proclaim-june-2021-as-cytomegalovirus-awareness-month-in-the-state-of-new-york/2131474/&source=gmail&ust=1678966277647000&usg=AOvVaw3UtS1hUBDDjsrdeXjCRJTL" href="https://trackbill.com/bill/new-york-assembly-legislative-resolution-346-memorializing-governor-andrew-m-cuomo-to-proclaim-june-2021-as-cytomegalovirus-awareness-month-in-the-state-of-new-york/2131474/" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">June 2021 Cytomegalovirus Awareness Month</a> event in central New York where we </span><span style="color: #555544;">placed </span><span style="color: #555544;">over 220 silver rocks (the color of CMV awareness) </span><span style="color: #555544;">on the </span>Trail of Hope (<span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.fltimes.com/news/trail-of-hope-celebration-in-lyons-marks-cmv-month-in-new-york/article_09c0f4b7-a777-5501-b346-f85ffa4cfd83.html&source=gmail&ust=1678966277647000&usg=AOvVaw13NRoM2RcqT-7eEyF6VJJT" href="https://www.fltimes.com/news/trail-of-hope-celebration-in-lyons-marks-cmv-month-in-new-york/article_09c0f4b7-a777-5501-b346-f85ffa4cfd83.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Buchiere, 2021</a>)</span><span style="color: #555544;"> </span><span style="color: #555544;">to honor t</span><span style="color: #555544;">he estimated number of babies born disabled by congenital CMV in New York each year. </span><span style="color: #555544;"> You can watch Autumn (</span><span style="color: #555544;">born with congenital CMV in 2015)</span><span style="color: #555544;">, the beautiful daughter of </span><span style="color: #555544;">Kristin Schuster of Canandaigua, "help" us with the rocks in the</span><span style="color: #555544;"> music video, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/dUEQmKrG354&source=gmail&ust=1678966277647000&usg=AOvVaw0pTC6mAyR1a14VnydFewN_" href="https://youtu.be/dUEQmKrG354" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">"Had I Known (about CMV)"</a></span><span style="color: #555544;">. Autumn's mother, Kristin, stated that her "</span><span style="color: #2a2a2a; letter-spacing: 0.234px;">risk for contracting CMV came through her former job as a pre-kindergarten teacher when she was pregnant with her daughter Autumn</span><span style="color: #555544;">" </span><span style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: 0.84px; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">(</span><span style="color: #333333; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-weight: inherit; letter-spacing: 0.013em;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.syracuse.com/news/2022/12/how-a-baldwinsville-mother-fought-for-30-years-to-pass-a-law-that-might-have-saved-her-daughter.html&source=gmail&ust=1678966277647000&usg=AOvVaw2Js3sEmIk3cxGY_3H8XCgT" href="https://www.syracuse.com/news/2022/12/how-a-baldwinsville-mother-fought-for-30-years-to-pass-a-law-that-might-have-saved-her-daughter.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Vallelunga, 2022</a>). </span><span id="m_-8407690082879764463gmail-docs-internal-guid-470460a1-7fff-b43c-8790-f3637c89890e" style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jessica Keukelaa</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">r </span></span><span style="color: #555544;">of Macedon</span><span style="color: #555544;"> watched us place the rocks with her first child Kyleigh, born with congenital CMV in 2018. </span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #555544;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #555544;">Like Kristin and myself, Jessica worked with young children during her pregnancy and was unaware of her occupational risk for CMV. <b>In support of a New York law to educate child care providers about CMV, she wrote </b></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a letter to Assemblymember Rosenthal’s office stating, “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I was a caregiver in a daycare center when I became pregnant with my daughter born with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV)... I had never heard of CMV or the precautions to take. This bill [Elizabeth’s Law] is important to me because it came as a complete shock when my daughter was born full term, in 2018, with numerous urgent health issues due to CMV. She was transferred to a different hospital to be in the NICU where she spent the first two weeks of her life; she was very ill. My daughter has developmental delays, spastic cerebral palsy which affects her entire body, eating and digestive difficulties, progressive hearing loss, microcephaly, and more. Some of the extra equipment Kyleigh requires on a daily basis are, a wheelchair due to immobility, gastrostomy tube for proper nutrition, cochlear implant for hearing, and special orthotics for her hands, wrists, ankles, and feet. She had surgery for her cochlear implant at 17 months, a double hip reconstruction at two years, and surgery to have her g-tube placed at three years. She also takes numerous medications several times per day, and receives 11 Botox injections quarterly to help with her spasticity. Congenital CMV has affected every aspect of Kyleigh’s life, as well as our whole family. I wish that someone took the time to educate me about CMV since I was at an increased risk of infection ”</span><span style="color: #555544; font-family: inherit;">( Jessica's </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://drive.google.com/file/d/18taK4C4CUDdW8q7iJq3wFS_lvawJm0fc/view?usp%3Dsharing&source=gmail&ust=1678966277647000&usg=AOvVaw2E8FKeP0ro2_NLxba-ooBC" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/18taK4C4CUDdW8q7iJq3wFS_lvawJm0fc/view?usp=sharing" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Memo in Support of “Elizabeth’s Law” 2022</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">). </span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #555544;">In 2022, we three moms, former caregivers/teachers, helped New York pass the CMV education bill, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.newyorkfamily.com/elizabeths-law-cmv-info-passes-in-new-york/&source=gmail&ust=1678966277647000&usg=AOvVaw2KDHyWXMIbDZtrRPbzomJ4" href="https://www.newyorkfamily.com/elizabeths-law-cmv-info-passes-in-new-york/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">"Elizabeth's Law"</a>, named in memory of my daughter. Although it is now required for child care providers to receive printed information about CMV (</span><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://NYAssembly.gov&source=gmail&ust=1678966277647000&usg=AOvVaw2pzix3wESGYJlnNzUL9VXT" href="http://nyassembly.gov/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">NYAssembly.gov</a></span><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid%3DIwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA&source=gmail&ust=1678966277647000&usg=AOvVaw1IjAkyAT4Ye90AonG2Y4nK" href="https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid=IwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">, 2022</a>)</span><span style="color: #555544;">, they are still not required to receive actual training on this recognized "</span><span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;">hazard”. </span><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;">I think it's important to recognize the significance of this statement made in 2022: </span><span style="color: black;">"Childcare workers, <b>but not healthcare workers</b>,</span><span style="color: black;"> have an increased risk of prevalent and incident CMV infection, a risk that is further increased with the presence of at least one child living at home. </span><b style="color: black;">These findings suggest that enforcing simple, conventional hygienic measures in childcare settings could help reduce transmission of CMV,</b><span style="color: black;"> and that special precautionary measures for preventing CMV infection may not be required for pregnant healthcare workers."(</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://systematicreviewsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13643-022-02004-4&source=gmail&ust=1678966277647000&usg=AOvVaw3bi_MUu1v9wBY7pe5PGtsN" href="https://systematicreviewsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13643-022-02004-4" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Prevalence, incidence, and risk factors associated with cytomegalovirus infection in healthcare and childcare worker: a systematic review and meta-analysis</a>, Balegamire et al.,2022<span style="color: black;">)</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span><span style="color: #555544;">If training incurs additional costs, it is also important to consider the medical care costs of </span><span style="color: #222222;">NOT preventing congenital CMV: "Congenital CMV-related sequelae affect over 5000 children annually, and costs are greater than<b> $1 billion annually in direct medical car</b>e in the United States" (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8453618/&source=gmail&ust=1678966277647000&usg=AOvVaw17OJORMLZSeFD_YzH67BXD" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8453618/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Kabani, 2020</a><span style="color: #222222;">). Of course there are other costs to congenital CMV, such as lost wages, the cost of providing specialized education, etc. Another </span><span style="color: #222222;">estimate</span><span style="color: #222222;">: </span></span><span style="color: #500050;">"</span><span style="color: #500050;">at least 3000 [newborns] are estimated to develop permanent neurologic disabilities each year </span><span style="color: #500050;">due to cCMV infection...</span><span style="color: #500050;">With an estimated annual cost of </span><span style="color: #500050;">up to<b> $4 billion in the United State</b>s, cCMV infection is an enormous public health concern...</span><span style="color: #500050;">" ("</span><span style="color: #500050;">Cost-effectiveness of Universal and Targeted Newborn </span><span style="color: #500050;">Screening for Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection" (</span><span style="color: #500050;"><a style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold;">Gantt, S, 2016</a>). </span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">OSHA's CMV Hazard Recognition page, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/hazards&source=gmail&ust=1678966277647000&usg=AOvVaw10ZjzLyEMU6VgcwsOW97OZ" href="https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/hazards" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.osha.gov/<wbr></wbr>cytomegalovirus/hazards</a>, <wbr></wbr>states, "<span style="color: #333333;">To help prevent CMV infections, employers and workers should treat all body fluids as if they are potentially infectious with CMV and follow the precautions described in the </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/control-prevention&source=gmail&ust=1678966277647000&usg=AOvVaw3C8tQl1_L5j7T-JhZLYElx" href="https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/control-prevention" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #003399; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="Control and Prevention">Control and Prevention</a><span style="color: #333333;"> page. Depending on workers’ job tasks and exposures, this may include following </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/bloodbornepathogens/worker_protections.html&source=gmail&ust=1678966277647000&usg=AOvVaw1HvRnDQ6p96XBvU3Jzqtcr" href="https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/bloodbornepathogens/worker_protections.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #003399; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="universal precautions">universal precautions</a><span style="color: #333333;"> as required in OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens (BBP) standard (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1030&source=gmail&ust=1678966277647000&usg=AOvVaw1mBO9sa7L-9NFfaB-AMDnG" href="https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1030" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #003399; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="29 CFR 1910.1030">29 CFR 1910.1030</a><span style="color: #333333;">), as well as </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/bloodbornepathogens/worker_protections.html&source=gmail&ust=1678966277647000&usg=AOvVaw1HvRnDQ6p96XBvU3Jzqtcr" href="https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/bloodbornepathogens/worker_protections.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #003399; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="standard precautions">standard precautions</a><span style="color: #333333;">, which expand universal precautions beyond what the BBP standard requires."</span> </span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">According to the OSHA webpage, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/standards&source=gmail&ust=1678966277647000&usg=AOvVaw0sDYHBoPApjHaNOqT0eN9k" href="https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/standards" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Cytomegalovirus - Standards | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (osha.gov)</a>:<br /></span></p><h4 style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i style="color: #333333;">This section highlights OSHA standards and directives (instructions for compliance officers) and other related information that may apply to possible worker exposure to cytomegalovirus (CMV).</i><br /></span></h4><div style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333;"><h5 style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; font-weight: normal; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; padding-bottom: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">OSHA Standards</span></i></h5><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">There is no specific OSHA standard covering CMV. However, there are some OSHA standards that may apply to preventing occupational exposure to sources of CMV.</span></i></p><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-type: square; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px; padding-left: 1.5em;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 15px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">OSHA's Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) standards (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910%231910_Subpart_I&source=gmail&ust=1678966277647000&usg=AOvVaw0TU7rB8q_W-84WSObgMIyp" href="https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910#1910_Subpart_I" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #003399; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="29 CFR Subpart I">29 CFR 1910 Subpart I</a>), which include requirements for when employees must use gloves and eye and face protection, may apply to protecting workers from CMV.</span></i></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 15px;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;">OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens (BBP) standard (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1030&source=gmail&ust=1678966277647000&usg=AOvVaw1mBO9sa7L-9NFfaB-AMDnG" href="https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1030" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #003399; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="29 CFR 1910.1030">29 CFR 1910.1030</a>) applies to occupational exposure to human blood and other potentially infectious materials. The BBP standard applies to occupational exposure to some human body fluids, including blood and saliva in dental procedures, which can transmit CMV. The BBP standard also describes measures could serve as a framework to control non-bloodborne exposures, including to <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/bloodbornepathogens/worker_protections.html&source=gmail&ust=1678966277647000&usg=AOvVaw1HvRnDQ6p96XBvU3Jzqtcr" href="https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/bloodbornepathogens/worker_protections.html" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #003399; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank" title="body fluids">body fluids</a> such as urine, feces, and saliva (except in dental procedures) to which the standard does not apply.</span></i></li></ul></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #555544;">Thank you for your attention to this serious matter.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sincerely, </span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Lisa Saunders</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">LisaSaunders42@gmail.com</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">216 Peakwood Ln, Apt 15</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Baldwinsville, NY 13027</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/NYStopCMV&source=gmail&ust=1678966277647000&usg=AOvVaw3SGUJ1PwOCFi8ouid15EcW" href="https://www.facebook.com/NYStopCMV" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">New York Stop CMV</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">About Lisa's <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nSO9X0Bzj0wtUzofBpKUTbZ5oaCkgnBd/edit?usp%3Dsharing%26ouid%3D112272037130908785892%26rtpof%3Dtrue%26sd%3Dtrue&source=gmail&ust=1678966277647000&usg=AOvVaw15WMq8qSWSiwmkk9xMoPro" href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nSO9X0Bzj0wtUzofBpKUTbZ5oaCkgnBd/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=112272037130908785892&rtpof=true&sd=true" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">CMV work</a></span></p></div></div></div>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-40781535680031356732023-03-10T09:54:00.005-08:002023-03-18T03:11:37.708-07:00Free Ways to Educate Pregnant Women About Preventing #1 Birth Defects Virus, CMV<p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cost of NOT </span>preventing<span style="font-family: inherit;"> congenital CMV: "</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050;">at least 3000 [newborns] are estimated to develop permanent neurologic disabilities each year </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050;">due to cCMV infection...</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050;">With an estimated annual cost of </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050;">up to $4 billion in the United States, cCMV infection is an enormous public health concern...</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #500050;">" ("</span><span style="color: #500050;">Cost-effectiveness of Universal and Targeted Newborn </span><span style="color: #500050;">Screening for Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection" (</span><span style="color: #500050;"><a href="file:///C:/Users/Lisa%20&%20Jim/Downloads/poi160056.pdf">Gantt, S, 2016</a>). </span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">1) Ask the Commissioner of Health to upload the free CMV educational materials to the Department of Health Website. The <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html">CDC</a>, <a href=":http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1. ">AAP</a> and <span style="background-color: white; color: #555544;"><a href="http://medscape.org/sites/advances/cmv">Medscape </a></span>have great materials. If materials are from the CDC, they don't seem to have to go through an approval process. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #555544;">Medscape, which offers free professional online education and CME (Continuing Medical Education) to physicians and healthcare professionals, now works to advance awareness of congenital CMV. Gail J. Demmler-Harrison, MD can be seen introducing its new CMV program: “As chair of the steering committee, I’d like to welcome you to Clinical Advances in Cytomegalovirus or CMV, a comprehensive learning center for clinicians who treat patients with CMV or who treat patients who are at risk for CMV…” (</span><a href="http://medscape.org/sites/advances/cmv" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">medscape.org/sites/advances/cmv</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #555544;">). Dr. Demmler-Harrison told Saunders, “This is just the first of many CME educational programs Medscape has planned. Check back often for new programs!" </span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">2) Ask legislators to ask doctors who provide prenatal care to distribute information about CMV prevention (CT DPH website has letter: </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">“</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DPH/EHDI/About-CMV_OBs.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1678553330183000&usg=AOvVaw0fsUinhFHEI3Jakwy9UIXx" href="https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DPH/EHDI/About-CMV_OBs.pdf" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: black;">About CMV For Obstetric Health Care Providers</span></b></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: inherit;">”. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: inherit;">It needs to be written in statute, similar to Iowa law, “An attending health care provider shall provide to a </span><span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: inherit;">pregnant woman during the first trimester of the pregnancy the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: inherit;">informational materials published under this subsection. The </span><span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: inherit;">center for congenital and inherited disorders shall make the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: inherit;">informational materials available to attending health care </span><span style="background-color: white; color: red; font-family: inherit;">providers upon request.</span></p><div style="background-color: white;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #500050; font-family: inherit;">3) Distribute links to fliers to doctors and child care providers through association newsletters. </span><span style="color: red; font-family: inherit;"> </span></p></div><div style="background-color: white;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: red;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p></div><div style="background-color: white;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #500050;">4) Ask student interns to create materials especially for child care providers. Although the CT DPH has info for child care providers (see: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Family-Health/EHDI/CMV&source=gmail&ust=1678553330183000&usg=AOvVaw2WH70T8Ak_pZCtNTZvVAGh" href="https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Family-Health/EHDI/CMV" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/<wbr></wbr>Family-Health/EHDI/CMV</a><span style="color: #500050;">), it doesn't have a flyer specifically for child care providers. </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #500050;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #500050;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I asked CT DPH: </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: inherit;">As you may be aware, the Cytomegalovirus education bill is now </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType%3DBill%26bill_num%3DHB6821%26which_year%3D2023&source=gmail&ust=1678553328961000&usg=AOvVaw3r-H-TSJU5nTMwI-7PudAl" href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB6821&which_year=2023" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Raised H.B. No. 6821</a><span style="color: #555544; font-family: inherit;">: AN ACT </span></p><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #555544;">CONCERNING EDUCATION REGARDING CYTOMEGALOVIRUS,</span><span style="color: #555544;"> which only requires CMV info on the DPH website. </span>Commissioner of Health, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/About-the-Commissioner&source=gmail&ust=1678553328961000&usg=AOvVaw1R4qLFJWlF95Kl79bEAF2B" href="https://portal.ct.gov/DPH/About-the-Commissioner" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Manisha Juthani</a>, MD, stated in her letter of testimony: "DPH currently maintains a website, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Family-Health/EHDI/CMV&source=gmail&ust=1678553328961000&usg=AOvVaw214C--iUfLIHbbsG-QUMEE" href="http://portal.ct.gov/DPH/Family-Health/EHDI/CMV" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">portal.ct.gov/DPH/<wbr></wbr>Family-Health/EHDI/CMV</a>, that provides information on symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of cytomegalovirus. We are happy to work with practitioners and community providers if they would like additional information on cytomegalovirus to be added to the website..." <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/PHdata/Tmy/2023HB-06821-R000306-Juthani,%2520Manisha,%2520Commissioner-Department%2520of%2520Public%2520Health--TMY.PDF&source=gmail&ust=1678553328961000&usg=AOvVaw2oFAgXYE4tOG-WfxxwB0zG" href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/PHdata/Tmy/2023HB-06821-R000306-Juthani,%20Manisha,%20Commissioner-Department%20of%20Public%20Health--TMY.PDF" style="background: none; border-bottom: none; box-sizing: inherit; color: #224488; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit; outline: none;" target="_blank"><ul style="display: inline;"><li style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 1px solid rgb(238, 238, 238); box-sizing: inherit; color: black; display: inline; font-weight: 500; margin-left: 15px; padding: 5px 0px 5px 15px;">3/06/2023 Juthani, Manisha, Commissioner-Department of Public Health-</li></ul></a> </span><span style="font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700;">Commissioner of Health, Manisha Juthani, MD, </span><a href="mailto:dph.commissioner@ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 700;" target="_blank">dph.commissioner@ct.gov</a></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">ADD:</span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">UCONN students created a CMV training video for child care providers. <br /></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><ul style="color: #555544;"><li style="color: black; line-height: 25.6px; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: red;">CMV Training Module for child care providers (University of Connecticut):</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/k9MFAEYVuLs&source=gmail&ust=1678553328961000&usg=AOvVaw3hq5PdqIWRY3TqdFQtf7cK" href="https://youtu.be/k9MFAEYVuLs" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/<wbr></wbr>k9MFAEYVuLs</a></span></li><li style="color: black; line-height: 25.6px; margin-left: 15px;">CDC flyers in English and Spanish:<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html&source=gmail&ust=1678553328961000&usg=AOvVaw2CZ51MDJ7n4PjaT9ECp66m" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.cdc.gov/<wbr></wbr>cmv/resources/pregnant-women-<wbr></wbr>parents.html</a></li><li style="color: black; line-height: 25.6px; margin-left: 15px;">Recommendations from the AAP for caregivers/teachers at:<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1&source=gmail&ust=1678553328961000&usg=AOvVaw2WaFOTh3NqdsuWg9Uk_rQN" href="http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://nrckids.org/CFOC/<wbr></wbr>Database/7.7.1.1</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>"S</b></span><b style="font-family: inherit;">taff Education and Policies on Cytomegalovirus (CMV)</b><span style="font-family: inherit;">," American Academy of Pediatrics, American Public Health Association, National Resource Center for Health and Safety in Child Care and Early Education. (Revised 2017). </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">National Health and Safety Performance Standards: Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">. Retrieved from Caring for Our Children</span></li></ul></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">CT DPH currently have this for child care providers: </span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: #fefefe; color: #0a0a0a; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline;">For Childcare Providers and Pediatrics Professionals:</span></span></div><div><p style="background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0a0a0a; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></p><p style="background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0a0a0a; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Due to frequent contact with young children, childcare providers and other pediatric professionals, may be at greater risk for CMV. According to the National CMV Foundation, “Contact with infected bodily fluids, including saliva or urine of young children, is a major cause of CMV infection among pregnant women – especially mothers, daycare workers, preschool teachers, therapists, and nurses. Studies in childcare settings suggest that as many as 75% of toddler-aged children have CMV in their urine or saliva, and viable CMV can persist on hands for at least 15 minutes.” <span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;">Following standard hygiene practices mentioned above may help prevent the spread of CMV.</em></span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: #fefefe; box-sizing: inherit; color: #0a0a0a; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0in 0in 0pt; padding: 0px;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 700; line-height: inherit;"><em style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;"><br /></em></span></span></span></p><p style="color: #222222;">*)<span style="font-family: inherit;">Ask CDC to include child care workers on its list</span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> of occupations affected by bloodborne pathogens since they bandage up cuts/scrapes: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/bbp/occupations.html&source=gmail&ust=1678553330376000&usg=AOvVaw3dEiM6YAC6LR3NIkJOPsOb" href="https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/bbp/occupations.html" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/<wbr></wbr>topics/bbp/occupations.html</a>. </p><p style="color: #222222;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: small;"> "Under OSHA's bloodborne pathogens standard, 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" (</span><a href="https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/standardinterpretations/2007-01-09#:~:text=Under%20OSHA's%20bloodborne%20pathogens%20standard,employees'%20prior%20training%20or%20education." style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Standard Interpretations, 2007</a><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: small;">). </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: small;">I, and others, have contacted OSHA, asking them to put CMV on their official bloodborne pathogen list, because then it means that child care providers across the country will receive training in CMV.</span></p><p style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">CMV info should be a part of bloodborne pathogens/universal precautions training for child care providers since they must bandage cuts and handle blood. </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Their CMV Hazard Recognition page indicates rationale for why it could be included, yet it is not a requirement: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/hazards&source=gmail&ust=1678796334993000&usg=AOvVaw1Z99NDEeLlBs_WLwTKtQFz" href="https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/hazards" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">https://www.osha.<wbr></wbr>gov/cytomegalovirus/hazards</a><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/standards&source=gmail&ust=1678796334993000&usg=AOvVaw1ufC9qJI6DAkhxEVdfecyQ" href="https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/standards" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Cytomegalovirus - Standards | Occupational Safety and Health Administration (osha.gov)</a><u></u><u></u></span></p><p style="color: #222222;"><span class="im" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #500050; font-size: small;"></span></p><ul style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 0in;" type="square"><li class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 0px 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">OSHA's Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) standards (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910%231910_Subpart_I&source=gmail&ust=1678796334993000&usg=AOvVaw1tHyE3hAEPMsHLDINROrZ-" href="https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910#1910_Subpart_I" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank" title="29 CFR Subpart I"><span style="color: #003399;">29 CFR 1910 Subpart I</span></a>), which include requirements for when employees must use gloves and eye and face protection, may apply to protecting workers from CMV.<u></u><u></u></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #333333; margin: 0px 0px 0px 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens (BBP) standard (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1030&source=gmail&ust=1678796334993000&usg=AOvVaw02PM17R_vROQeesbbyXzkN" href="https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.1030" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank" title="29 CFR 1910.1030"><span style="color: #003399;">29 CFR 1910.1030</span></a>) applies to occupational exposure to human blood and other potentially infectious materials. The BBP standard applies to occupational exposure to some human body fluids, including blood and saliva in dental procedures, which can transmit CMV. The BBP standard also describes measures could serve as a framework to control non-bloodborne exposures, including to <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/bloodbornepathogens/worker_protections.html&source=gmail&ust=1678796334993000&usg=AOvVaw2mlhb9x04MStsXMyLgpzIu" href="https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/bloodbornepathogens/worker_protections.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank" title="body fluids"><span style="color: #003399;">body fluids</span></a> such as urine, feces, and saliva (except in dental procedures) to which the standard does not apply.</span></li></ul><div><span style="color: #333333;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">*) I just asked the Red Cross the following: </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: small;">Thank you for your information on cytomegalovirus</span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: small;"> (CMV) at: <a href="https://www.redcrossblood.org/local-homepage/news/article/why-cmv-negative-blood-is-so-important.html#:~:text=CMV%20is%20contagious">https://www.redcrossblood.org/local-homepage/news/article/why-cmv-negative-blood-is-so-important.html#:~:text=CMV%20is%20contagious</a></span></div><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: small;">I understand that blood-collecting folks tell donors WHY they are happy if a donor is CMV-negative. Is there any way you can help provide more information, like handing out a flier to everyone about CMV, not to just those who are negative?</span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: small;">Women of childbearing age are not told about CMV, the leading viral cause of birth defects. As you may be aware, 1 in 200 babies is born with congenital CMV (my daughter was one of them and lived for 16 years with a severely damaged brain).</span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: small;">Here is an excerpt from a recent article that illustrates what I'm talking about: "One afternoon, a technician looked at my blood-donor card and pointed out the three letters with a minus sign typed on the bottom right. "How wonderful!" he said. "Your blood can be donated to preemies!" It meant I'd never contracted CMV...I was proud that my blood could help newborns — but looking back, I wish I'd understood that it also meant I should try to avoid CMV if I ever became pregnant. Eventually, my son was on the receiving end of those blood donations because of challenges that had been preventable."</span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: small;"> "My son was born sick from a virus he caught in utero. He's now 10 and has several disabilities" JACLYN GREENBERG,</span><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: small;"> March 7, 2023: <a href="https://africa.businessinsider.com/health/my-son-was-born-sick-from-a-virus-he-caught-in-utero-hes-now-10-and-has-several/5bfd2v3">https://africa.businessinsider.com/health/my-son-was-born-sick-from-a-virus-he-caught-in-utero-hes-now-10-and-has-several/5bfd2v3</a></span><div style="color: #222222;"><div class="HOEnZb adL"><div class="im" style="color: #500050;"><div class="gmail_quote"><p> <span style="color: #500050;">*) Find one catchy phrase to get out on social media, such as "don't share you pacifier", etc., to get it as known as the kitty litter virus (even though toxoplasmosis is contracted other ways, the kitty litter thing at least gets one thinking about it). </span><span style="color: red;"> Examples: #ReduceYourRisk, Save pregnancy from CMV, etc</span></p></div></div></div></div></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div></div>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-79185604224884780432023-03-02T02:51:00.003-08:002023-03-02T02:55:38.175-08:00Newborns with symptomatic and asymptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV)<p><b><br /></b></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>I am not a doctor, so I collected fliers, web content and opinions to consider: </b></p><p><br /></p><p><b>FROM THE NATIONAL CMV FOUNDATION:</b></p><figure class="downloads-item-figure" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676766; font-family: Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 1rem; outline: 0px; text-align: center;"><figcaption style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; outline: 0px;"><h3 style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Raleway, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 1.5rem; font-weight: 200; line-height: 1.2; margin: 0px; outline: 0px;">Next Steps After a CMV Diagnosis</h3></figcaption><a class="block" href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/Resources/educational-downloads/downloads/CMV-Support-Flyer/CMV-Support-Flyer.pdf.aspx?ext=.pdf" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #15c3dd; display: block; outline: 0px; transition: all 110ms ease-in-out 0s;" target="_blank"><img alt="Next Steps After a CMV Diagnosis" src="https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/Resources/educational-downloads/downloads/CMV-Support-Flyer/CMV-Support-Flyer.jpg.aspx?width=3180&height=4114&ext=.jpg" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border-style: none; box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.3) 0px 2px 7px; box-sizing: border-box; display: block; height: auto; margin: 1rem auto; max-height: 280px; max-width: 220px; outline: 0px; width: 220px;" /></a></figure><footer style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #676766; font-family: Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; outline: 0px; text-align: center;"><div class="pad-t-8 pad-b-8" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; outline: 0px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-top: 8px;"><a class="button" href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/Resources/educational-downloads/downloads/CMV-Support-Flyer/CMV-Support-Flyer.pdf.aspx?ext=.pdf" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background: rgb(251, 121, 26); border-radius: 2rem; border: 1px solid rgb(251, 121, 26); box-sizing: border-box; color: white; cursor: pointer; display: inline-block; font-size: 1rem; line-height: 1; min-width: 240px; outline-offset: 2px; outline: rgb(251, 121, 26) dotted 1px; padding: 0.725rem 1.375rem 0.625rem; text-decoration-line: none; text-transform: uppercase; transition: all 110ms ease-in-out 0s; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap;" target="_blank">DOWNLOAD</a></div><div><br /></div></footer><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>MINNESOTA</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Minnesota </b>now tests ALL newborns for CMV and makes the following recommendations for those diagnosed with congenital CMV: </span><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Congenital Cytomegalovirus--Overview </span></b></p><p><a href="https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/newbornscreening/program/cmv/index.html"><span style="font-family: arial;">https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/newbornscreening/program/cmv/index.html</span></a></p><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Congenital Cytomegalovirus Frequently Asked Questions</span></b><div class="panel panel-default" style="background-color: white; border-radius: 4px; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.05) 0px 1px 1px; box-sizing: border-box; margin-bottom: 20px;"><div class="panel-heading" style="background-color: whitesmoke; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-left-radius: 3px; border-top-right-radius: 3px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; padding: 10px 15px;"><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373f51; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 50px; margin-bottom: 0.5rem; margin-top: 0px;"><a data-target="#alpha" data-toggle="collapse" href="https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/newbornscreening/program/cmv/faq.html#families" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #373f51; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Families</span></a></h2></div><div class="panel-heading" style="background-color: whitesmoke; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-left-radius: 3px; border-top-right-radius: 3px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; padding: 10px 15px;"><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373f51; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 50px; margin-bottom: 0.5rem; margin-top: 0px;"><a data-target="#beta" data-toggle="collapse" href="https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/newbornscreening/program/cmv/faq.html#providers" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #373f51; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">Providers</span></a></h2></div><div class="panel-heading" style="background-color: whitesmoke; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-left-radius: 3px; border-top-right-radius: 3px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #333333; padding: 10px 15px;"><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #373f51; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 50px; margin-bottom: 0.5rem; margin-top: 0px;"><a data-target="#charlie" data-toggle="collapse" href="https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/newbornscreening/program/cmv/faq.html#materialsformsforproviders" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #56627f; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out 0s;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: small;">For submitters</span></a></h2></div></div><p><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white;">Information specific for families</span><span style="background-color: white;">:</span><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></span></b></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/newbornscreening/program/cmv/faq.html">https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/newbornscreening/program/cmv/faq.html</a></span></p><p><b><br /></b></p><p><b>OPINIONS FROM EXPERTS</b></p><p><b>1) Asymptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV)</b></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111;">"If an infant is known to have passed the newborn hearing screen but has tested positive for CMV, the most recent JCIH [Joint Committee on Infant Hearing] statement recommends a full pediatric audiology evaluation by 3 months of age and then future monitoring “every 12 months to age 3 or at shorter intervals based on parent/provider concerns," stated Brenda K. Balch, MD, American Academy of Pediatrics Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Connecticut Chapter Champion (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://successforkidswithhearingloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/CMV-An-Often-Unknown-Cause-of-Hearing-Loss.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1677354703138000&usg=AOvVaw1GrASLhiXYFdW0S0XJmmEv" href="https://successforkidswithhearingloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/CMV-An-Often-Unknown-Cause-of-Hearing-Loss.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">CMV - An often unknown cause of hearing loss</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111;">, 2019). </span></span></p><p>Another opinion: Dr. Gail Demmler-Harrison said, "<span face="Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">I actually suggest every 6 months for 3 years, then annually thereafter, or soon if concerns" (Feb. 2023)</span></p><p><br /></p><p><b>2) Symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV)</b></p><p><span face="Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">General opinion relevant to any state: "A newborn or infant diagnosed with congenital CMV infection should be seen/evaluated/consulted by an expert in pediatric infectious diseases. These experts may be found at most children's hospitals and major medical centers. While most babies with congenital CMV infection have no symptoms, and will not experiencer long term consequences, some infants do have disease and sequelae from congenital CMV, so it is important to have the baby fully evaluated as early as possible, to see if they meet criteria for antiviral treatment and/or special monitoring. All babies, whether symptoms or not, are at risk for hearing loss, and this hearing should always be monitored carefully in all babies born with congenital CMV infection. Hearing can be monitored by a pediatric audiologist or a pediatric otolaryngologist/ENT specialist, or the baby's pediatrician."</span></p><p><b><br /></b></p>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-15457194336578197932023-02-11T06:09:00.001-08:002023-02-11T06:11:48.938-08:00Including children with known congenital CMV in New York<p><span id="docs-internal-guid-e56cc148-7fff-0faf-7160-39107dba41b0"><img height="464px;" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/AnO8YKKvy48sf7Phv6YCivDGKCCdUOEyrzS0afjecJ-t5YUesUABGa5MWuiWgiJOIrku0i7UsAbjHL3C9SzLa6rvs_K4S-KqLbxeK7eh6-MV6sSEzmTZ1AegbsUkOdN_ZQt3ubSAz_XUrdX1gegr0w=s2048" width="667px;" /></span></p><h3 style="text-align: left;"><i>Page 116 - Model Child Care Health Policies</i>, published by the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommends staff members acknowledge and accept “Occupational Risk” of working in child care “including infections that can damage a fetus during pregnancy” </h3><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;">NEW LAW IN NEW YORK</p><p>Did you know about the new law aimed at educating child care providers and pregnant women about cytomegalovirus (CMV), the leading viral cause of birth defects?</p><div><br /></div><div>I am a CMV advocate (but not a doctor). However, I and can help direct you to more information. If you don't know what congenital CMV is, or about the new law named "Elizabeth's Law," in memory of my daughter, I suggest reading: </div><div><br /></div><div><ul><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">NYAssembly.gov: “</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid%3DIwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA&source=gmail&ust=1676207843114000&usg=AOvVaw2n39VuGQXmjh7fj85bgGQS" href="https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid=IwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal Bill to Educate Childcare Providers, Pregnant Patients on Cytomegalovirus Dangers Signed into Law</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,” November 28, 2022.</span></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Post-Standard: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.syracuse.com/news/2022/12/how-a-baldwinsville-mother-fought-for-30-years-to-pass-a-law-that-might-have-saved-her-daughter.html&source=gmail&ust=1676207843114000&usg=AOvVaw1jVhlc2S_Ey4LEZmAeCgl-" href="https://www.syracuse.com/news/2022/12/how-a-baldwinsville-mother-fought-for-30-years-to-pass-a-law-that-might-have-saved-her-daughter.html" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">How a Baldwinsville mother fought for 30 years to pass a law that might have saved her daughte</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">r", Emma Vallelunga, Jan.1, 2023, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Syracuse.com, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dec. 27, 2022 (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid%3D534592442039427%26set%3Da.357635489735124&source=gmail&ust=1676207843114000&usg=AOvVaw2PevlDB_aqKykDiAp_9XD-" href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=534592442039427&set=a.357635489735124" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">).</span></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CNYCentral.com</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">:”</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://cnycentral.com/news/local/baldwinsville-mom-celebrates-new-law-in-daughters-name-to-protect-pregnant-women-babies&source=gmail&ust=1676207843114000&usg=AOvVaw3hiRBxWuJQH8oK72f6IYCi" href="https://cnycentral.com/news/local/baldwinsville-mom-celebrates-new-law-in-daughters-name-to-protect-pregnant-women-babies" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Baldwinsville mom celebrates new law in daughter's name to protect pregnant women, babies</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”, Megan Coleman, Dec.15, 2022 (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/81562815381/posts/pfbid02pF7U3V8GnGyPCkSZvfAMs4vWpMM4bh6fJMmaJyPLcFiK5kKvysRDPfWMpN2KJFzl/?d%3Dn&source=gmail&ust=1676207843114000&usg=AOvVaw2di4616glnzS7cUV8RFIyk" href="https://www.facebook.com/81562815381/posts/pfbid02pF7U3V8GnGyPCkSZvfAMs4vWpMM4bh6fJMmaJyPLcFiK5kKvysRDPfWMpN2KJFzl/?d=n" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Facebook</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). </span></li></ul></div><div><br />Once child care providers learn about CMV, their increased risk and need to carefully follow infection control policies, or learn there is a known case of congenital CMV in their group, they may be wondering if they should work with that child. </div><div><br /></div><div>According to the National CMV Foundation: "Precautions for Caregivers: Contact with infected bodily fluids, including saliva or urine of young children, is a major cause of CMV infection among pregnant women – especially mothers, daycare workers, preschool teachers, therapists, and nurses. Studies in childcare settings suggest that as many as 75% of toddler-aged children have cmv in their urine or saliva, and viable CMV can persist on hands for at least 15 minutes. Per the AAPs 2015 Red Book recommendations for CMV, which states that healthcare workers, even when pregnant, do not need to exclude children with CMV, as up to 80% of asymptomatic children are shedding CMV at any time. Universal precautions are enough to minimize exposure." Learn more at: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationalcmv.org/resources/for-childcare-providers&source=gmail&ust=1676207843114000&usg=AOvVaw1IIDOIy5-hK-lunBuXkJ0V" href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/resources/for-childcare-providers" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.nationalcmv.<wbr></wbr>org/resources/for-childcare-<wbr></wbr>providers</a> and/or see their flier, "<a href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/NCMVF/media/ncmvf/hero/CMV_Shedding_Flyer_S_1015.pdf?ext=.pdf">Should I Exclude a Child Born With CMV?</a>"<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Caregivers/teachers should be referred to their primary care doctor or health department for counseling about their risk of CMV infection per the guidelines in <i><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1&source=gmail&ust=1676207843114000&usg=AOvVaw30g3b9dAhZijYbmW-7wMKX" href="https://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Caring for Our Children: 7.7.1.1: Staff Education and Policies on Cytomegalovirus (CMV)</a></i>, which states: </div><div><br /></div><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><i><span style="color: red;">Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a viral infection that is common in children. Up to 70% of children ages 1 to 3 years in group care settings excrete the virus (1).<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Staff of childbearing age who care for infants and children should be provided the following information:</span></i></p><ol style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;" type="a"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 15px;"><i><span style="color: red;">The increased probability of exposure to cytomegalovirus (CMV) in the child care setting;</span></i></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 15px;"><i><span style="color: red;">The potential for fetal damage when CMV is acquired during pregnancy;</span></i></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 15px;"><i><span style="color: red;">The importance of hand hygiene measures (especially handwashing and avoiding contact with urine, saliva, and nasal secretions) to lower the risk of CMV;</span></i></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 15px;"><i><span style="color: red;">The availability of counseling and testing for serum antibody to CMV to determine the caregiver/teacher’s immune status.</span></i></li></ol><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><i><span style="color: red;">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.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" />Since saliva can transmit CMV, staff should be advised not to share cups or eating utensils, kiss children on the lips, or allow children to put their fingers or hands in another person’s mouth. </span></i></p><h5 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><i><span style="color: red;">RATIONALE</span></i></strong></h5><span face=""Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14px;"><i><span style="color: red;">CMV is the leading cause of congenital infection in the United State and approximately 1% of live born infants are infected prenatally (1). While most infected fetuses likely escape resulting illness or disability, 10% to 20% may have hearing loss, developmental delay, cerebral palsy, or vision disturbances (1). Although maternal immunity does not entirely prevent congenital CMV infection, evidence indicates that acquisition of CMV during pregnancy (primary maternal infection) carries the greatest risk for resulting illness or disability of the fetus (2).</span></i></span><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><i><span style="color: red;">Children enrolled in child care facilities are more likely to acquire CMV than are children cared for at home (2). Epidemiologic data, as well as laboratory testing of viral strains, has provided evidence for child-to-child transmission of CMV in the child care setting (1). Rates of CMV excretion vary among facilities and between class groups within a facility. Children between one and three years of age have the highest rates of excretion; published studies report excretion rates between 30% and 40% (2). Many children excrete CMV asymptomatically and intermittently for years.</span></i></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><i><span style="color: red;">With regard to child-to-staff transmission, studies have shown increased rates of infection with CMV in caregivers/teachers ranging from 8% to 20% (2). The increased risk for exposure to CMV and high rates of acquisition of CMV in caregivers/teachers could lead to increased rates of congenital CMV infection. Meticulous hand hygiene can reduce the rates of infection by preventing CMV transmission. With current knowledge on the risk of CMV infection in child care staff members and the potential consequences of gestational CMV infection, child care staff members should receive counseling in regard to the risks of acquiring CMV from their primary health care provider. However, 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 (1). </span></i></p><h5 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><i><span style="color: red;">COMMENTS</span></i></strong></h5><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><i><span style="color: red;">For additional information regarding CMV, consult the CMV chapter in the current edition of the <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://shop.aap.org/red_book_online/&source=gmail&ust=1676207843114000&usg=AOvVaw3s-XA-9sPkZ7RGqRnjOj0r" href="https://shop.aap.org/red_book_online/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Red Book</span></span></a> from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).</span></i></p><h5 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><i><span style="color: red;">TYPE OF FACILITY</span></i></strong></h5><span face=""Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14px;"><i><span style="color: red;">Center, Early Head Start, Head Start, Large Family Child Care Home, Small Family Child Care Home</span></i></span><h5 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><i><span style="color: red;">RELATED STANDARDS</span></i></strong></h5><i><span style="color: red;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/3.6.1.1&source=gmail&ust=1676207843114000&usg=AOvVaw261TV5UMSuEoGXMamNB5i0" href="https://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/3.6.1.1" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">3.6.1.1</a><span face=""Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 14px;"> Inclusion/Exclusion/<wbr></wbr>Dismissal of Ill Children</span><br style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;" /></span></i><h5 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><i><span style="color: red;">REFERENCES</span></i></strong></h5><ol style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 0px;" type="1"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 15px;"><i><span style="color: red;">Aronson, S. S., T. R. Shope, eds. 2017. Managing infectious diseases in child care and schools: A quick reference guide, 4<span style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 10.5px; line-height: 0; vertical-align: baseline;">th</span> Edition.Elk Grove Village, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics.<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></i></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin-left: 15px;"><i><span style="color: red;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 14.98px;">American Academy of Pediatrics. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Infection In: Kimberlin DW, Brady MT, Jackson MA, Long SS, eds. </span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span face="Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 12.84px;">Red Book: 2018 Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases</span></span></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 9pt; line-height: 12.84px;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">. 31st Edition. Itasca, IL: American Academy of Pediatrics; 2018: 310-317</span></span></span></i></li></ol><h5 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.1; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px;"><strong style="box-sizing: border-box;"><i><span style="color: red;">NOTES</span></i></strong></h5><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 2px 0px;"><i><span style="color: red;">Content in the STANDARD was modified on 3/31/17.</span></i></p>(Visit: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1&source=gmail&ust=1676207843114000&usg=AOvVaw30g3b9dAhZijYbmW-7wMKX" href="https://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://nrckids.org/CFOC/<wbr></wbr>Database/7.7.1.1</a>)<div><br /></div><div><br /><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 2px 0px;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-2cf56fa6-7fff-ef29-fc4d-93301aa64d8e"><img height="468px;" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/gKm-Y6N1qtaBf8lu-PtLIvj8tNXI97W3hoWkWJVdzpdWLZwIhK4CAJIgIQ9Hm5Smg64A8ceX18vy_fieWfLAava6zutJDWd0NhI61OLyPw6-oFVMgiQnx1TN-CnUP2G2hlnPYM7QcOc9Gdm3JSOtMw=s2048" width="391px;" /></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 2px 0px;"><span><br /></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 2px 0px;"><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-size: 13px;">Child care licensing agencies should instruct child care centers and preschools to educate staff about CMV. The book, </span><a href="https://d3knp61p33sjvn.cloudfront.net/2015/01/AAP_Model_Child_Care_Health_Policies.pdf.pdf" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #669922; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Model Child Care Health Policies</a><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-size: 13px;">, 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).</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 2px 0px;"><br /></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 2px 0px;">NOTE:</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.638; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 4pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although I know personally of one lawsuit settled out of court in the US (so there is no record of it), I do know of these published cases </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">involving what can happen if women are not educated about their CMV risks: </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.638; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1) </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Connecticut: L</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">awsuit featured in the article, "Couple wins $37.6 million in Superior Court ruling against UConn Health for fertility procedure that left one child dead and her twin requiring lifetime medical attention", which included the comment, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Center for Advanced Reproductive Services did not inform Monroe-Lynch and 'knowledgeably obtain her consent' about the risks associated with a CMV infection, according to the lawsuit” (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-uconn-lawsuit-20210629-3i7e7jv56zcrzowtimbtqzllny-story.html&source=gmail&ust=1676210875603000&usg=AOvVaw3_QaF7cVqPLHMuWVJI3-rZ" href="https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-uconn-lawsuit-20210629-3i7e7jv56zcrzowtimbtqzllny-story.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hartford Courant, 2021</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). The lawyers' website states, “The devastating consequences of contracting congenital CMV infection early in pregnancy are well-known in the medical community. There are simple safeguards in place to protect prospective parents and their children from this horrible disease” (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.walshwoodard.com/blog/walsh-woodard-wins-record-setting-37-6-million-dollar-medical-malpractice-judgment/&source=gmail&ust=1676210875603000&usg=AOvVaw0HmVoXCNahDFdPFn4_ChlA" href="https://www.walshwoodard.com/blog/walsh-woodard-wins-record-setting-37-6-million-dollar-medical-malpractice-judgment/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Walsh Woodard LLC, 2021</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.638; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 1.638; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2) </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Australia: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/safety-and-prevention/hazards/hazardous-exposures/biological-hazards/cytomegalovirus-cmv-in-early-childhood-education-and-care-services&source=gmail&ust=1676210875603000&usg=AOvVaw3-_5BsuruBfq8b86Hkhh9l" href="https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/safety-and-prevention/hazards/hazardous-exposures/biological-hazards/cytomegalovirus-cmv-in-early-childhood-education-and-care-services" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Court of Appeal ruled that the child's disabilities resulted from the woman being infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV) at work (Hughes v SDN Children's Services 2002</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)” (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/safety-and-prevention/hazards/hazardous-exposures/biological-hazards/cytomegalovirus-cmv-in-early-childhood-education-and-care-services&source=gmail&ust=1676210875603000&usg=AOvVaw3-_5BsuruBfq8b86Hkhh9l" href="https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/safety-and-prevention/hazards/hazardous-exposures/biological-hazards/cytomegalovirus-cmv-in-early-childhood-education-and-care-services" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">WorkSafe</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lawyers commented,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“The allegations of negligence were that Sydney Day Nursery breached its duty of care to Linda ...by failing to warn her of the risks of CMV in circumstances where the centre knew or ought to have known of the risks of CMV to pregnant women…”(</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.meridianlawyers.com.au/insights/infectious-diseases-child-care-what-about-staff-members/&source=gmail&ust=1676210875603000&usg=AOvVaw2Wa-zob29w6I4-lV106vzA" href="https://www.meridianlawyers.com.au/insights/infectious-diseases-child-care-what-about-staff-members/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Meridian Lawyers</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">).</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5em; margin: 0px; padding: 2px 0px;"><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></p></div>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-3386449684982084832023-02-10T06:02:00.001-08:002023-02-10T07:26:51.783-08:00Effectiveness of CMV Prevention Education<p> </p><span id="docs-internal-guid-388e8024-7fff-c3cd-db05-ab466710b54f"><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 42pt; margin-top: 16pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Five CVM prevention education studies published between 1993 and 2015 were analyzed in article, “<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4588411/">Prevention of Maternal–Fetal Transmission of Cytomegalovirus</a>,” where Dr. Stuart Adler states: “In each report, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the efficacy of hygienic precautions has been > 75%.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">..For seronegative pregnant women who are at high risk because of exposure to a young child in the home or in large group childcare, hygienic precautions are simple, inexpensive, and highly effective.” (Adler, 2015:</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4588411/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4588411/</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New York Times </span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">summarized a 2004 study: “</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">pregnant mothers shown a video and offered hygiene tips were much less likely to get CMV (5.9 percent) than those not given information on prevention (41.7 percent)</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. (</span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9454c3; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CMV Is a Greater Threat to Infants Than Zika, but Far Less Often Discussed</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Saint Louis, OCT. 24, 2016)</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The risk of CMV infection in hospital workers is not greater than it is in others in the community and is probably low because of careful hand washing practices” (NY Dept. of Health). “</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Nurses and nursing students who practice good personal hygiene are no more likely to acquire CMV than their peers in the community</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.” (“</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3020265/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9454c3; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cytomegalovirus is not an occupational risk for nurses in renal transplant and neontal units. Results of a prospective surveillance study</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”, National Library of Medicine, 1986)</span></a></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/3020265/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">COVID -19 pandemic has reduced cases of congenital CMV!</span><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> "The study found that in the five-year period leading up to the pandemic, about one baby in every 200 births was born with CMV. Between August 2020 and December 2021, the number de</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #9454c3; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">creased to one baby in every 1,000 births…Researchers concluded that the combination of strict hygienic precautions, stay-at-home practices and, most importantly, the closure of child care and group day care centers all resulted in reduced transmission of the CMV virus to children and their mothers during the pandemic.”</span><a href="https://med.umn.edu/news-events/research-brief-number-babies-born-cmv-declined-during-pandemic#:~:text=The%20study%20found%20that%20in,baby%20in%20every%201%2C000%20births." style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #9454c3; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Study: Number of babies born with cytomegalovirus decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, University of Minnesota, Sept. 6, 2022. Note: Minnesota is the first to state to test ALL newborns for CMV.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><a href="https://cmvmass.org/author/vcolleran/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9454c3; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Role of Prenatal Counseling in Preventing Congenital CMV</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” analyzes CMV education controversy (</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #4d4d4d; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="https://cmvmass.org/author/vcolleran/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #9454c3; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">VANESSA COLLERAN</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 2020). </span></p></li></ul><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><div><span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>See bibliography for more</b></span></span><div><span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p><b>Adler, S.P., et al</b>., Prevention of child-to-mother transmission of
cytomegalovirus by changing behaviors: a randomized controlled trial.
Pediatr Infect Dis J, 1996. 15(3): p.
240-6.(<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8852913/">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8852913/</a>)</p>
<p><b>Adler, S. P., Finney, J. W., Manganello, A. M., & Best, A.
M.</b> (2004). Prevention of child-to-mother transmission of
cytomegalovirus among pregnant women.J Pediatr, 145(4),
485-491.(<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15480372/">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15480372/</a>)</p>
<p><b>Bate, S.L. and M.J. Cannon</b>, A social marketing approach to
building a behavioral intervention for congenital cytomegalovirus.
Health Promot Pract, 2011. 12(3): p.
349-60.(<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1524839909336329">https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1524839909336329</a>)</p>
<p><b>Cannon, M.J., et al.</b>, Awareness of and behaviors related to
child-to-mother transmission of cytomegalovirus. Prev Med, 2012.
54(5): p. 351-7.
(<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4494733/">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4494733/</a>)</p>
<p><b>Cannon, M.J. and K.F. Davis, </b>Washing our hands of the
congenital cytomegalovirus disease epidemic. BMC Public Health, 2005.
5: p. 70.
(<a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-5-70">https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-5-70</a>)</p>
<p><b>Finney, J.W., K.M. Miller, and S.P. Adler</b>, Changing
protective and risky behaviors to prevent child-to-parent
transmission of cytomegalovirus. J Appl Behav Anal, 1993. 26(4): p.
471-2. (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1297873/">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1297873/</a>)</p>
<p><b>Harvey, J., & Dennis, C. L. (2008).</b> Hygiene
interventions for prevention of cytomegalovirus infection among
childbearing women: systematic review. J Adv Nurs, 63(5),
440-450.(<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18727745/">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18727745/</a>)</p>
<p><b>Hughes, B. L., K. M. Gans, C. Raker, E. R. Hipolito, and D. J.
Rouse.</b> "A Brief Prenatal Intervention of Behavioral Change
to Reduce the Risk of Maternal Cytomegalovirus: A Randomized
Controlled Trial." Obstet Gynecol 130, no. 4 (Oct 2017)
(<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28885428/">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28885428/</a>)</p>
<p><b>Jeon, J., et al.</b> Knowledge and awareness of congenital
cytomegalovirus among women. Infect Dis Obstet Gynecol, 2006. 2006:
p. 80383. (<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17485810/">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17485810/</a>)</p>
<p><b>Levis, D. M., Hillard, C. L., Price, S. M., Reed-Gross, E.,
Bonilla, E., Amin, M., . . . Cannon, M. J</b>. (2017). Using
theory-based messages to motivate U.S. pregnant women to prevent
cytomegalovirus infection: results from formative research. BMC
Womens Health, 17(1), 131.
(<a href="https://bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12905-017-0482-z">https://bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12905-017-0482-z</a>)</p>
<p><b>MMWR</b> (2008) Knowledge and practices of obstetricians and
gynecologists regarding cytomegalovirus infection during
pregnancy--United States, 2007.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep, 2008.
57(3): p. 65-8.(<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18219267/">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18219267/</a>)</p>
<p><b>Price, S. M., Bonilla, E., Zador, P., Levis, D. M., Kilgo, C.
L., & Cannon, M. J</b>. (2014). Educating women about congenital
cytomegalovirus: assessment of health education materials through a
web-based survey. BMC Womens Health, 14, 144.
(<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7242940598103731845/338644968498208483#">https://bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12905-014-0144-3</a>)
From abstract: "To increase awareness of CMV, the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed draft health education
materials. The purpose of this study was to pilot test two health
education materials to gauge their appeal and to determine if they
increase knowledge about CMV and motivate audiences to seek
additional information on CMV and adopt CMV prevention behaviors."
From results: "CMV knowledge score increased significantly after
presentation of either the video or factsheet (from 3.7 out of
10 to 9.1 out of 10, p <0.001)...From conclusion: "Overall,
we found that the health education materials improved women’s
knowledge of CMV and encouraged them to adopt prevention behaviors.
Given the low awareness levels among women currently, these findings
suggest that appropriate education materials have the potential to
greatly increase knowledge of CMV."</p>
<p><b>Revello, M. G., Tibaldi, C., Masuelli, G., Frisina, V., Sacchi,
A., Furione, M.</b>, . . . for the, C. S. G. (2015). Prevention of
Primary Cytomegalovirus Infection in Pregnancy(). EBioMedicine, 2(9),
1205-1210.doi:10.1016/j.ebiom.2015.08.003
(<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4588434/">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4588434/</a>)</p>
<p><b>Ross, D.S., et al., </b>Women's knowledge of congenital
cytomegalovirus: results from the 2005 HealthStyles survey. J Womens
Health (Larchmt), 2008. 17(5): p. 849-58.
(https://www.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/jwh.2007.0523)</p>
<p><b>Thackeray, R., B.M. Magnusson, and E.M. Christensen,</b>
Effectiveness of message framing on women's intention to perform
cytomegalovirus prevention behaviors: a cross-sectional study. BMC
Womens Health, 2017. 17(1): p. 134.
(<a href="https://bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12905-017-0492-x">https://bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12905-017-0492-x</a>)</p>
<p><b>Thackeray, R. and B.M. Magnusson</b>, Women's attitudes toward
practicing cytomegalovirus prevention behaviors. Prev Med Rep, 2016.
4: p. 517-524. (<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27747148/">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27747148/</a>)</p>
<p><a name="docs-internal-guid-6cb1bc2b-7fff-4fc3-7304-b1de6b0c9dda"></a>
<b>Vauloup-Fellous, C., Picone, O., Cordier, A. G.,
Parent-du-Chatelet, I., Senat, M. V., Frydman, R., &
Grangeot-Keros, </b>L. (2009). Does hygiene counseling have an impact
on the rate of CMV primary infection during pregnancy? Results of a
3-year prospective study in a French hospital. J Clin Virol, 46 Suppl
4, S49-53. doi:10.1016/j.jcv.2009.09.003
(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19811947/#:~:text=Conclusions%3A%20These%20results%20suggest%20that,following%20counseling%20than%20before%20counseling.)</p>
<p>.</p>
<p align="left" style="line-height: 138%; margin-bottom: 0.17in; margin-top: 0.17in;">
<br />
<br />
</p>
</span></span></div>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-75019038299492379012023-01-05T03:52:00.004-08:002023-05-01T10:40:45.894-07:00New York: Test every newborn for CMV: Universal Screening and possible intervention for all! <p> </p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTt8DfjA6vyTKGrZS3XhacjLwgDIx9Vhfl_SUEdl-jrFPcLFTfV3uQ1X0bN89s7SfW2ZwuBdk-uXrgMZF_RTigA2JyYw-dMoO3iFb5AZABm_x_C2-x6iW7WalaFfebZireAkZA2e26JMqwAHpaqPqbON1ALPKEFX7vx4Y3nnr-etT66WdwoKEgsTCuWQ/s1297/Stop%20CMV%20rocks%20(2).jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1297" data-original-width="1059" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTt8DfjA6vyTKGrZS3XhacjLwgDIx9Vhfl_SUEdl-jrFPcLFTfV3uQ1X0bN89s7SfW2ZwuBdk-uXrgMZF_RTigA2JyYw-dMoO3iFb5AZABm_x_C2-x6iW7WalaFfebZireAkZA2e26JMqwAHpaqPqbON1ALPKEFX7vx4Y3nnr-etT66WdwoKEgsTCuWQ/s320/Stop%20CMV%20rocks%20(2).jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block;" width="261" /></a><div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;">Lisa Saunders and her husband Jim , a recently retired Pfizer scientist, leave behind #Stop CMV rocks as they walk across New York State on the Erie Canalway Trail. Their daughter </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/elizabeth-saunders-obituary?pid%3D149413661&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3bILYnkdZz-R5JKa4Oudj5" href="https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/elizabeth-saunders-obituary?pid=149413661" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Elizabeth (1989-2006)</a><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"> was born with brain damage from congenital CMV. Tabitha Rodenhaus of Buffalo paints these rocks to honor daughter Kaia born with congenital CMV in 2016. Lisa says, "</span><span style="text-align: left;">My
husband and I are placing these rocks along the 360-mile Erie
Canalway Trail as we walk across the state between Albany and
Buffalo. These rocks are meant to honor the children lost to CMV and
to remind us of the work still ahead to ensure all newborns are
protected from CMV through prevention or by receiving the proper
treatment at birth. As of today, Jim and I have walked 189
miles—more than halfway across the State of New York."</span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #669922;"><b><br /></b></span></div><h3 class="post-title entry-title" itemprop="name" style="font-size: 15.6px; margin: 5px 0px 0px; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDM3eK6KjXwWhBv42qWVPp6U-7Du5SvXWL8n2RwlMOONzRDE33W_RVQwHPvCeTLzQsJafIlZ6YGFSPySUDDzx7hs-S1dysziNk0ClMdZeiK7l_4eooWXUmtiNoyz7aWBIX5DGICMKPebho3tqWxM537axYooIKm3MQwpXZnn8Z5eNNqppHqvvkXxhjQ/s1024/Eliz%20in%20NICU%20cropped%20sq.jpg" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="953" data-original-width="1024" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDM3eK6KjXwWhBv42qWVPp6U-7Du5SvXWL8n2RwlMOONzRDE33W_RVQwHPvCeTLzQsJafIlZ6YGFSPySUDDzx7hs-S1dysziNk0ClMdZeiK7l_4eooWXUmtiNoyz7aWBIX5DGICMKPebho3tqWxM537axYooIKm3MQwpXZnn8Z5eNNqppHqvvkXxhjQ/s320/Eliz%20in%20NICU%20cropped%20sq.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block;" width="320" /></a></h3><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6781862317038135789" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 5px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Elizabeth Saunders born with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) in 1989. Mother Lisa Saunders, a New York resident, </i><span style="text-align: left;"><i> asks that all newborns be tested for CMV.</i></span></div><p style="line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 5px;"></p><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white;"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div style="color: #500050; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMhb9EpidegGBNJ2B8sl6I0-hwE02YftyyK58Vagzw7J4LBo8yTX_VmkFQjbfU_Al0jTzHVZHG4LR-DXWQ0kD_NsmxFMXLxUxf4Sl1e5sB1z0AKs8aiVXZt7BBoxZ3cAeg04tMHhn53z3xE7UTLYRVl8vAwQkW-k9CteI5hPVxOOT5re4TtqWeICVGw/s1600/fe10_014.jpg" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1084" data-original-width="1600" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMhb9EpidegGBNJ2B8sl6I0-hwE02YftyyK58Vagzw7J4LBo8yTX_VmkFQjbfU_Al0jTzHVZHG4LR-DXWQ0kD_NsmxFMXLxUxf4Sl1e5sB1z0AKs8aiVXZt7BBoxZ3cAeg04tMHhn53z3xE7UTLYRVl8vAwQkW-k9CteI5hPVxOOT5re4TtqWeICVGw/s320/fe10_014.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block;" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></span></div><div style="color: #500050; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">IMMEDIATE RELEASE</span></div><div><div data-smartmail="gmail_signature" dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #500050; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Lisa Saunders</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #500050; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Baldwinsville, NY </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #500050; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><a href="mailto:LisaSaunders42@gmail.com" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">LisaSaunders42@gmail.com</a><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #500050; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/NYStopCMV&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw35jiRAPuuh-I1XqBnooH4K" href="https://www.facebook.com/NYStopCMV" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">New York Stop CMV</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #500050; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">About Lisa's </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nSO9X0Bzj0wtUzofBpKUTbZ5oaCkgnBd/edit?usp%3Dsharing%26ouid%3D112272037130908785892%26rtpof%3Dtrue%26sd%3Dtrue&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw1xvSErCnQNmZYFcsj6GTYz" href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nSO9X0Bzj0wtUzofBpKUTbZ5oaCkgnBd/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=112272037130908785892&rtpof=true&sd=true" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">CMV work</a><br /></p><div style="color: #500050; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: center;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><u><span style="font-family: arial;">New York State Passed "Elizabeth's Law' to protect babies from Cytomegalovirus (CMV),</span></u></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: center;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><u><span style="font-family: arial;">#1 birth defects virus</span></u></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: center;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: center;"><i><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Next goal: Universal testing--test ALL newborns for CMV</span></span></i></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: center;"><i><b><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></b></i></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; text-align: left;">"<b>Perhaps no single cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities in the United States currently provides greater opportunity for improved outcomes in more children than congenital CMV" </b>(Cannon and Davis, "</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15967030/&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw13Ri_-lw5HmOnMCVHKxztQ" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15967030/" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Washing our hands of the congenital cytomegalovirus disease epidemic</a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; text-align: left;">, 2005). </span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: center;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">On November 28, 2022, the governor signed "Elizabeth's Law" (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw15QUpD2Eskd3-gQ47UXCOX" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">A7560B/S6287C</a>) to ensure pregnant women and child care providers get information on preventing the leading viral cause of birth defects, cytomegalovirus (CMV). Lisa Saunders of Baldwinsville, mother of </span><span style="color: #500050;"> </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/elizabeth-saunders-obituary?pid%3D149413661&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3bILYnkdZz-R5JKa4Oudj5" href="https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/elizabeth-saunders-obituary?pid=149413661" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Elizabeth (1989-2006)</a><span face="arial, sans-serif">, says she is thrilled that New York women will finally have a chance to learn how to protect their pregnancies from CMV. A child care provider when pregnant with Elizabeth, Lisa says, "Women who have or care for toddlers are at higher risk for contracting CMV." </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #555544;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">Racial and ethnic minorities are also at higher risk for CMV: </span></span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #500050;">"Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common infectious cause of fetal malformations and childhood hearing loss. CMV is more common among socially disadvantaged groups, and it clusters geographically in poor communities"</span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #500050;"> </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #500050;">(</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28201739/&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3NEtTxkRcx_g2enjstG2XD" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28201739/" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Geographic Disparities in Cytomegalovirus Infection During Pregnancy</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #500050;">, </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #500050;">Lantos et al, 2017). </span></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;">According to the <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/index.html&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3jaiJMSdt0CwBnuCrUk3BY" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/index.html" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">CDC</a>, one in 200 babies born with congenital CMV (cCMV). Approximately 20% of babies born with cCMV will suffer long-term health problems such as hearing and vision loss, developmental delays and cerebral palsy. CMV "is a common virus that infects people of all ages. Most people infected with CMV show no signs or symptoms. When a baby is born with cytomegalovirus infection, it is called congenital CMV and may cause brain, liver, spleen, lung, and growth problems. The most common long-term issue is hearing loss, which may be present at birth or develop later in childhood (CDC, 2019). </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;">Congenital CMV can also cause visual impairments, including strabismus, cortical visual impairment, nystagmus, and optic nerve atrophy" (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationaldb.org/info-center/overview/causes/%23:~:text%3DCongenital%2520Cytomegalovirus%26text%3DThe%2520most%2520common%2520long%252Dterm,et%2520al.%252C%25202017).&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw35wyl66xyTmH7YpBX8fgyi" href="https://www.nationaldb.org/info-center/overview/causes/#:~:text=Congenital%20Cytomegalovirus&text=The%20most%20common%20long%2Dterm,et%20al.%2C%202017)." rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Causes of Deaf-Blindness</a>, National Center on Deaf-Blindness). </span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;">"CMV is spread from person to person through body fluids. Day care workers, nurses, mothers of young children, and others who work with young children are at greatest risk of exposure to CMV. Since young children commonly carry CMV, pregnant women and women planning pregnancies should take extra care to avoid urine and saliva from young children,” stated <b>Sunil K. Sood, M.D</b>., Chair of Pediatrics, South Shore University Hospital, Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases, Cohen Children's Medical Center and Professor, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/what-is-cytomegalovirus-and-how-can-it-be-treated&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3bR3YAxmiehuo9unuuz6xp" href="https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/what-is-cytomegalovirus-and-how-can-it-be-treated" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">NYMetroParents, 2016</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;">). Dr. Sood’s efforts to prevent the consequences of congenital CMV include co-authorship of a study “</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25738669/&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3aha8VPuKsRfBu_IXBaTVX" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25738669/" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Valganciclovir for symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus disease</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;">”, 2</span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;">015, and his newborn CMV screening program at Northwell Health has become a model for the State of New York.</span></div></span></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; text-align: left;">As a result of Elizabeth's Law, “Expectant parents and caregivers of New York will be empowered to prevent the transmission of congenital CMV, the leading infectious cause of birth defects and infant brain damage, because of this legislation. Assemblymember Rosenthal's leadership, and the support of her colleagues in the Legislature, on this important public health issue will help ensure all infants have a healthy start to life,” said </span><b style="color: black; font-family: arial; text-align: left;">Dr. Sallie Permar</b><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; text-align: left;">, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine and Pediatrician-in-Chief at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical and New York-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital. (NYAssembly.gov: “</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid%3DIwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw2Ircsf69KsbkRom0nw4uE8" href="https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid=IwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal Bill to Educate Childcare Providers, Pregnant Patients on Cytomegalovirus Dangers Signed into Law</a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; text-align: left;">,” Nov. 2022)</span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; text-align: left;"><b>Kelly Smolar Gerne of Brooklyn</b>, a mechanical engineer and mother of Alexis, born 2020, says Alexis is thriving because she was diagnosed and treated early following a failed newborn hearing test. “While I am angry about the lack of CMV education prior and during my pregnancy, the </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/S2816%23:~:text%3DS2816%2520%252D%2520Summary-,Requires%2520urine%2520polymerase%2520chain%2520reaction%2520testing%2520for%2520cytomegalovirus%2520of%2520newborns,to%2520various%2520aspects%2520of%2520cytomegalovirus.&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3EGH-_gEmT-SOSKwF5N3eM" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/S2816#:~:text=S2816%20%2D%20Summary-,Requires%20urine%20polymerase%20chain%20reaction%20testing%20for%20cytomegalovirus%20of%20newborns,to%20various%20aspects%20of%20cytomegalovirus." style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">CMV testing law passed in 2018 </a><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; text-align: left;">meant our family was the recipient of those who had fought before us. I want to continue that forward so all babies in the State of New York will have the option for early intervention." </span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;">The targeted </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/S2816%23:~:text%3DS2816%2520%252D%2520Summary-,Requires%2520urine%2520polymerase%2520chain%2520reaction%2520testing%2520for%2520cytomegalovirus%2520of%2520newborns,to%2520various%2520aspects%2520of%2520cytomegalovirus.&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3EGH-_gEmT-SOSKwF5N3eM" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/S2816#:~:text=S2816%20%2D%20Summary-,Requires%20urine%20polymerase%20chain%20reaction%20testing%20for%20cytomegalovirus%20of%20newborns,to%20various%20aspects%20of%20cytomegalovirus." style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">CMV testing law passed in 2018</a><span style="text-align: left;"> was also</span><span style="text-align: left;"> </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;">spearheaded by Assemblymember Rosenthal. When she read the 2016 <i>New York Times</i> article, "</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw2rfTMm4XWSXZZtdZTzuHvR" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">CMV Is a Greater Threat to Infants Than Zika, but Far Less Often Discussed</a><span style="text-align: left;">", she felt that something had to be done. </span></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;">In 2023, Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal is seeking to amend the </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/S2816%23:~:text%3DS2816%2520%252D%2520Summary-,Requires%2520urine%2520polymerase%2520chain%2520reaction%2520testing%2520for%2520cytomegalovirus%2520of%2520newborns,to%2520various%2520aspects%2520of%2520cytomegalovirus.&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3EGH-_gEmT-SOSKwF5N3eM" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/S2816#:~:text=S2816%20%2D%20Summary-,Requires%20urine%20polymerase%20chain%20reaction%20testing%20for%20cytomegalovirus%20of%20newborns,to%20various%20aspects%20of%20cytomegalovirus." rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">2018 CMV law</a>, which requires that <span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;">newborns showing a hearing loss be tested for CMV, to </span><span style="text-align: left;">requiring</span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;"> <i>all </i>newborns be tested for CMV</span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;">. (In 2022, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.health.state.mn.us/news/pressrel/2022/newborn020222.html&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw0RIPG45TTSX6ZVmydwmFfz" href="https://www.health.state.mn.us/news/pressrel/2022/newborn020222.html" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Minnesota</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;"> became the first state to pass legislation requiring every newborn be tested for CMV.) </span></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;">Joseph Domachowske, MD, "professor of pediatrics, microbiology and immunology with a specialty in pediatric infectious diseases at SUNY Upstate Medical University," said, </span></span><span style="color: #050505; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">"not all congenitally infected babies have hearing loss at birth, and most babies born with CMV can be asymptomatic, so the best way to diagnose CMV early involves prevention education and better forms of testing. 'Hearing tests are somewhat helpful, but it’s not the best answer, and it’s not the best way to handle this,' Domachowske said. “What’s coming down the pike is adding CMV to universal newborn screening panels, and </span><span style="color: #050505; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a style="color: #385898;"></a></span><span style="color: #050505; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">having that test done will be very specific for CMV”</span><span style="color: #222222; text-align: left;"> (</span><span style="color: #222222; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Post-Standard</span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,</span><span style="color: #222222; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.syracuse.com/news/2022/12/how-a-baldwinsville-mother-fought-for-30-years-to-pass-a-law-that-might-have-saved-her-daughter.html&source=gmail&ust=1673004497138000&usg=AOvVaw3a9yd0p2OD7yECbpenY2L7" href="https://www.syracuse.com/news/2022/12/how-a-baldwinsville-mother-fought-for-30-years-to-pass-a-law-that-might-have-saved-her-daughter.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How a Baldwinsville mother fought for 30 years to pass a law that might have saved her daughte</span></a><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">r", Emma Vallelunga, Jan.1, 2023, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid%3D534592442039427%26set%3Da.357635489735124&source=gmail&ust=1673004497138000&usg=AOvVaw0ubZOytEtaa-kixZNJ6UIz" href="https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=534592442039427&set=a.357635489735124" style="color: #1155cc; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook</span></a><span style="color: #222222; text-align: left;"> post</span><span style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">).</span></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #111111;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Kristin Schuster of Canandaigua, mom to Autumn (born 2015), said, "Unfortunately, my daughter wasn't diagnosed with congenital CMV until 18 months old--well after the opportunity had passed to receive treatment most effective when given between ages zero to six months. She was not diagnosed with congenital CMV at birth despite failing her newborn hearing screen multiple times, having 'low for gestational age' birth weight, and microcephaly. Autumn received her first pair of hearing aids for bilateral severe hearing loss at 4 months old, glasses for vision impairment at 5 months, an MRI showing brain calcifications, very significant global delays, and received a g-tube for feeding at 15 months of age. Up until then, all of the doctors and specialists we were seeing claimed that her diagnoses were 'unrelated.' It wasn't until I read an article about CMV posted in a Facebook group for Rochester parents of children with hearing loss that I had that 'aha' moment that congenital CMV must be the root cause of all of my daughter's difficulties. When I requested to have her tested for CMV, I was initially given pushback, but when I demanded her newborn blood spot be tested, her neurologist arranged to have it tested from where it was banked in Albany. When the test came back, we finally had our confirmed diagnosis of congenital CMV--too late for her to receive treatment in the optimal first months of life." </span></span></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;"><div><div dir="ltr" style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">Despite being more common than many of the diseases tested in New York's newborn screening process, cCMV is not one of the 50 different disorders screened. Newborn screening "refers to medical tests...performed to identify babies with certain disorders, which without intervention, may permanently impact newborns and their families" (New York State Newborn Screening Program, Department of Health, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wadsworth.org/programs/newborn/screening&source=gmail&ust=1666180827703000&usg=AOvVaw15dLaWqOmQooU4hFnvDG8J" href="https://www.wadsworth.org/programs/newborn/screening" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Wadsworth Center</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">). </span></div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">In 2022, the NY Department of Health, Wadsworth Center, announced: "the New York State Newborn Screening Program was recently awarded a contract from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to provisionally add congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV) to our screening panel. All babies will be tested for this infection." (</span><a href="https://www.wadsworth.org/news/addition-of-cmv-screening" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">NY DPH, 2022</a><span style="font-family: arial;">).</span></div></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; text-align: left;">Anyone who would like to learn more about the New York CMV laws can contact Assemblymember </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; text-align: left;">Linda B. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; text-align: left;">Rosenthal’s office at 518/455-5802 or Nick Guile, Legislative Director for Assemblymember Rosenthal, at </span><a href="mailto:guilen@nyassembly.gov" style="background: transparent; color: navy; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;">guilen@nyassembly.gov</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; text-align: left;">.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For more information, the CDC has CMV fliers available in</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3qxHtznM6Dyv-opL9A8p37" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">English and Spanish</span></a><span style="color: #500050; font-family: arial;">. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><div style="color: black; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="color: #222222;"><div class="HOEnZb"><div class="adm" style="margin: 5px 0px;"><div class="ajR h4" id="q_0" style="background-color: #e8eaed; border-radius: 5.5px; border: none; clear: both; color: #500050; cursor: pointer; line-height: 6px; outline: none; position: relative; width: 24px;"></div></div></div></div></span></div></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #500050; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px; padding-left: 70px; padding-right: 70px; word-break: break-word;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">###</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr"><div><div>In an effort to continue raising awareness of CMV, Lisa Saunders and her husband Jim, a recently retired Pfizer scientist, leave behind #Stop CMV rocks as they walk across New York State between Albany and Buffalo on the 360-mile Erie Canalway Trail. Lisa says, "As of November 2022, Jim and I have walked 189 miles, which is 53% across the State of New York. We walk in all kinds of weather, which means we've been chased by mosquitoes, biting flies, lightning, torrential downpours and blinding snow. We’ve confronted snakes, floods, slippery ice, chafing underwear, aching feet, swollen knees, and a desperate need to find a bathroom. But it's all worth it if our walk brings attention to CMV!"</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Brandi Hurtubise </b>of Buffalo, New York National CMV Foundation Alliance Chair, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">can be reached at </span></span><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="mailto:nationalcmvny@gmail.com" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">nationalcmvny@gmail.com</a> or visit: </span><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://nationalcmv.org/&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw2sG5woOXPHYOl3dHNJFfLS" href="http://nationalcmv.org/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">nationalcmv.org</a>.</span><b style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Brandi </b>said, "My daughter Samantha will never walk or talk independently because of a virus no one told me about. No one told me I shouldn't share drinks or food with my toddler while I was pregnant with my daughter. Or that I needed to wash my hands after every single diaper change. That I needed to be cautious of his saliva and urine because it could be carrying a virus that would harm my unborn baby. I didn't know because CMV isn't commonly talked about or educated on; even though it is more common than Down </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial;">Syndrome" </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">(<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid%3DIwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw2Ircsf69KsbkRom0nw4uE8" href="https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid=IwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">NYAssembly.<wbr></wbr>gov, </a></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid%3DIwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw2Ircsf69KsbkRom0nw4uE8" href="https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid=IwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">November 2022</a>). </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brandi can be reached at </span></span><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="mailto:nationalcmvny@gmail.com" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">nationalcmvny@gmail.com</a> or visit: </span><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://nationalcmv.org/&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw2sG5woOXPHYOl3dHNJFfLS" href="http://nationalcmv.org/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">nationalcmv.org</a>. (</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial;">Lisa Saunders interviewed Brandi on local access TV:</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: arial;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3xs5O-UGx8an3-e-dcBP5v" href="https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CytoMegaloVirus (CMV) - What Moms Wished They Knew</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3xs5O-UGx8an3-e-dcBP5v" href="https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">PAC-B TV, 2021</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit; white-space: pre-wrap;">Additional quotes and information: </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">To review the case for Universal CMV Screening, which includes a Q. and A., such as who pays for the test, visit: </span><a href="https://cmvmass.org/screen/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">CMVmass.org/screen/</a>. </span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="background-color: white;"><div style="color: #500050; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: #e5eaef; color: #203446; font-family: Inter, sans-serif; font-size: 18px;">"The American Academy of Audiology recommends early identification of congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) through screening to allow for appropriate early diagnosis, intervention, and monitoring for congenital, progressive, and delayed-onset hearing loss in infants with cCMV."</span></div><div style="color: #500050; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div style="color: #339999; font-family: georgia, serif; font-size: large;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.audiology.org/practice-guideline/american-academy-of-audiology-position-statement-on-early-identification-of-cytomegalovirus-in-newborns/&source=gmail&ust=1683048125008000&usg=AOvVaw2bQRZCXJ15_G0KTZ0KJmuS" href="https://www.audiology.org/practice-guideline/american-academy-of-audiology-position-statement-on-early-identification-of-cytomegalovirus-in-newborns/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.audiology.org/<wbr></wbr>practice-guideline/american-<wbr></wbr>academy-of-audiology-position-<wbr></wbr>statement-on-early-<wbr></wbr>identification-of-<wbr></wbr>cytomegalovirus-in-newborns/</a></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="background-color: white;"><p style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.01in; margin-top: 5px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">The National CMV Foundation states, "M</span>ore children live with disabilities due to congenital CMV than other well-known infections and syndromes, including: Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, spina bifida, pediatric HIV/AIDS, toxoplasmosis, and Zika – yet less than ten percent of women know about CMV." The non-profit organization <span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">recommends that "congenital CMV to be added to the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hrsa.gov/advisory-committees/heritable-disorders/rusp/nominate.html&source=gmail&ust=1666180827703000&usg=AOvVaw3kFEN8JGNY469V7rOZ14Bw" href="https://www.hrsa.gov/advisory-committees/heritable-disorders/rusp/nominate.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">RUSP</a>), national recommendations that guide and support states in the development of their newborn screening programs. Screening every child for CMV at birth opens the door for early intervention, therapeutic support, the very best developmental outcomes possible" (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.change.org/p/advisory-committee-on-heritable-disorders-in-newborns-and-children-achdnc-nominate-congenital-cytomegalovirus-cmv-for-uniform-newborn-screening-18a6356e-341a-4ddc-b84a-44303b4d23a2?signed%3Dtrue&source=gmail&ust=1666180827703000&usg=AOvVaw2sqgZAdrHuWek_IJv97WUl" href="https://www.change.org/p/advisory-committee-on-heritable-disorders-in-newborns-and-children-achdnc-nominate-congenital-cytomegalovirus-cmv-for-uniform-newborn-screening-18a6356e-341a-4ddc-b84a-44303b4d23a2?signed=true" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Nominate congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) for uniform newborn screening</a>, 2019). </p><p style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.01in; margin-top: 5px;"><br /></p><div dir="ltr" style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">The CDC states, "Hearing loss may progress from mild to severe during the first two years of life, which is a critical period for language learning. Over time, hearing loss can affect your child’s ability to develop communication, language, and social skills. Babies who show signs of congenital CMV disease can be treated with medicines called antivirals. Antivirals may decrease the severity of hearing loss" (</span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/hearing-loss.html" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/hearing-loss.html</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">). </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">Children born with symptomatic congenital CMV can be treated if diagnosed early. “Infants congenitally infected with CMV may benefit from antiviral therapy, especially if treatment is initiated within the first month of life,” states Dr. Demmler-Harrison, Director, </span><a href="https://www.bcm.edu/departments/pediatrics/sections-divisions-centers/cmvregistry" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Congenital CMV Disease Research, Clinic & Registry</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"> (</span><a href="http://www.uptodate.com/contents/congenital-cytomegalovirus-infection-management-and-outcome" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">www.uptodate.com/contents/congenital-cytomegalovirus-infection-management-and-outcome</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">). </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">Susanne Morgan Morrow, MA, CI, CT, Project Director, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.nydeafblind.org/&source=gmail&ust=1666180827703000&usg=AOvVaw3Yu9hz9wm4UagEC5xRTOvu" href="http://www.nydeafblind.org/" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">New York Deaf-Blind Collaborative</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"> (NYDBC), said ,"It is critical that children with dual sensory loss be identified as early as possible for a myriad of reasons. Research shows that children with compromised hearing and vision require the most direct interventions in order to develop concepts and to have access to language that is in the most suitable modality to their experience. Families are often extremely overwhelmed with the knowledge of this new diagnosis and need to get connected to resources and experts who can provide appropriate assessments." </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">Jacqueline Augustine, President of Hands & Voices of NY, a non-profit for families with deaf and hard of hearing children, said, "Early screening and detection for CMV is essential to ensuring children and families are given the necessary resources, follow-up and medical interventions needed for their development. Many children go misdiagnosed. Parents also do not know that CMV is possible to be contracted in-utero. More education is also needed for parents prior to birth. Screening and early detection combined with prenatal CMV education is paramount." </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">"If an infant is known to have passed the newborn hearing screen but has tested positive for CMV, the most recent JCIH [Joint Committee on Infant Hearing] statement recommends a full pediatric audiology evaluation by 3 months of age and then future monitoring “every 12 months to age 3 or at shorter intervals based on parent/provider concerns," stated Brenda K. Balch, MD, American Academy of Pediatrics Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Connecticut Chapter Champion (</span><a href="https://successforkidswithhearingloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/CMV-An-Often-Unknown-Cause-of-Hearing-Loss.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">CMV - An often unknown cause of hearing loss</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">, 2019). </span></div><div dir="ltr" style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><p style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.01in; margin-top: 5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div dir="ltr" style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">"We concluded that there is good evidence of potential benefit from nonpharmaceutical interventions for children with delayed hearing loss that occurs by 9 months of age. Similarly, we concluded that there is fair evidence of potential benefit from antiviral therapy for children with hearing loss at birth and from nonpharmaceutical interventions for children with delayed hearing loss occurring between 9 and 24 months of age and for children with CMV-related cognitive deficits...Overall, we estimated that in the United States, several thousand children with congenital CMV could benefit each year from newborn CMV screening, early detection, and interventions" ("</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4494732/&source=gmail&ust=1666180827703000&usg=AOvVaw3OvYE-lrN8HSBdo1v8CY0e" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4494732/" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Universal newborn screening for congenital CMV infection: what is the evidence of potential benefit?</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">", Cannon et al., 2014). </span></div><div><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div><div><p style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.01in; margin-top: 5px;"><span>Marcia Fort, AuD, CCC-A, representing the Board of Directors of the Directors of Speech and Hearing Programs in State Health and Welfare Agencies (DSHPSHWA), wrote a letter to the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children in support of nominating congenital CMV infection for consideration by the Committee for the </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hrsa.gov/advisory-committees/heritable-disorders/rusp&source=gmail&ust=1666180827703000&usg=AOvVaw35A9w3_qRU-kO6cFcXdzCO" href="https://www.hrsa.gov/advisory-committees/heritable-disorders/rusp" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">RUSP</a><span>: "Failure to diagnose the cCMV infection can lead to a delayed diagnosis of hearing loss, impacting the child's language development and educational progression" (National CMV Foundation, "</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.change.org/p/advisory-committee-on-heritable-disorders-in-newborns-and-children-achdnc-nominate-congenital-cytomegalovirus-cmv-for-uniform-newborn-screening-18a6356e-341a-4ddc-b84a-44303b4d23a2?signed%3Dtrue&source=gmail&ust=1666180827703000&usg=AOvVaw2sqgZAdrHuWek_IJv97WUl" href="https://www.change.org/p/advisory-committee-on-heritable-disorders-in-newborns-and-children-achdnc-nominate-congenital-cytomegalovirus-cmv-for-uniform-newborn-screening-18a6356e-341a-4ddc-b84a-44303b4d23a2?signed=true" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Nominate congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) for uniform newborn screening</a><span>", 2019, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/about-us/advocacy/RUSP_CMV_Nomination_Final.pdf.aspx&source=gmail&ust=1666180827703000&usg=AOvVaw06LCsQeXsKXD7F4QN0dceX" href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/about-us/advocacy/RUSP_CMV_Nomination_Final.pdf.aspx" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Application</a><span>). </span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">William C. Gruber, M.D., FAAP, FIDSA, Senior Vice President of Pfizer Vaccine Clinical Research and Development, also wrote a letter to the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children in support of nominating congenital CMV infection for <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hrsa.gov/advisory-committees/heritable-disorders/rusp&source=gmail&ust=1666180827703000&usg=AOvVaw35A9w3_qRU-kO6cFcXdzCO" href="https://www.hrsa.gov/advisory-committees/heritable-disorders/rusp" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">RUSP</a>. He stated, "In the absence of a vaccine to prevent the disease, prompt diagnosis and valganciclovir treatment of symptomatic congenital CMV infection has been associated with improved audiologic outcomes and neurodevelopmental outcomes; prompt diagnosis would facilitate early identification of hearing loss so that other interventions could also be applied early to facilitate hearing and child development. In addition, routine screening would better identify the burden of the disease that could be prevented by a vaccine, facilitating vaccine development and recommendations" (p.279, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/about-us/advocacy/RUSP_CMV_Nomination_Final.pdf.aspx&source=gmail&ust=1666180827703000&usg=AOvVaw06LCsQeXsKXD7F4QN0dceX" href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/about-us/advocacy/RUSP_CMV_Nomination_Final.pdf.aspx" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Application</a>). </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Dr. Roy D. Baynes of Merck wrote in his letter of support for congenital CMV infection for review as part of RUSP: "Beyond hearing loss which can sometimes appear years after birth, other health problems can include vision loss, intellectual disability, seizure, and more...Evidence suggests that newborn screening is cost-effective under a wide set of assumptions and universal screening offers a larger savings opportunity and the opportunity to direct care" (p.266, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/about-us/advocacy/RUSP_CMV_Nomination_Final.pdf.aspx&source=gmail&ust=1666180827703000&usg=AOvVaw06LCsQeXsKXD7F4QN0dceX" href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/about-us/advocacy/RUSP_CMV_Nomination_Final.pdf.aspx" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Application</a>).</span></div></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">###</span></div><div><div dir="ltr"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span face="arial, sans-serif">On November 28, 2022, the governor signed "Elizabeth's Law" (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw15QUpD2Eskd3-gQ47UXCOX" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">A7560B/S6287C</a><span face="arial, sans-serif">), named in memory of </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/elizabeth-saunders-obituary?pid%3D149413661&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3bILYnkdZz-R5JKa4Oudj5" href="https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/elizabeth-saunders-obituary?pid=149413661" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">my daughter,</a><span face="arial, sans-serif"> to ensure pregnant women and child care providers get information on preventing the leading viral cause of birth defects, cytomegalovirus (CMV). </span></div><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #500050;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Please see these press releases from the sponsors of the bill, plus my own that follows: </span></span><div><ol style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding-left: 24px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 8px 0px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">NYAssembly.gov: “<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid%3DIwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw2Ircsf69KsbkRom0nw4uE8" href="https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid=IwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal Bill to Educate Childcare Providers, Pregnant Patients on Cytomegalovirus Dangers Signed into Law</a>,” November 28, 2022.</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 8px 0px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">NYSenate.gov: “<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/john-w-mannion/senator-john-w-mannions-legislation-protect-pregnant-women&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw1MATcIttoVa5tce8tpKsuG" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/john-w-mannion/senator-john-w-mannions-legislation-protect-pregnant-women" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Senator John W. Mannion’s legislation to protect pregnant women from dangerous viral infection that’s a leading cause of birth defects is signed into law</a>,” November 28, 2022.</span></li></ol>To learn more about the pilot study commencing in 2023, visit <a href="http://www.wadsworth.org/newborn">www.wadsworth.org/newborn</a>,. Mischa Sogut, Assistant Commissioner for Government Relations, NYS Department of Health, said, "the Newborn Screening Program is currently under contract to test all newborns for CMV in dried blood spots for a period of one year (~221,000 babies) in order to determine if this test is suitable for newborn screening... "(<a href="mailto:Mischa.Sogut@health.ny.gov" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" target="_blank">Mischa.Sogut@health.ny.gov</a>)</div><div><br /></div><div><div dir="ltr" style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">Angela Cote of Buffalo appreciates the </span><a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/S2816#:~:text=S2816%20%2D%20Summary-,Requires%20urine%20polymerase%20chain%20reaction%20testing%20for%20cytomegalovirus%20of%20newborns,to%20various%20aspects%20of%20cytomegalovirus." rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">2018 targeted CMV testing</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"> law, also spearheaded Assemblymember Rosenthal, because it led to the quick diagnosis of why Elise, born in 2019, failed her newborn hearing test, giving her access to early intervention, but Angela wishes she had known about CMV before her pregnancy. She told Lisa Saunders in a public access TV interview how shocked she was by the diagnosis. She couldn’t believe she had never heard of CMV, especially since she was surrounded by young children as a nanny and the mother of a toddler ("CytoMegaloVirus (CMV) - What Moms Wished They Knew," </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw3gdc4eE65IqBdRIgXIwKZ6" href="https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">PAC-B TV, 2021</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">). </span></div><div><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div></div><div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-7884817120279751982022-12-29T10:06:00.001-08:002022-12-29T10:57:38.521-08:00Federal Law: Please help ALL women of childbearing receive information about congenital CMV<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglX7Jk502lcOGZWG7wYXvcOVlX2eDYWx6G4OwR5WNPKeTX1mTu27JwVwz0uI_hVSru03o8a5glYh0QwXdLltJ9n9jsxp-Nvk4Qb4zpRe8OialfccHb9HuZmJiV0Thj3b_ueS4jJkzz22cViwa8frMokl5-sHlsmP85q6a9Fy1RVdDmh0sdBqRHyDGfXA/s1411/Capitol%20sketch%20stop%20CMV.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1411" data-original-width="1193" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglX7Jk502lcOGZWG7wYXvcOVlX2eDYWx6G4OwR5WNPKeTX1mTu27JwVwz0uI_hVSru03o8a5glYh0QwXdLltJ9n9jsxp-Nvk4Qb4zpRe8OialfccHb9HuZmJiV0Thj3b_ueS4jJkzz22cViwa8frMokl5-sHlsmP85q6a9Fy1RVdDmh0sdBqRHyDGfXA/s320/Capitol%20sketch%20stop%20CMV.jpg" width="271" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 48px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 48px;">Can you help get a country-wide law requiring </span></span><span face="arial, sans-serif">congenital <wbr></wbr>cytomegalovirus (CMV) prevention education? According to the CDC, "</span>CMV is the most common infectious cause of birth defects in the United States. About 1 out of 200 babies is born with congenital CMV. One out of 5 babies with congenital CMV will have symptoms or long-term health problems, such as hearing loss" (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://CDC.gov/CMV&source=gmail&ust=1672423350444000&usg=AOvVaw1SC1yPtC1LO9GIXrn0MTQP" href="http://cdc.gov/CMV" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">CDC.gov/CMV</a>).</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">I do have some good news in regard to the State of New York working to prevent congenital CMV.<span style="color: #555544;"> </span>"Elizabeth's Law" (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.nysenate.gov%252Flegislation%252Fbills%252F2021%252Fa7560%252Famendment%252Fb%26data%3D05%257C01%257CKevin.Ryan%2540cga.ct.gov%257Ceb75d859f00c4607a24e08dada005c5f%257C3ec76714b1b4418a883232c46ec84226%257C0%257C0%257C638061993136648329%257CUnknown%257CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%253D%257C1000%257C%257C%257C%26sdata%3DOyufZ22al32q1hrAvtbqkK%252BlPKE2l3s7%252Bh4Snriw19E%253D%26reserved%3D0&source=gmail&ust=1672423350444000&usg=AOvVaw3-Q3MQxO-MJhFJqZ0gWaLl" href="https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nysenate.gov%2Flegislation%2Fbills%2F2021%2Fa7560%2Famendment%2Fb&data=05%7C01%7CKevin.Ryan%40cga.ct.gov%7Ceb75d859f00c4607a24e08dada005c5f%7C3ec76714b1b4418a883232c46ec84226%7C0%7C0%7C638061993136648329%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=OyufZ22al32q1hrAvtbqkK%2BlPKE2l3s7%2Bh4Snriw19E%3D&reserved=0" rel="nofollow" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">A7560B/S6287C</a>)<span style="color: #555544;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #351c75;">, named in memory of my daughter, was signed by the governor on November 28, 2022 (our story: </span></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.syracuse.com/news/2022/12/how-a-baldwinsville-mother-fought-for-30-years-to-pass-a-law-that-might-have-saved-her-daughter.html&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw3QVhrqzz3x0e4ZOzVld16v" href="https://www.syracuse.com/news/2022/12/how-a-baldwinsville-mother-fought-for-30-years-to-pass-a-law-that-might-have-saved-her-daughter.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How a Baldwinsville mother fought for 30 years to pass a law that might have saved her daughte</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">r", Syracuse.com, 2022). </span><span style="color: #555544;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #351c75;">The new law </span></span><span style="color: black;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">requires the provision of CMV information to child care providers and women at their first prenatal visit. </span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #500050;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Press releases from the sponsors of the bill: </span></span></span><div style="color: #500050;"><ol style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding-left: 24px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 8px 0px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span face="arial, sans-serif">NYAssembly.gov: “<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid%3DIwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw0qxiZV7sfw5mArI4JvbLse" href="https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid=IwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal Bill to Educate Childcare Providers, Pregnant Patients on Cytomegalovirus Dangers Signed into Law</a>,” November 28, 2022.</span></span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 8px 0px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span face="arial, sans-serif">NYSenate.gov: “<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/john-w-mannion/senator-john-w-mannions-legislation-protect-pregnant-women&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw1UqLwmhs3SRimSpthmWtcx" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/john-w-mannion/senator-john-w-mannions-legislation-protect-pregnant-women" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Senator John W. Mannion’s legislation to protect pregnant women from dangerous viral infection that’s a leading cause of birth defects is signed into law</a>,” November 28, 2022.</span></span></li></ol></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Though I'm delighted about New York's new CMV education law, I'm still very concerned that most women of child bearing age in the U.S. do not know about CMV, or the steps to take to reduce their chances of contracting it </span></span><i style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;">before</i><span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;"> getting pregnant. </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Regarding congenital CMV, the </span></span><span style="color: #555544;">American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP</span><span style="color: #555544;">)</span><span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;"> states: </span><span style="color: #555544;"> "</span><span style="color: #1a1a1a;">Despite the magnitude of the problem as well as evidence for efficacy of preventive actions, awareness among women of childbearing potential is low..." (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://publications.aap.org/pediatricsinreview/article-abstract/43/5/291/186824/Congenital-Cytomegalovirus?redirectedFrom%3Dfulltext&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw2CnBLryzI7EyQj7dWVLxMU" href="https://publications.aap.org/pediatricsinreview/article-abstract/43/5/291/186824/Congenital-Cytomegalovirus?redirectedFrom=fulltext" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">AAP, 2022</a>).</span> </span></div><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></span><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Congenital CMV causes miscarriage, stillbirths, low birth weight, infant mortality, and disabilities such as deafness, blindness, mental challenges, and/or cerebral palsy. </span> <span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;">Three months prior to my pregnancy with Elizabeth, who was born with congenital CMV in 1989, I had a miscarriage. It is certainly possible that I was infected with CMV then, but I wasn't aware that I should be tested for it and/or perhaps waited to get pregnant again.</span> <span face="arial, sans-serif">Women who have a young child in group care or work in childcare are at greater risk for CMV as are r</span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #555544;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">acial and ethnic minorities (</span></span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28201739/&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw2WcKjL0Gn5yzdqUGr2Ckyy" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28201739/" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Geographic Disparities in Cytomegalovirus Infection During Pregnancy</a><span face="arial, sans-serif">, 2017).</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #351c75;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Will you help us expand New York's CMV education law to the rest of the United States? According to the <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationalcmv.org/about-us/advocacy&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw3a3qb2aYkK46O8uvMIif0a" href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/about-us/advocacy" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">National CMV Foundation</a>, the following states already </span></span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #676766;">require the state to educate the public and professionals about congenital CMV: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb18-1006&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw1UqDLYxHzgmInBBkwa-0Tu" href="http://leg.colorado.gov/bills/hb18-1006" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #119cb1; font-family: arial, sans-serif; outline: 0px;" target="_blank">Colorado</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #676766;">, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/Archives/measure_indiv_Archives.aspx?billtype%3DHB%26billnumber%3D782%26year%3D2015&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw123a397LsXwLYIu-pw3KRa" href="http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/Archives/measure_indiv_Archives.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=782&year=2015" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #15c3dd; font-family: arial, sans-serif; outline: 0px;" target="_blank">Hawaii</a><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/Archives/measure_indiv_Archives.aspx?billtype%3DHB%26billnumber%3D782%26year%3D2015&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw123a397LsXwLYIu-pw3KRa" href="http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/Archives/measure_indiv_Archives.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=782&year=2015" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #15c3dd; font-family: arial, sans-serif; outline: 0px;" target="_blank">,</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #676766;"> </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://legislature.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/sessioninfo/2017/legislation/S1060.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw0Al-Q1PzQ1dZglGGBeXdkZ" href="https://legislature.idaho.gov/wp-content/uploads/sessioninfo/2017/legislation/S1060.pdf" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #15c3dd; font-family: arial, sans-serif; outline: 0px;" target="_blank">Idaho</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #676766;">, Illinois, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/about-us/advocacy/Nebraska-LB741-Final-Reading-Copy.pdf.aspx&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw3wWJTp6VPFa36Ct1HHOGV1" href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/about-us/advocacy/Nebraska-LB741-Final-Reading-Copy.pdf.aspx" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #15c3dd; font-family: arial, sans-serif; outline: 0px;" target="_blank">Nebraska</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #676766;">, New York, Oregon, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://legiscan.com/TX/text/SB791/id/1239604&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw210vP-JyE1PWMf0qD1DudS" href="https://legiscan.com/TX/text/SB791/id/1239604" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #15c3dd; font-family: arial, sans-serif; outline: 0px;" target="_blank">Texas</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #676766;"> and </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #676766;">Utah.</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since nearly half of pregnancies are unplanned, </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I am hoping that cytomegalovirus (CMV) prevention education, such as not sharing cups with toddlers, will be made available from health professional to their patients and added to places such as the CDC webpage </span></span>"<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/contraception/unintendedpregnancy/index.htm&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw2qiupdxOsoifU-JzKggHAY" href="https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/contraception/unintendedpregnancy/index.htm" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Unintended Pregnancy</a>" under the topic, "Preconception Health Promotion".</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div><span face="arial, sans-serif">Since our country's goal is to follow the guidelines of organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP); </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">(ACOG); and the </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">Occupational Safety and Health Administration</span><span face="arial, sans-serif"> (OSHA)</span><span face="arial, sans-serif">, I thought I would compile a list of organizations that promote CMV prevention education:</span></div><div><div><ol><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b>American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists </b><span face="arial, sans-serif">(ACOG) - Under "What infections should I be concerned about and how can I reduce my chances of getting them during pregnancy", ACOG states, </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">“</span><span face="arial, sans-serif">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...(<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/reducing-risks-of-birth-defects&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw2fY8H_tB23jHtShXO81dGQ" href="https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/reducing-risks-of-birth-defects" style="background: transparent; color: navy; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u>https://www.acog.<wbr></wbr>org/womens-health/faqs/<wbr></wbr>reducing-risks-of-birth-<wbr></wbr>defects</u></span></a> ).</span></span></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><b>American Academy of Pediatrics </b>(AAP)<span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;"> states: </span> "<span style="color: #1a1a1a;">Despite the magnitude of the problem as well as evidence for efficacy of preventive actions, awareness among women of childbearing potential is low..." (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://publications.aap.org/pediatricsinreview/article-abstract/43/5/291/186824/Congenital-Cytomegalovirus?redirectedFrom%3Dfulltext&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw2CnBLryzI7EyQj7dWVLxMU" href="https://publications.aap.org/pediatricsinreview/article-abstract/43/5/291/186824/Congenital-Cytomegalovirus?redirectedFrom=fulltext" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">AAP, 2022</a>). In its book, </span><i style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw1BmXj45uiLHy-uIHSEXq4j" href="https://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Caring for Our Children</a></i><span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;">,</span> AAP et al. feature: “<i style="color: #333333;">The importance of hand hygiene measures (especially handwashing and avoiding contact with urine, saliva, and nasal secretions) to lower the risk of CMV; <i>The availability of counseling and testing for serum antibody to CMV to determine the caregiver/teacher’s immune status.</i></i> (AAP et al., </span></span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw1ma7Tye6f1YKbIOl3aZkw7" href="http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="background: transparent; color: navy; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">nrckids.org/CFOC/<wbr></wbr>Database/7.7.1.1</span></u></span></span></a>, 2017<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">). In addition, its book, </span></span><span style="color: #500050;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://d3knp61p33sjvn.cloudfront.net/2015/01/AAP_Model_Child_Care_Health_Policies.pdf.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw29iDORTltB9wyN6T6FOUtb" href="https://d3knp61p33sjvn.cloudfront.net/2015/01/AAP_Model_Child_Care_Health_Policies.pdf.pdf" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Model Child Care Health Policies</a>, includes a <span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544;">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).</span></span></span></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b>U.S. Congress: </b>"Recommends that more effort be taken to counsel women of childbearing age of the effect this virus can have on their children"<span style="background-color: transparent;">(</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-resolution/215&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw3RkGo3HDrS1_dAeAEaLCM9" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-resolution/215" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr></wbr>congress.gov/bill/112th-<wbr></wbr>congress/senate-resolution/215</a><wbr></wbr>).</span></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/congenital-infection.html&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw0XmuNmfYadaEuSBAFsdbjt" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/congenital-infection.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Centers for Disease Control and Preventio</a>n </b>(CDC) -<b> "</b><span style="color: black;">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.</span><span style="color: black;"> " (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/congenital-infection.html&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw0XmuNmfYadaEuSBAFsdbjt" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/congenital-infection.html" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/<wbr></wbr>congenital-infection.html</a>)</span></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b>Occupational Safety and Health Administration</b> (OSHA) recognizes CMV as a “hazard” for childcare workers (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/hazards&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw2xjzEkEw5d3UyA56Ghy9-R" href="https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/hazards" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.osha.gov/<wbr></wbr>cytomegalovirus/hazards</a>).</span></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nowiknowcmv.com/?fbclid%3DIwAR34nKxp2O7HBTVog-vLC3fjiHE2EsoTrA2ht1jkKEdE1p7aHrRUZmi3OJ0&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw1Rx1kZciZIszfBxTLSxhcl" href="https://nowiknowcmv.com/?fbclid=IwAR34nKxp2O7HBTVog-vLC3fjiHE2EsoTrA2ht1jkKEdE1p7aHrRUZmi3OJ0" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Moderna</a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">: "Moms-to-be should talk to their doctors about CMV and take precautions."</span></span></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b>March of Dimes</b> - "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." (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/cytomegalovirus-and-pregnancy.aspx&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw1OmhKVWpRnsni4_giAhrvE" href="https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/cytomegalovirus-and-pregnancy.aspx" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.marchofdimes.org/<wbr></wbr>complications/cytomegalovirus-<wbr></wbr>and-pregnancy.aspx</a>)</span></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b>National CMV Foundation </b>- "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." <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationalcmv.org/about-us/advocacy&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw3a3qb2aYkK46O8uvMIif0a" href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/about-us/advocacy" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr></wbr>nationalcmv.org/about-us/<wbr></wbr>advocacy</a> </span></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b>National Association for the Education of Young Children</b> and its document, “<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://url.emailprotection.link/?btQZGdFI9IaRmmbtTohIW-BJ5VXDQDRGvHlpGVQsEepUtjDlljr41HWww4pryO58AZSnhM4QrqaLSJ_hV4afcf3bswEgQGAelA1irPctyw3DjyvRIvBSD5bHQ91LwR-AkAzS0ufVQPlzZrWNNuuodWhEx51WqiqFXk93pEjnWQd7xkeBpm02tEzivcdmSI6fxk0_bgaO88zwxu3MHG46gMQ~~&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw3lnp9sXoJWveLdudYHHXgt" href="https://url.emailprotection.link/?btQZGdFI9IaRmmbtTohIW-BJ5VXDQDRGvHlpGVQsEepUtjDlljr41HWww4pryO58AZSnhM4QrqaLSJ_hV4afcf3bswEgQGAelA1irPctyw3DjyvRIvBSD5bHQ91LwR-AkAzS0ufVQPlzZrWNNuuodWhEx51WqiqFXk93pEjnWQd7xkeBpm02tEzivcdmSI6fxk0_bgaO88zwxu3MHG46gMQ~~" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and Accreditation Criteria & Guidance for Assessment</a><span style="color: black;">,” acknowledges the need to "reduce occupational hazards such as infectious diseases (e.g., exposure of pregnant staff to CMV…)”p.90.</span></span></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://info.childcareaware.org/blog/the-danger-of-spreading-cmv-how-we-we-can-protect-our-children&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw0WmyR81up1D7CiNpEUwm5o" href="https://info.childcareaware.org/blog/the-danger-of-spreading-cmv-how-we-we-can-protect-our-children" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">ChildCare Aware of America</a>: </b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">"i</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">f you are a childcare worker, a nursery volunteer, or have a toddler in child care, you need to know about cytomegalovirus (CMV)." (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://info.childcareaware.org/blog/the-danger-of-spreading-cmv-how-we-we-can-protect-our-children&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw0WmyR81up1D7CiNpEUwm5o" href="https://info.childcareaware.org/blog/the-danger-of-spreading-cmv-how-we-we-can-protect-our-children" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">The Danger of Spreading CMV: How We Can Protect Our Children</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (June 2017).</span></span></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bcm.edu/departments/pediatrics/divisions-and-centers/congenital-cmv-disease-research-clinic-registry&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw3brJ1afmWTeyUaWLKYn8h8" href="https://www.bcm.edu/departments/pediatrics/divisions-and-centers/congenital-cmv-disease-research-clinic-registry" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Congenital CMV Disease Research Clinic & Registry</a> - </b>"Our mission is to provide continuous research on the biology, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, methods to diagnose treatment and prevention of congenital CMV disease as well as to raise public awareness of the life-long impact it may have. We also strive to improve the quality of life of children through prevention of disease by providing community resources and a parent support worldwide network." Dr. Gail J. Demmler Harrison</span></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.groupbstrepinternational.org/how-can-i-help-protect-my-baby-from-cmv.html&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw0j9qglyBSSHWl61xbnyYVB" href="https://www.groupbstrepinternational.org/how-can-i-help-protect-my-baby-from-cmv.html" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Group B Strep International</a><span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;">: "Are you pregnant or plan to be and have a toddler in group care or work/volunteer in early childhood education or daycare? If you don’t know about your increased exposure to cytomegalovirus (CMV), you should."</span></span></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><a style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; white-space: pre-wrap;">MotherToBaby</a><span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;">.org: "Close contact with children less than three years old, such as in daycare settings, is a common way to become infected with CMV."</span></span></li></ol></div><div><span style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To analyze the conclusions of several CMV prevention education studies, I recommend reading, </span></span><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://cmvmass.org/2020/12/05/the-role-of-prenatal-counseling-in-preventing-congenital-cmv/&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw0ny41niwlbkmpK_MnzW-8Y" href="https://cmvmass.org/2020/12/05/the-role-of-prenatal-counseling-in-preventing-congenital-cmv/" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">The Role of Prenatal Counseling in Preventing Congenital CMV</a>,” which states, "There is a substantial amount of evidence that pregnant women can reduce their risk of transmission through simple behavioral changes... " - V<span style="color: black;">anessa Colleran</span>,<b> </b></span><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Massachusetts Congenital CMV Coalition, 2020</span><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><br /></span></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br clear="all" /></span><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Thank you for your time.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Sincerely,</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Lisa Saunders</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/NYStopCMV&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw0MCsXZI2njYOVA3Q2vJScU" href="https://www.facebook.com/NYStopCMV" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">New York Stop CMV</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Baldwinsville, NY </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><a href="mailto:LisaSaunders42@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span face="arial, sans-serif">LisaSaunders42@gmail.com</span></a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://authorlisasaunders.com/&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw0oyz_YZO45FBHwTzGFYxm4" href="http://authorlisasaunders.com/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">AuthorLisaSaunders.com</a><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">About Lisa's <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nSO9X0Bzj0wtUzofBpKUTbZ5oaCkgnBd/edit?usp%3Dsharing%26ouid%3D112272037130908785892%26rtpof%3Dtrue%26sd%3Dtrue&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw3p-AxLviMzR3Z9sUdLExov" href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nSO9X0Bzj0wtUzofBpKUTbZ5oaCkgnBd/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=112272037130908785892&rtpof=true&sd=true" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">CMV work</a></span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-47907459856273804112022-12-13T10:50:00.042-08:002023-03-08T09:44:33.932-08:00Connecticut: Support for HB 6821 - AN ACT CONCERNING EDUCATION REGARDING CYTOMEGALOVIRUS.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2eQWBJEg-i2Xvd4dquYojDK4XpupiMx-4RF7iDCvosPe6lRAIBvSoy2VWZzdtRjTfIoazFuplai2D86z8Ppt2RWzC1UcwJypQJBwZ_6DZprSwmM5CBzZCT0DYFJ43P8oKpPxZO7Ua2P9jOozeC9yWUj112B0bWn9-lgfHgF0xfVRUosnHSPG_V14uTw/s2048/CMV%20ceremonial%20signing.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2eQWBJEg-i2Xvd4dquYojDK4XpupiMx-4RF7iDCvosPe6lRAIBvSoy2VWZzdtRjTfIoazFuplai2D86z8Ppt2RWzC1UcwJypQJBwZ_6DZprSwmM5CBzZCT0DYFJ43P8oKpPxZO7Ua2P9jOozeC9yWUj112B0bWn9-lgfHgF0xfVRUosnHSPG_V14uTw/s320/CMV%20ceremonial%20signing.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Connecticut ceremonial signing of <i style="background-color: white; color: #555544;">H.B. No. 5525: An Act Concerning Cytomegalovirus [CMV],</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #555544;"> (2015). The law requires testing newborns for CMV if they fail hearing screen. <b>Residents now ask legislators to require CMV prevention education materials for child care providers and pregnant women at their first prenatal visit </b>(<a href=" https://congenitalcmv.blogspot.com/2015/07/families-with-cmv-disabled-children.html">click for photo caption</a>). </span></span><div><br /></div><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 48px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 48px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face=""Noto Sans", sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: medium; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-indent: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>“Perhaps no single cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities in the United States currently provides greater opportunity for improved outcomes in more children than congenital CMV” (National Library of Medicine, “</i></span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15967030/" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 0px; white-space: normal;" target="_blank"><span face=""Noto Sans", sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Washing our hands of the congenital cytomegalovirus disease epidemic</span></a><span face=""Noto Sans", sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-size: medium; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-indent: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">,” 2005).</span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; text-indent: 48px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB6821&which_year=2023" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Raised H.B. No. 6821</a>: AN ACT CONCERNING EDUCATION REGARDING CYTOMEGALOVIRUS. <b>(</b>See: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType%3DBill%26bill_num%3DHB6821%26which_year%3D2023&source=gmail&ust=1677758148974000&usg=AOvVaw0Fecn8hKd-7wSfjihud_nW" href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB6821&which_year=2023" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.cga.ct.gov/<wbr></wbr>asp/cgabillstatus/<wbr></wbr>cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=<wbr></wbr>Bill&bill_num=HB6821&which_<wbr></wbr>year=2023</a>)</div><div><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /></div><div style="background-color: white;"><div><span face=""Noto Sans", sans-serif" style="white-space: pre-wrap;">The <a href=" https://www.cga.ct.gov/ph/">Public Health Committee</a> heard HB 6821on Monday, March 6, 2023</span></div><div><span face=""Noto Sans", sans-serif" style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div>The testimonies in support of a more comprehensive congenital CMV bill (testing all newborns for CMV plus prevention education) were relevant and inspiring. <div><span face=""Noto Sans", sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/CommDocTmyBillAllComm.asp?bill=HB-06821&doc_year=2023" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Read the uploaded letters of testimony</a> and watch oral testimony<br /></div><div><span class="gmail-im"><span style="color: black;"><div><br /></div><div>Monday, 3/7/23: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/UoB1rw9QRbE?feature=share" style="color: #1155cc;">Part I</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/0lgAZKZRWNI?feature=share" style="color: #1155cc;">Part II</a><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB6821&which_year=2023" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Raised H.B. No. 6821: AN ACT CONCERNING EDUCATION REGARDING CYTOMEGALOVIRUS.</a></div><div><br /></div></span></span><div>1) <span style="color: black;"><a href="https://www.wtnh.com/author/ann-nyberg-2/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><b>Ann Nyberg</b></a><b> </b>(news anchor/reporter/Grandma to 5-month old): 1:11 hours in </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/UoB1rw9QRbE?feature=share" style="color: #1155cc;">Part I</a> (she was grateful for the CMV targeted testing law that passed in 2015). Ann's <a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/PHdata/Tmy/2023HB-06821-R000306-Nyberg,%20Ann-Supports-TMY.PDF">written testimony</a>. She can be seen on <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: arial; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">News 8's</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> "</span></span><a href="https://www.wtnh.com/on-air/nyberg/nyberg-author-shares-experience-with-cytomegalovirus/" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial; text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Nyberg – Author shares experience with cytomegalovirus</a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: arial; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: pre-wrap;">" (Feb. 1, 2023). </span><br /></div></div><div><span style="color: black;"><br /></span><div><span style="color: black;"><b>2) Laura Capon</b> (mom): 5:45 hours into <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/UoB1rw9QRbE?feature=share" style="color: #1155cc;">Part I</a> . Laura's 5 year-old daughter sings the Scooby Doo Theme Song, which all agreed was a good song from her to Connecticut:</span></div><div><div><i><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif">Scooby Dooby Doo, where are you?</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;" /><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif">We got some work to do now</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;" /><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif">Scooby Dooby Doo, where are you?</span><br aria-hidden="true" style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;" /><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif">We need some help from you now</span></i></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif">(There is actually a song about CMV written/performed by Connecticut's Debra Lynn Alt, </span>"<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUEQmKrG354" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Had I known (about CMV)</a>" - it's a music video set to child with cCMV helping us put down #stop CMV rocks).<span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif"><br /></span><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><b>3) Lisa Saunders</b> (mom - advocated for the passage of the 2015 CMV law, and helped get a NY CMV education law passed in 2022): She testified last on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/UoB1rw9QRbE?feature=share" style="color: #1155cc;">Part I</a> --7:52 hours in)</span></div><div><span style="color: black;">and her Q. & A. begins in <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/0lgAZKZRWNI?feature=share" style="color: #1155cc;">Part II</a>, 2 minutes in. (Lisa's longer, <a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/PHdata/Tmy/2023HB-06821-R000306-Saunders,%20Lisa,%20Former%20childcare%20provider-Supports-TMY.PDF">written testimony</a>)</span></div><div><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><span face="Roboto, arial, sans-serif"><b>4) Allison Malerba,</b> M.E.D., CTRS, </span><i style="font-family: Roboto, arial, sans-serif;">Teacher of the Deaf & Hard of Hearing. </i>She was the last to speak on Part II (2:43 hours into</span> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/live/0lgAZKZRWNI?feature=share" style="color: #1155cc;">Part II</a>). Allison's <a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/PHdata/Tmy/2023HB-06821-R000306-Malerba,%20Allison,%20ToD-HH-Supports-TMY.PDF">written testimony</a>.</div><div><br /><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><span style="color: black;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">If you want information on particular states, </span>Amanda Devereaux RN, BSN, National CMV Foundation, Program Director, <span face="arial, sans-serif"> </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">is very helpful (</span></span><a href="mailto:amanda.devereaux@nationalcmv.org" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">amanda.<wbr></wbr>devereaux@nationalcmv.org</a>). <span face="arial, sans-serif">To see legislation in other states, visit their website that includes <a href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/about-us/advocacy" style="color: #1155cc;">links to state bills</a> and see</span> <a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/S6287" style="color: #1155cc;">New York's 2022 education bill</a>). </div><div><span style="color: black;"><br />An additional argument to show that prevention education works, is that nurses, despite their close contact with bodily fluids, are NOT at increased risk for CMV: </span></div><div><span style="color: black;"> <b>"Childcare workers, but not healthcare workers,</b> have an increased risk of prevalent and incident CMV infection, a risk that is further increased with the presence of at least one child living at home. <b>These findings suggest that enforcing simple, conventional hygienic measures in childcare settings could help reduce transmission of CMV,</b> and that special precautionary measures for preventing CMV infection may not be required for pregnant healthcare workers."(<a href="https://systematicreviewsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13643-022-02004-4" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Prevalence, incidence, and risk factors associated with cytomegalovirus infection in healthcare and childcare worker: a systematic review and meta-analysis</a>)</span></div><div><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="color: black;">It is hard to say exactly how many children in Connecticut would be spared from congenital CMV if prevention information was disseminated to <i>all</i> childbearing women, </span><span style="color: black;">but, here is one way to start calculating it: <span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">According to the CDC, about 1 out of 200 babies is born with congenital cytomegalovirus or CMV. Of those, 1 out of 5 will have permanent disabilities </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(</span><a href="http://cdc.gov/CMV" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CDC.gov/CMV</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Using those stats, it can be estimated that 36 babies in Connecticut each year are born with lifelong disabilities from congenital CMV. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(</span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsrr/vsrr020.pdf" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">35,646</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">/200/5 = 35.646 or</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">36 babies)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. HOWEVER, if women are given prevention education, with </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the efficacy of hygienic precautions shown to be approximately 75% </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4588411/" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Adler, 2015</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">then 75% x 36 babies = 27 babies spared congenital CMV in Connecticut each year. </span></span>There are papers written on the cost of caring for congenital CMV people (lost wages of parents, special education, medical, etc), but I don't know how to analyze the articles. </div></div><div><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Regarding the pioneering CMV work in </span><b style="font-family: arial;">Minnesota, </b><span style="font-family: arial;">which now tests</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> ALL newborns for CMV, h</span><span style="font-family: arial;">ere is their Department of Health on </span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">CMV: </span><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial;"> (</span></span></span><a href="https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/newbornscreening/program/cmv/index.html" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;">https://www.health.state.mn.<wbr></wbr>us/people/newbornscreening/<wbr></wbr>program/cmv/index.html</span></span></a>)</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><b style="font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Congenital Cytomegalovirus Frequently Asked Questions</span></b></p><div style="border-radius: 4px; border: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: border-box; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 20px;"><div style="background-color: whitesmoke; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-left-radius: 3px; border-top-right-radius: 3px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 10px 15px;"><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 50px; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/newbornscreening/program/cmv/faq.html#families" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Families</span></span></a></h2></div><div style="background-color: whitesmoke; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-left-radius: 3px; border-top-right-radius: 3px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 10px 15px;"><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 50px; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/newbornscreening/program/cmv/faq.html#providers" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Providers</span></span></a></h2></div><div style="background-color: whitesmoke; border-bottom: 1px solid rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-left-radius: 3px; border-top-right-radius: 3px; box-sizing: border-box; padding: 10px 15px;"><h2 style="box-sizing: border-box; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 1px; line-height: 50px; margin: 0px 0px 0.5rem; padding: 0px;"><a href="https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/newbornscreening/program/cmv/faq.html#materialsformsforproviders" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; outline: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">For submitters</span></span></a></h2></div></div><div><br style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /></div><div>Connecticut Residents: Here is a good blog post that includes how to follow up with legislators: </div><div><br /></div><div><p style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #4a4a4a; font-family: museo-sans, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 0.025rem; line-height: 1.6; margin: 1rem 0px; padding: 0px; text-rendering: optimizelegibility;">"be sure to send [your testimony] separately to any legislators who might be interested, including those who represent your district. <em style="box-sizing: inherit; line-height: inherit;">(You can find your local legislators <a href="https://cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/cgafindleg.asp" rel="noopener" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #00838f; cursor: pointer; line-height: inherit;" target="_blank">here</a>.)</em> Email your testimony with a note that says something along the lines of, “I wanted to let you know I testified about a bill that is of interest to my organization,” and summarize what you said. Be sure to mention that you’ll be happy to talk to them further about why this legislation is important (or problematic)." <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cthealth.org/latest-news/blog-posts/5-tips-testifying-public-hearing/&source=gmail&ust=1678362595748000&usg=AOvVaw0HPK5kdqtgM7izDs4zZ_hM" href="https://www.cthealth.org/latest-news/blog-posts/5-tips-testifying-public-hearing/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; letter-spacing: 0.025rem;" target="_blank">https://www.cthealth.org/<wbr></wbr>latest-news/blog-posts/5-tips-<wbr></wbr>testifying-public-hearing/</a></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; text-indent: 48px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; text-indent: 0px; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div></span></div></div><div style="color: #222222; text-indent: 0px; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #222222; text-indent: 0px; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">FYI: </span></div><div style="color: #222222; text-indent: 0px; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Members of the Public Health Committee: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cga.ct.gov/ph/&source=gmail&ust=1676635579287000&usg=AOvVaw13tGWwNBQ6xy__vK8D1yg0" href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/ph/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.cga.ct.<wbr></wbr>gov/ph/</a><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">To find your rep: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/cgafindleg.asp&source=gmail&ust=1676635579287000&usg=AOvVaw3e0z8LRGc7jHYZrD_Hjdmq" href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/cgafindleg.asp" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/<wbr></wbr>menu/cgafindleg.asp</a></span></div></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; text-indent: 48px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: small; text-indent: 0px; white-space: normal;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial; text-indent: 48px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: small; text-indent: 0px; white-space: normal;">To learn more about all the steps still ahead, read the simple flow chart:</span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: small; text-indent: 0px; white-space: normal;"> </span><a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/html/bill.pdf" style="color: #1155cc; text-indent: 0px; white-space: normal;">How a Bill Becomes a Law in Connecticut</a><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: small; text-indent: 0px; white-space: normal;">). </span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: arial; text-indent: 48px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><b style="color: #222222; font-family: arial; font-size: large;">Submit letter to: <a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/aspx/CGATestimonySub/CGAtestimonysubmission.aspx?comm_code=ph" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.cga.ct.gov/aspx/<wbr></wbr>CGATestimonySub/<wbr></wbr>CGAtestimonysubmission.aspx?<wbr></wbr>comm_code=ph</a></b></div><div style="background-color: white;"><div class="gmail_attr" dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_attr" dir="ltr" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div class="gmail_attr" dir="ltr" style="color: #222222;">My longer, <a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/2023/PHdata/Tmy/2023HB-06821-R000306-Saunders,%20Lisa,%20Former%20childcare%20provider-Supports-TMY.PDF">written testimony</a></div><div class="gmail_attr" dir="ltr" style="color: #222222;">My oral testimony:</div><div class="gmail_attr" dir="ltr" style="color: #222222;"><br /></div><div class="gmail_attr" dir="ltr" style="color: #222222;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-874882e1-7fff-e151-d70c-083587fe2782"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am Lisa Saunders, formerly of Mystic, now living in New York. Although I support </span><a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=HB6821&which_year=2023" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">HB 6821</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> requiring the Department of Public Health to post information about cytomegalovirus on its website, the DPH is already doing that. But this information is not reaching women just prior to or during pregnancy to reduce their chances of contracting the #1 birth defects virus. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">According to the CDC, about 1 out of 200 babies is born with congenital cytomegalovirus or CMV. Of those, 1 out of 5 will have permanent disabilities (</span><a href="http://cdc.gov/CMV" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CDC.gov/CMV</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). Using those stats, it can be estimated that 36 babies in Connecticut each year are born with lifelong disabilities from congenital CMV. (</span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsrr/vsrr020.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">35,646</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">/200/5 = 35.646 or</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">36 babies). </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The </span><a href="https://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">American Academy of Pediatrics</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> states that 8 - 20% of child care providers contract CMV every year, as compared to 1-4% of women in the general population (</span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/clinical/overview.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CDC</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)--probably because </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"Up to 70% of children ages 1 to 3 years in group care settings excrete the virus” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(</span><a href="https://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">AAP</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> et al.). Mothers of children in group care are also at increased risk for CMV (</span><a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM198605293142204" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Pass et al, 1986).</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> My daughter Elizabeth was born with congenital CMV in 1989. During my pregnancy, I was a licensed, “in-home” childcare provider unaware of CMV and my increased risk. When I learned about the virus after Elizabeth’s diagnosis, my head spun. I thought I lived in a country that told its workers about their occupational hazards. Elizabeth’s brain was small and damaged. She had deafness, blindness, mental challenges, cerebral palsy and epilepsy. She died during a seizure in 2006. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 2015, Connecticut passed <a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&which_year=2015&bill_num=5525+">HB 5525</a>, requiring CMV testing for newborns who fail their hearing test</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">but our request to establish a public education program did not pass because it was estimated to cost the state $40,00 annually. Although the DPH posted a letter on its website titled, “</span><a href="https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DPH/EHDI/About-CMV_OBs.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">About CMV For Obstetric Health Care Providers</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,” stating pregnant women should “Avoid sharing food, drinks, or utensils with children,” most patients are not receiving this information.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Five CMV prevention education studies showed that the efficacy of hygienic precautions was “[greater than] 75%” (</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4588411/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Adler, 2015</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). Another study concluded that just providing printed materials alone can make a difference (</span><a href="https://bmcwomenshealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12905-014-0144-3" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Price, et al, 2014</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: 28.35pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When I was still living in Connecticut, a grandmother contacted me about her grandson born with congenital CMV. The baby's mother, a high school student, interned at a childcare center while pregnant. She was unaware of CMV. When I visited the family in the hospital, their nurse asked me, "Knowing what you do about CMV, why haven't you launched an awareness campaign?" I told her I’ve been trying for decades.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Legislating CMV education can improve newborn outcomes and several states have policies in place. In 2022, New York passed a law requiring its DPH to provide CMV materials to child care providers and to doctors to dispense at their patient's first prenatal visit. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-indent: 36pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thank you for your attention. I’m available to answer your questions.</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-right: 28.35pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center; text-indent: 36pt;"><br /></p></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222;"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div class="gmail_attr" dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div style="color: #555544;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.2px; margin: 5px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Lisa <span aria-haspopup="true" class="J-JK9eJ-PJVNOc" data-g-spell-status="1" id=":162.219" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">Saunders</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.2px; margin: 5px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Baldwinsville, NY <span aria-haspopup="true" class="J-JK9eJ-PJVNOc" data-g-spell-status="1" id=":162.222" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">13027</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.2px; margin: 5px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><a href="mailto:LisaSaunders42@gmail.com" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LisaSaunders42@gmail.<span aria-haspopup="true" class="J-JK9eJ-PJVNOc" data-g-spell-status="1" id=":162.225" role="menuitem" tabindex="-1">com</span></span></a></span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div class="gmail_attr" dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;">About Lisa's </span><a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nSO9X0Bzj0wtUzofBpKUTbZ5oaCkgnBd/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=112272037130908785892&rtpof=true&sd=true" style="background: transparent; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">CMV work</a><span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><div>ADDITIONAL INFORMAITON</div><div><br /></div></div></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The following are the links to the 2015 CMV bill that passed (testing for CMV passed, but prevention education did not): </span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="background-color: transparent;">2015: </b><i style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544;"><b>Substitute for H.B. No. 5525</b>: An Act Concerning Cytomegalovirus.</i><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544;"> (2015). </span></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544;">Connecticut General Assembly: </span><a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&which_year=2015&bill_num=5525+" style="background-color: transparent;">https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&which_year=2015&bill_num=5525+</a><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: arial;"><b>Link to public testimony letters</b>: https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/CommDocTmyBillAllComm.asp?bill=HB-05525&doc_year=2015</span></div></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Letters of testimony in favor of providing CMV education in Connecticut include: </span></div><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #500050; font-size: 13px;"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif"><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #555544; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><b><br /></b></span></span></div></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; vertical-align: middle;"><ol><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><b style="color: #555544;">Brenda K. Balch, MD</b><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544;">, of Mystic, CT, </span><span face="tahoma, Trebuchet MS, lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">former</span><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544;"> </span><span face="tahoma, Trebuchet MS, lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544;">American Academy of Pediatrics Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Chapter Champion - </span></span><a href="http://www.cga.ct.gov/2015/PHdata/Tmy/2015HB-05525-R000220-Brenda%20Kinsella%20Balch,%20MD.%20AAP%20Connecticut%20Chapter%20Champion%20for%20the%20Early%20Hearing%20Detection%20and%20Intervention-TMY.PDF" style="background: none; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 13.8px;"><span style="color: blue;">Sent Testimony to CT’s HB 5525</span></span></a></li><li style="color: #555544; line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Shapiro, Eugene, M.D.,</b> Professor of Pediatrics, Epidemiology and Investigative Medicine, Yale University, stated, ""Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common cause of hearing loss and neurodevelopmental disabilities in this country, and clinical trials have now shown preventive measures for pregnant women and treatment measures for CMV infected newborns are beneficial." </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">(2014, Feb. 28). </span><i style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="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" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Public Hearing Testimony, H.B. No. 5147</a></i><span style="font-family: inherit;">. Retrieved from Connecticut General Assembly. </span></li><li style="color: #555544; line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Adler, Stuart, MD</b>, Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics and Chairman, Division of Infectious Disease. (2014, Feb. 28). <i>Public Hearing Testimony, Raised H.B. No. 5147 </i>. Retrieved from Connecticut General Assembly: <a href="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" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://www.cga.ct.<wbr></wbr>gov/2014/PHdata/Tmy/2014HB-<wbr></wbr>05147-R000228-Stuart%20Adler,%<wbr></wbr>20Emeritus%20Professor%20of%<wbr></wbr>20Pediatrics%20and%20Chairman,<wbr></wbr>%20Division%20of%20Infectious%<wbr></wbr>20Disease-TMY.PDF</a></span></li><li style="color: #555544; line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Demmler-Harrison,Gail, MD</b>,Director, Congenital CMV Disease Registry and Research Program. (2015, Feb. 20). </span><i style="font-family: inherit;">Public Hearing Testimony, Raised H.B. No. 5525</i><span style="font-family: inherit;">. Retrieved from </span>Connecticut<span style="font-family: inherit;"> General Assembly: </span><a href="http://www.cga.ct.gov/2015/PHdata/Tmy/2015HB-05525-R000220-Gail%20Demmler%20Harrison,%20MD-TMY.PDF" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: inherit; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">http://www.cga.ct.<wbr></wbr>gov/2015/PHdata/Tmy/2015HB-<wbr></wbr>05525-R000220-Gail%20Demmler%<wbr></wbr>20Harrison,%20MD-TMY.PDF</a></li></ol></div></div></div></span></div></div><div style="color: #500050; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #555544; vertical-align: middle;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 18.2px;"><b>Casey Famigletti</b></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 18.2px;"><b> of New Canaan</b>, whose daughter was also born with congenital CMV, stated in her <a href="http://www.cga.ct.gov/2015/PHdata/Tmy/2015HB-05525-R000220-Casey%20Famigletti-TMY.PDF" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">public hearing testimony to the Public Health Committee</a> on Feb. 20, 2015: "What has been most frustrating to me is the fact that I was informed about not eating soft cheeses and deli meat (to prevent listeria), to not clean kitty litter boxes (to prevent toxoplasmosis), to avoid alcohol (to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome) and to take an adequate amount of folic acid (to prevent spinal bifida). If, according to the CDC, 1 in 150 children is born with congenital CMV, making it more prevalent than everything else I was informed of, why was I not informed on the simple step to reduce my risk of acquiring and passing along such a prevalent, preventable and destructive virus?</span></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #555544; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: middle;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #555544; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; vertical-align: middle;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 18.2px;">MEDIA COVERAGE</span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span id="gmail-docs-internal-guid-cdf93955-7fff-2b15-7829-9f17805c8969"></span></p><ol style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: arial; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt; white-space: normal;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">News 8</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">, "</span></span><a href="https://www.wtnh.com/on-air/nyberg/nyberg-author-shares-experience-with-cytomegalovirus/" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: arial; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt;" target="_blank">Nyberg – Author shares experience with cytomegalovirus</a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: arial; font-size: medium; text-indent: 36pt;">" (Feb. 1, 2023). </span></span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">News 8: National CMV Awareness Month: Lisa Saunders, musician, Debra Lynn Alt, and pediatrician Brenda K. Balch, M.D., </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><a href="https://www.wtnh.com/on-air/connecticut-families/mystic-mother-raises-awareness-of-cmv-a-risk-for-pregnant-women-and-their-babies/1235975184/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mystic mother raises awareness of CMV, a risk for pregnant women and their babies</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”, (Sarah Cody, 2018) </span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Simsbury Community Television, Inc., </span><a href="http://simsburytv.org/v/tq4surw1dFs" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Daughters of the American Revolution</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> The Abigail Phelps Chapter presents: Congenital Cytomegalovirus with guest Lisa Saunders (May 25, 2017).</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sarah Cody, News Reporter, </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/sarah.cody.10/videos/1421707187974926/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook CMV Prevention video</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (June 2018)</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Connecticut Magazine</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span><a href="https://www.ctinsider.com/connecticutmagazine/health/article/Mystic-Mom-Overwhelmed-by-Governor-Signing-Law-17041622.php" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mystic Mom 'Overwhelmed' by Governor Signing Law on ‘Stealth Virus’ That Can Catch Pregnant Women Unaware</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (OFGANG, E., 2015)</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cornell Alumni </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Magazine:</span><a href="http://cornellalumnimagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2235&Itemid=1&ed=49" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Memory of Elizabeth</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Her daughter's death from a preventable disability spurs Lisa Avazian Saunders '82 into action </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Bond, A., 2015).</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Clinical Advisor</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> magazine: </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><a href="http://www.clinicaladvisor.com/web-exclusives/congenital-cytomegalovirus-cmv-connecticut-law/article/418100/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Connecticut passes cytomegalovirus screening law for newborns</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (Aiken, B., 2015)</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">News 8 Medical/Health Report: </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><a href="http://wtnh.com/2015/03/03/mystic-mom-raising-awareness-about-potentially-deadly-virus/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mystic mom raising awareness about potentially deadly virus</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (Jocelyn Maminta, 2015)</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="http://wtnh.com/2015/02/09/preventing-congenital-cmv-during-pregnancy/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">News 8: </span><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Preventing Congenital CMV During Pregnancy</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (Alex Ceneviva, 2015)</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fox CT, </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hartford Courant</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><a href="https://www.courant.com/ctnow/family/hc-mommy-minute-0428-20140428-story.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mother Working to Protect Pregnant Moms From Dangerous Virus</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“(Sarah Cody, 2014)</span></p></li><li dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mystic River Press</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: “</span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2CmjQmtkRUZuQzdBd1k/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saunders seeks help with CMV ‘silent virus’ prevention bill</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” (Souza, M., 2014)</span></p></li></ol><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"></p></div><div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><div dir="ltr"><div><span id="m_-7354870849280810502m_-4172370236364486251m_1927873911441702360m_-3108821118981937220m_6289501782434677620m_8622880242092531573m_-4535121043533061961m_3109939221074121367m_6823923328770204176m_7063180155658157028m_487462754782160371m_-389551309676486667m_7272338107862594706m_-457794843535895361m_679345490892090984m_-9199085595590186327m_5581912012250132611m_7762240976192190903m_9083554666055200676m_-2908463333682098382m_260988243233347978m_5521414405957259585m_482050338653153224m_6292225554938253091m_9002069021689728105m_-4829250928399039761m_2306903025622972198m_-6179253612513371751m_-838015174077972819gmail-docs-internal-guid-738e2d17-7fff-902e-972f-0cb69c64d466"><div><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: x-small;"><div><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-indent: 36pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">###</div></span></div></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0px; vertical-align: middle;">ABOUT THE CMV EDUCATION LAW PASSED IN NEW YORK IN 2022</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><div style="color: #500050;"><ol style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding-left: 24px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 8px 0px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">NYAssembly.gov: “<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid%3DIwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw0qxiZV7sfw5mArI4JvbLse" href="https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid=IwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal Bill to Educate Childcare Providers, Pregnant Patients on Cytomegalovirus Dangers Signed into Law</a>,” November 28, 2022.</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 8px 0px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">NYSenate.gov: “<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/john-w-mannion/senator-john-w-mannions-legislation-protect-pregnant-women&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw1UqLwmhs3SRimSpthmWtcx" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/john-w-mannion/senator-john-w-mannions-legislation-protect-pregnant-women" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Senator John W. Mannion’s legislation to protect pregnant women from dangerous viral infection that’s a leading cause of birth defects is signed into law</a>,” November 28, 2022.</span></li></ol></div></div><div style="background-color: white;"><div style="color: #222222;"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>My letter to CT residents</b></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div>Contact your representatives: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://portal.ct.gov/SOTS/Election-Services/Find-Your-Town-Clerk-Registrar-and-Elected-Officials/US-Senators-and-Representatives&source=gmail&ust=1671044633516000&usg=AOvVaw1j-ohgz1OroHXPgDkqw0uk" href="https://portal.ct.gov/SOTS/Election-Services/Find-Your-Town-Clerk-Registrar-and-Elected-Officials/US-Senators-and-Representatives" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">https://portal.ct.gov/SOTS/<wbr></wbr>Election-Services/Find-Your-<wbr></wbr>Town-Clerk-Registrar-and-<wbr></wbr>Elected-Officials/US-Senators-<wbr></wbr>and-Representative</a></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Ways to help:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div><span style="color: #500050;">1) Calling and writing House and Senate members.</span></div><span class="im" style="color: #500050;"><div>2) Writing letters of support.</div><div>3) Being available to provide facts about CMV.</div><div>4) Being willing to be interviewed by the media. </div></span><div style="color: #500050;">5) Sharing CMV news on social media.</div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Helpful links:</div><div><ol><li style="margin-left: 15px;">Excellent CMV advocacy website with wonderfully presented supporting info for your bills: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://cmvmass.org/&source=gmail&ust=1671044633516000&usg=AOvVaw2RAW1SbHH4W8PqpWsf8XYD" href="https://cmvmass.org/" style="color: #1a0dab; outline: 0px;" target="_blank"><h3 style="display: inline-block; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.3; margin: 0px 0px 3px; padding: 5px 0px 0px;">Massachusetts cCMV Coalition: Home</h3></a></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;">To see several of my CMV contacts, online presentations, and media coverage (helpful to get when drumming up support), click on my <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nSO9X0Bzj0wtUzofBpKUTbZ5oaCkgnBd/edit?usp%3Dsharing%26ouid%3D112272037130908785892%26rtpof%3Dtrue%26sd%3Dtrue&source=gmail&ust=1671044633516000&usg=AOvVaw3gY3gb0xgOru-bSH4WbYrS" href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nSO9X0Bzj0wtUzofBpKUTbZ5oaCkgnBd/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=112272037130908785892&rtpof=true&sd=true" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">CMV resume</a>. You are welcome to share my presentations, etc. Singer/Songwriter Debra Lynn Alt of Connecticut makes her song, "Had I Known (about CMV)" available to anyone who wants to use it to raise awareness. (See June CMV Awareness Month <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/dUEQmKrG354&source=gmail&ust=1671044633516000&usg=AOvVaw3mjSPJxuUkPebxWtZlYhKQ" href="https://youtu.be/dUEQmKrG354" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Had I Known, Lyrics and Music by Debra Lynn Alt </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(2021); my <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/1WoGjfieRhY&source=gmail&ust=1671044633516000&usg=AOvVaw2cQqPspsRgaif9ly7E4jIq" href="https://youtu.be/1WoGjfieRhY" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Congenital CMV Public Service Announcement (PSA): Music Video--"Had I Known (about CMV)</a>"</span></li></ol></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Below are some letters of testimony or quotes from the 2015 CMV <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cga.ct.gov/2015/ACT/pa/pdf/2015PA-00010-R00HB-05525-PA.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1671026108339000&usg=AOvVaw1jVb9Vy1XngpjgWyhTPMYG" href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/2015/ACT/pa/pdf/2015PA-00010-R00HB-05525-PA.pdf" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; text-align: center;">House Bill 5525</span><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; text-align: center;"> </span></a>:<br /></span></div><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #555544; margin: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #555544; margin: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif"><b>Brenda K. Balch, MD, of Mystic, </b>American Academy of Pediatrics Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Chapter Champion - </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.cga.ct.gov/2015/PHdata/Tmy/2015HB-05525-R000220-Brenda%2520Kinsella%2520Balch,%2520MD.%2520AAP%2520Connecticut%2520Chapter%2520Champion%2520for%2520the%2520Early%2520Hearing%2520Detection%2520and%2520Intervention-TMY.PDF&source=gmail&ust=1671026108339000&usg=AOvVaw2hyN-v4S3sLQUsvb3DGn0Q" href="http://www.cga.ct.gov/2015/PHdata/Tmy/2015HB-05525-R000220-Brenda%20Kinsella%20Balch,%20MD.%20AAP%20Connecticut%20Chapter%20Champion%20for%20the%20Early%20Hearing%20Detection%20and%20Intervention-TMY.PDF" style="background: none; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="line-height: 13.8px;"><span style="color: blue;">Sent Testimony to CT’s HB 5525</span></span></a>: "the bill would require the Commissioner of Public Health to establish a public education program concerning CMV. This program would provide information regarding the diagnosis and prevention of CMV to pregnant women and those who may become pregnant, Child Care Programs, Health Care Facilities, School Nurses and Health Educators. Studies confirm that when pregnant women adopt preventive good hygiene behaviors, especially when they are interacting with toddlers, it minimizes the transmission of CMV. Some of these simple preventive behaviors are good hand washing, not sharing food, drink or utensils, and avoiding kissing children on the mouth."<br /></span></div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 18.2px;"><b>Casey Famigletti</b></span><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 18.2px;"><b> of New Canaan</b>, whose daughter was also born with congenital CMV, stated in her <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.cga.ct.gov/2015/PHdata/Tmy/2015HB-05525-R000220-Casey%2520Famigletti-TMY.PDF&source=gmail&ust=1671026108339000&usg=AOvVaw2GrQ3bT4zioMrivRnbvb8J" href="http://www.cga.ct.gov/2015/PHdata/Tmy/2015HB-05525-R000220-Casey%20Famigletti-TMY.PDF" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">public hearing testimony to the Public Health Committee</a> on Feb. 20, 2015: "What has been most frustrating to me is the fact that I was informed about not eating soft cheeses and deli meat (to prevent listeria), to not clean kitty litter boxes (to prevent toxoplasmosis), to avoid alcohol (to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome) and to take an adequate amount of folic acid (to prevent spinal bifida). If, according to the CDC, 1 in 150 children is born with congenital CMV, making it more prevalent than everything else I was informed of, why was I not informed on the simple step to reduce my risk of acquiring and passing along such a prevalent, preventable and destructive virus?" </span><br /></span></div></div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;">Quote from a Mom after bill passed:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Melvette Ruffin of Stamford</b> brought her 26-year old son, Jarred, in his wheelchair to the ceremonial signing on July 28, 2015. When Jarred was born severely disabled by congenital CMV in 1989, Melvette had never heard of the virus or how she could have prevented it. “Meeting Governor Malloy, and hearing him talk about putting the CMV law into motion, was a real thrill moment for me. Having a child with multiple disabilities is hard. For twenty six years, I felt alone watching my child suffer from this disease and I didn’t know how to prevent this from happening to other families. But being at this signing with mother Lisa Saunders, whose daughter was also born severely disabled by CMV in 1989, and meeting Dr. Brenda Balch and law makers who really care, made me feel change is finally coming. Hearing the governor call it ‘Lizzie’s Bill’ in memory of Lisa’s daughter made this all so personal.”</span></div></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The following links are the 2014 and 2015 C CMV bills, which shows its cosponsors and Public Hearing Testimony letters:</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>2014: <i style="color: #555544;">H.B. No. 5147</i></b><span style="color: #555544;"><b>. (2014)</b>. Retrieved from Connecticut General Assembly : </span><a href="http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=5147&which_year=2014">http://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&bill_num=5147&which_year=2014</a></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>2015: </b><i style="color: #555544;"><b>Substitute for H.B. No. 5525</b>: An Act Concerning Cytomegalovirus.</i><span style="color: #555544;"> (2015). Retrieved from Connecticut General Assembly: </span><a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&which_year=2015&bill_num=5525+">https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&which_year=2015&bill_num=5525+</a></span></div><p><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;">Since nearly half of pregnancies are unplanned, </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">I am hoping that cytomegalovirus (CMV) prevention education, such as not sharing cups with toddlers, will be made available from health professional to their patients and added to places such as the CDC webpage </span></span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">"</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/contraception/unintendedpregnancy/index.htm&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw2qiupdxOsoifU-JzKggHAY" href="https://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/contraception/unintendedpregnancy/index.htm" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Unintended Pregnancy</a><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13px;">" under the topic, "Preconception Health Promotion".</span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">Since our country's goal is to follow the guidelines of organizations such as the CDC, American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP); </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">(ACOG); and the </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">Occupational Safety and Health Administration</span><span face="arial, sans-serif"> (OSHA)</span><span face="arial, sans-serif">, I thought I would compile a list of organizations that promote CMV prevention education:</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><div><ol><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b>American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists </b><span face="arial, sans-serif">(ACOG) - Under "What infections should I be concerned about and how can I reduce my chances of getting them during pregnancy", ACOG states, </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">“</span><span face="arial, sans-serif">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...(<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/reducing-risks-of-birth-defects&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw2fY8H_tB23jHtShXO81dGQ" href="https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/reducing-risks-of-birth-defects" style="background: transparent; color: navy; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u>https://www.acog.<wbr></wbr>org/womens-health/faqs/<wbr></wbr>reducing-risks-of-birth-<wbr></wbr>defects</u></span></a> ).</span></span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><b>American Academy of Pediatrics </b>(AAP)<span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;"> states: </span> "<span style="color: #1a1a1a;">Despite the magnitude of the problem as well as evidence for efficacy of preventive actions, awareness among women of childbearing potential is low..." (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://publications.aap.org/pediatricsinreview/article-abstract/43/5/291/186824/Congenital-Cytomegalovirus?redirectedFrom%3Dfulltext&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw2CnBLryzI7EyQj7dWVLxMU" href="https://publications.aap.org/pediatricsinreview/article-abstract/43/5/291/186824/Congenital-Cytomegalovirus?redirectedFrom=fulltext" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">AAP, 2022</a>). In its book, </span><i style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw1BmXj45uiLHy-uIHSEXq4j" href="https://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Caring for Our Children</a></i><span style="color: black; white-space: pre-wrap;">,</span> AAP et al. feature: “<i style="color: #333333;">The importance of hand hygiene measures (especially handwashing and avoiding contact with urine, saliva, and nasal secretions) to lower the risk of CMV; <i>The availability of counseling and testing for serum antibody to CMV to determine the caregiver/teacher’s immune status.</i></i> (AAP et al., </span></span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw1ma7Tye6f1YKbIOl3aZkw7" href="http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="background: transparent; color: navy; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">nrckids.org/CFOC/<wbr></wbr>Database/7.7.1.1</span></u></span></span></a>, 2017<span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">). In addition, its book, </span></span><span style="color: #500050;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://d3knp61p33sjvn.cloudfront.net/2015/01/AAP_Model_Child_Care_Health_Policies.pdf.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw29iDORTltB9wyN6T6FOUtb" href="https://d3knp61p33sjvn.cloudfront.net/2015/01/AAP_Model_Child_Care_Health_Policies.pdf.pdf" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Model Child Care Health Policies</a>, includes a <span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544;">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).</span></span></span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b>U.S. Congress: </b>"Recommends that more effort be taken to counsel women of childbearing age of the effect this virus can have on their children"<span style="background-color: transparent;">(</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-resolution/215&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw3RkGo3HDrS1_dAeAEaLCM9" href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-resolution/215" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr></wbr>congress.gov/bill/112th-<wbr></wbr>congress/senate-resolution/215</a><wbr></wbr>).</span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/congenital-infection.html&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw0XmuNmfYadaEuSBAFsdbjt" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/congenital-infection.html" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Centers for Disease Control and Preventio</a>n </b>(CDC) -<b> "</b><span style="color: black;">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.</span><span style="color: black;"> " (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/congenital-infection.html&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw0XmuNmfYadaEuSBAFsdbjt" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/congenital-infection.html" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/<wbr></wbr>congenital-infection.html</a>)</span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b>Occupational Safety and Health Administration</b> (OSHA) recognizes CMV as a “hazard” for childcare workers (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/hazards&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw2xjzEkEw5d3UyA56Ghy9-R" href="https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/hazards" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.osha.gov/<wbr></wbr>cytomegalovirus/hazards</a>).</span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nowiknowcmv.com/?fbclid%3DIwAR34nKxp2O7HBTVog-vLC3fjiHE2EsoTrA2ht1jkKEdE1p7aHrRUZmi3OJ0&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw1Rx1kZciZIszfBxTLSxhcl" href="https://nowiknowcmv.com/?fbclid=IwAR34nKxp2O7HBTVog-vLC3fjiHE2EsoTrA2ht1jkKEdE1p7aHrRUZmi3OJ0" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank">Moderna</a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">: "Moms-to-be should talk to their doctors about CMV and take precautions."</span></span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b>March of Dimes</b> - "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." (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/cytomegalovirus-and-pregnancy.aspx&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw1OmhKVWpRnsni4_giAhrvE" href="https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/cytomegalovirus-and-pregnancy.aspx" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.marchofdimes.org/<wbr></wbr>complications/cytomegalovirus-<wbr></wbr>and-pregnancy.aspx</a>)</span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b>National CMV Foundation </b>- "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." <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationalcmv.org/about-us/advocacy&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw3a3qb2aYkK46O8uvMIif0a" href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/about-us/advocacy" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr></wbr>nationalcmv.org/about-us/<wbr></wbr>advocacy</a> </span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b>National Association for the Education of Young Children</b> and its document, “<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://url.emailprotection.link/?btQZGdFI9IaRmmbtTohIW-BJ5VXDQDRGvHlpGVQsEepUtjDlljr41HWww4pryO58AZSnhM4QrqaLSJ_hV4afcf3bswEgQGAelA1irPctyw3DjyvRIvBSD5bHQ91LwR-AkAzS0ufVQPlzZrWNNuuodWhEx51WqiqFXk93pEjnWQd7xkeBpm02tEzivcdmSI6fxk0_bgaO88zwxu3MHG46gMQ~~&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw3lnp9sXoJWveLdudYHHXgt" href="https://url.emailprotection.link/?btQZGdFI9IaRmmbtTohIW-BJ5VXDQDRGvHlpGVQsEepUtjDlljr41HWww4pryO58AZSnhM4QrqaLSJ_hV4afcf3bswEgQGAelA1irPctyw3DjyvRIvBSD5bHQ91LwR-AkAzS0ufVQPlzZrWNNuuodWhEx51WqiqFXk93pEjnWQd7xkeBpm02tEzivcdmSI6fxk0_bgaO88zwxu3MHG46gMQ~~" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and Accreditation Criteria & Guidance for Assessment</a><span style="color: black;">,” acknowledges the need to "reduce occupational hazards such as infectious diseases (e.g., exposure of pregnant staff to CMV…)”p.90.</span></span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://info.childcareaware.org/blog/the-danger-of-spreading-cmv-how-we-we-can-protect-our-children&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw0WmyR81up1D7CiNpEUwm5o" href="https://info.childcareaware.org/blog/the-danger-of-spreading-cmv-how-we-we-can-protect-our-children" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">ChildCare Aware of America</a>: </b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">"i</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">f you are a childcare worker, a nursery volunteer, or have a toddler in child care, you need to know about cytomegalovirus (CMV)." (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://info.childcareaware.org/blog/the-danger-of-spreading-cmv-how-we-we-can-protect-our-children&source=gmail&ust=1672423350445000&usg=AOvVaw0WmyR81up1D7CiNpEUwm5o" href="https://info.childcareaware.org/blog/the-danger-of-spreading-cmv-how-we-we-can-protect-our-children" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">The Danger of Spreading CMV: How We Can Protect Our Children</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (June 2017).</span></span></li></ol></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span face="tahoma, sans-serif">These are some of the things that happened in New York that made passing prevention education possible:</span><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span face="tahoma, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span face="tahoma, sans-serif">1) We broke up our ask for universal testing and education into two bills (we will be working on universal testing in 2023).</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span face="tahoma, sans-serif">2) We overcame opposition by agreeing that no agency or doctor had to "talk" and "train" about CMV, they just had to give child care workers or pregnant patients </span><span face="tahoma, sans-serif">printed information </span><span face="tahoma, sans-serif">created by the NY Department of Health. (The CDC already has </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html&source=gmail&ust=1675940249660000&usg=AOvVaw3KP-tC9XZPdxzqfazCh1LK" href="http://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Gill Sans", sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">CDC</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"> flyers in English and Spanish</span></a>, and of course there are the <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.nationalcmv.org/resources/educational-downloads&source=gmail&ust=1675940249660000&usg=AOvVaw3b55LTtbxQr1do1Y7Ww4fb" href="http://www.nationalcmv.org/resources/educational-downloads" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: "Gill Sans", sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #9454c3; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">National CMV Foundation downloads</span></a><span face="Gill Sans, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>.)</b></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span face="tahoma, sans-serif">3) We set up many zoom meetings with legislators seeking their sponsorship and spoke to several at once at the Women's Caucus. I managed to set up the meeting with the Women's Caucus (this may be the <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.housedems.ct.gov/node/14000&source=gmail&ust=1675940249660000&usg=AOvVaw22eigLu1DHHz7fmqWIidTr" href="https://www.housedems.ct.gov/node/14000" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">CT Women's Caucus</a>), but for the most part, the man who is the </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13.3333px;">Executive Director, Government & Community Relations of </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13.3333px;">Weill Cornell Medicine, was more successful in setting up meetings (some CMV doctor experts work at Weill Cornell Medicine). I couldn't get legislators, other than in my own district, to get back to me or agree to a Zoom meeting, so this man's work was very helpful. My husband and I did, however, manage to get a few co-sponsors in other districts by calling their offices and speaking to their receptionists, answering machines, etc, about the need for a CMV education law.</span></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13.3333px;">4) I don't know, or never heard, if there was a budget attached to the bill. </span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Tahoma; font-size: 13.3333px;">5) Newspaper articles published after Elizabeth's Law passed in 2022: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 13.3333px;"><span style="font-family: Tahoma;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hIavToAg-yD07rQ2kbREu44WMle--MB9/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hIavToAg-yD07rQ2kbREu44WMle--MB9/view?usp=sharing</a></span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;">OTHER RELEVENT LINKS INCLUDE</span></p><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Adler, Stuart, MD, Emeritus Professor of Pediatrics and Chairman, Division of Infectious Disease. (2014, Feb. 28). <i>Public Hearing Testimony, Raised H.B. No. 5147 </i>. Retrieved from Connecticut General Assembly: <a href="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" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">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</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>AN ACT CONCERNING NEWBORN SCREENING FOR CYTOMEGALOVIRUS AND ESTABLISHING A PUBLIC EDUCATION PROGRAM FOR CYTOMEGALOVIRUS: Substitute House Bill No. 5147</i>. (2014). Retrieved 2017, from State of Connecticut: <a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/2014/FC/2014HB-05147-R000494-FC.htm" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.cga.ct.gov/2014/FC/2014HB-05147-R000494-FC.htm</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Armstrong, Farah,President and Founder, Maddie's Mission. (2014, Feb. 28). <i>Public Hearing Testimony, Raised H.B. No. 5147 </i>. Retrieved from Connecticut General Assembly : <a href="http://www.cga.ct.gov/2014/PHdata/Tmy/2014HB-05147-R000228-Farah,%20Armstrong-TMY.PDF" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">http://www.cga.ct.gov/2014/PHdata/Tmy/2014HB-05147-R000228-Farah,%20Armstrong-TMY.PDF</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;">Bailey, Jenny Meeden, Texas, baby first in Houston to receive ganciclovir treatment. (2014, Feb. 28).</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;"> </span><i style="text-indent: -0.5in;">Public Hearing Testimony, Raised H.B. No. 5147</i><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;">. Retrieved from Connecticut General Assembly:</span><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;"> </span><a href="http://www.cga.ct.gov/2014/PHdata/Tmy/2014HB-05147-R000228-Jenny%20Meeden%20Bailey-TMY.PDF" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: -0.5in;">http://www.cga.ct.gov/2014/PHdata/Tmy/2014HB-05147-R000228-Jenny%20Meeden%20Bailey-TMY.PDF</a></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Balch, Brenda K., MD. (2015, February 20). <i>HB 5525</i>. Retrieved from Connecticut General Assembly: <a href="http://www.cga.ct.gov/2015/PHdata/Tmy/2015HB-05525-R000220-Brenda%20Kinsella%20Balch,%20MD.%20AAP%20Connecticut%20Chapter%20Champion%20for%20the%20Early%20Hearing%20Detection%20and%20Intervention-TMY.PDF" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">http://www.cga.ct.gov/2015/PHdata/Tmy/2015HB-05525-R000220-Brenda%20Kinsella%20Balch,%20MD.%20AAP%20Connecticut%20Chapter%20Champion%20for%20the%20Early%20Hearing%20Detection%20and%20Intervention-TMY.PDF</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Balch, Brenda K., MD, <span style="text-indent: -0.5in;">AAP EHDI Chapter Champion for Connecticut. "</span>An Often Unknown Cause of Hearing Loss in Children: Understanding and Preventing CMV in the Educational Setting"<span style="text-indent: -0.5in;"> (Late Feb 2019). Supporting Success for Children with Hearing Loss. </span><a href="https://successforkidswithhearingloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/CMV-An-Often-Unknown-Cause-of-Hearing-Loss.pdf" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none; text-indent: -0.5in;">https://successforkidswithhearingloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/CMV-An-Often-Unknown-Cause-of-Hearing-Loss.pdf</a><br />Blazek, Nicole, Senior Clinical Content Editor. (2014, June 21). <i>Educate pregnant women to prevent congenital CMV</i>. Retrieved Reference: 1.Pina AL. “Breaking the Silence About Congenital CMV.” Presented at: AAPN 2014. Jun 17-22; Nashville, Tenn., from The Clinical Advisor: <a href="http://www.clinicaladvisor.com/educate-pregnant-women-to-prevent-congenital-cmv/article/357115/" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">http://www.clinicaladvisor.com/educate-pregnant-women-to-prevent-congenital-cmv/article/357115/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>CMV Risks</i>. (2016, October 31). Retrieved from Early Childhood Collaborative of Southington [Connecticut]: <a href="http://www.southingtonearlychildhood.org/cmv-risks/" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">http://www.southingtonearlychildhood.org/cmv-risks/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cody, S. (2015, May 6). <i>CT Now.</i> Retrieved from CT Moms Fight for CMV Legislation : "Connecticut Moms Fight for CMV Legislation":<a href="http://www.ctnow.com/family/ctnow-ct-moms-fight-for-cmv-legislation-20150505,0,3850658.column" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">http://www.ctnow.com/family/ctnow-ct-moms-fight-for-cmv-legislation-20150505,0,3850658.column</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cody, S. (2015, May 27). <i>New law in Connecticut to fight number one viral cause of birth defects.</i> Retrieved from Fox CT: <a href="http://foxct.com/2015/05/27/new-law-in-connecticut-to-fight-number-one-viral-cause-of-birth-defects/" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">http://foxct.com/2015/05/27/new-law-in-connecticut-to-fight-number-one-viral-cause-of-birth-defects/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection Time To Test Newborns.</i> (2014, July 1). Retrieved December 6, 2014, from ENT Today: <a href="http://www.enttoday.org/article/congenital-cytomegalovirus-infection-time-to-test-newborns/" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">http://www.enttoday.org/article/congenital-cytomegalovirus-infection-time-to-test-newborns/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Connecticut Department of Public Health</i>. (n.d.). Retrieved 2017, from Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Program: Congenital Cytomegalovirus (CMV): <a href="http://www.ct.gov/dph/cwp/view.asp?a=3138&q=527824" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">http://www.ct.gov/dph/cwp/view.asp?a=3138&q=527824</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Cytomegalovirus (CMV) education bill on hold for now</i>. (2014, May 8). Retrieved from Fox CT: <a href="http://foxct.com/2014/05/08/cytomegalovirus-cmv-education-bill-on-hold-for-now/" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">http://foxct.com/2014/05/08/cytomegalovirus-cmv-education-bill-on-hold-for-now/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Cytomegalovirus</i>. (2017). Retrieved from Daycare.com: <a href="https://www.daycare.com/fastfacts/illness/cytomegalovirus.html" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.daycare.com/fastfacts/illness/cytomegalovirus.html</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><i><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Cytomegalovirus and Pregnancy</i>. (n.d.). Retrieved from March of Dimes: <a href="https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/cytomegalovirus-and-pregnancy.aspx" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/cytomegalovirus-and-pregnancy.aspx</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>CYTOMEGALOVIRUS AND YOUR BABY</i>. (n.d.). Retrieved from March of Dimes: <a href="https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/cytomegalovirus-and-your-baby.aspx" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/cytomegalovirus-and-your-baby.aspx</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">(2015, June). <i>Cytomegalovirus, Parvovirus B19, Varicella Zoster, and Toxoplasmosis in Pregnancy.</i> The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Retrieved 2016, from American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG): <a href="https://access.acog.org/eweb/ACOGResponsivePage.aspx?WebCode=LoginRequired&Site=congress&urlReq=http://www.acog.org/Resources%20And%20Publications/Practice%20Bulletins/Committee%20on%20Practice%20Bulletins%20Obstetrics/Cytomegalovirus%20Parvovirus%20B19%2" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">https://access.acog.org/eweb/ACOGResponsivePage.aspx?WebCode=LoginRequired&Site=congress&urlReq=http://www.acog.org/Resources%20And%20Publications/Practice%20Bulletins/Committee%20on%20Practice%20Bulletins%20Obstetrics/Cytomegalovirus%20Parvovirus%20B19%2</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Cytomegalovirus-CMV: H.B. 81 (2013) Public Health Initiative in conjunction with the Utah Department of Health.</i> (n.d.). Retrieved from Utah Department of Health: <a href="http://www.health.utah.gov/prl/PDF/Utah_CMV_Public_Flyer_2013.pdf" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">http://www.health.utah.gov/prl/PDF/Utah_CMV_Public_Flyer_2013.pdf</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Demmler-Harrison,Gail, MD,Director, Congenital CMV Disease Registry and Research Program. (2015, Feb. 20). <i>Public Hearing Testimony, Raised H.B. No. 5525</i>. Retrieved from Connectictut General Assembly: <a href="http://www.cga.ct.gov/2015/PHdata/Tmy/2015HB-05525-R000220-Gail%20Demmler%20Harrison,%20MD-TMY.PDF" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">http://www.cga.ct.gov/2015/PHdata/Tmy/2015HB-05525-R000220-Gail%20Demmler%20Harrison,%20MD-TMY.PDF</a><o:p></o:p><br /><span style="text-indent: -0.5in;">Demmler-</span>Harrison, Gail, MD. (2016, December 2). <i>Cytomegalovirus: The Virus All Pregnant Women Should Know About Now</i>. Retrieved from Medscape.com: <a href="http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/872452" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/872452</a></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Doutre, S. M. 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Cody, Interviewer) <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lT2GpwzaMU&feature=youtu.be" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lT2GpwzaMU&feature=youtu.be</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Saunders, L. (2018, March 5). <i>Help Childcare Providers Fight CMV</i>. 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Retrieved from <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Help-Childcare-Providers-Fight-CMV/dp/1984328697?SubscriptionId=AKIAJ2F6RDUSIYCWQMFQ&tag=sa-sym-new-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=1984328697" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.amazon.com/Help-Childcare-Providers-Fight-CMV/dp/1984328697?SubscriptionId=AKIAJ2F6RDUSIYCWQMFQ&tag=sa-sym-new-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=1984328697</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Saunders, Lisa, Parent Representative, Congenital CMV Foundation. (2014, Feb. 28). <i>Public Hearing Testimony, Raised H.B. No. 5147</i>. Retrieved from Connecticut General Assembly: <a href="http://www.cga.ct.gov/2014/PHdata/Tmy/2014HB-05147-R000228-Lisa%20Saunders,%20Parent%20Representative,%20Congenital%20CMV%20Foundation-TMY.PDF" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">http://www.cga.ct.gov/2014/PHdata/Tmy/2014HB-05147-R000228-Lisa%20Saunders,%20Parent%20Representative,%20Congenital%20CMV%20Foundation-TMY.PDF</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #555544;">Shapiro, Eugene, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics, Epidemiology and Investigative Medicine, Yale University. (2014, Feb. 28). <i>Public Hearing Testimony, H.B. No. 5147</i>. Retrieved from Connecticut General Assembly: <a href="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" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">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</a> "<o:p></o:p></span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="color: #555544;">Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common cause of hearing loss and neurodevelopmental disabilities in this country, and clinical trials have now shown preventive measures for pregnant women and treatment measures for CMV infected newborns are beneficial." </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Shipman, M. (2018, Feb 14). <i>Why does CMV get so much less news coverage than Zika — despite causing far more birth defects?</i> Retrieved from Healthnewsreview.org: <a href="https://www.healthnewsreview.org/2018/02/cmv-get-much-less-news-coverage-zika-despite-causing-far-birth-defects/" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.healthnewsreview.org/2018/02/cmv-get-much-less-news-coverage-zika-despite-causing-far-birth-defects/</a><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoBibliography" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; margin-left: 0.5in; text-indent: -0.5in;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><i>Substitute for H.B. No. 5525: An Act Concerning Cytomeglovirus.</i> (2015). Retrieved from Connecticut General Assembly: <a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&which_year=2015&bill_num=5525+" style="background: transparent; color: #88bb22; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/cgabillstatus/cgabillstatus.asp?selBillType=Bill&which_year=2015&bill_num=5525+</a></span></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p>MORE ABOUT MY STORY</p><div><div style="font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><div><div></div></div></div><p style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">I am a parent, like many others, who didn't know how to prevent congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) until it was too late for our daughter. The moment she was born, my immediate thought was, “Her head looks so small—so deformed.” The neonatologist said, "If your daughter lives, she will never roll over, sit up, or feed herself." I was given literature stating women who work in daycare, or have a young child in daycare, are at a higher risk for catching it as preschoolers are the majority of carriers. Mothers should not kiss their toddlers around the mouth or share food with them. </span></p><p style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Why hadn’t my OB/GYNs warned me about this before—especially since, according to the CDC, congenital CMV causes more disabilities than Down syndrome? While I was pregnant with Elizabeth I had a toddler plus ran a licensed daycare center in my home. Nowhere in the licensing literature was a CMV prevention message. In milder cases, children may lose hearing or struggle with learning. But Elizabeth's case was not a mild one. She died after a seizure in 2006.</span></p><p style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">After presenting Elizabeth’s story at the first international Congenital CMV conference at the CDC in 2008, mothers pushed their children towards me in wheelchairs and asked, “Why didn’t my OB/GYN tell me how to prevent this?” One mother even asked, "Learning what you did, why didn't you shout it from the rooftops?" </span></p><p style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 5px;">In 2010, Jim and I moved to Connecticut when Jim was transferred by Pfizer. In 2012, I received an email from a distressed grandmother about her grandson just born with congenital CMV. The baby's mother was a high school student interning in a daycare center. The young mother, just like me decades earlier, was unaware she was putting her pregnancy at increased risk by working with young children. When I visited the family in the hospital, the attending nurse asked me, "Knowing what you do about CMV, why haven’t you launched an awareness campaign?" I explained to her that CMV parents, teachers, scientists and doctors have been trying for years to raise awareness, but the virus remains little known because CMV education is not "part of standard prenatal care” (Washington Post, 2021), doctors don’t want to frighten, worry or “burden” patients (New York Times, 2016), and although OSHA lists CMV as a "Recognized Hazard", there are no federal laws governing CMV education policies for child care workers. </p><p style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Thank you for your consideration. </span></p><p style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Sincerely, </span></p><p style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Lisa Saunders</span></p><p style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Baldwinsville, New York</span></p></div><div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 18.2px;"><b><span style="color: red;">Photo Caption of ceremonial signing above:</span></b></span></div><p><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13px;"></span></span></p><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="color: red;"><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">Ceremonial bill signing for Public Act 15-10: An Act Concerning Cytomegalovirus at the Office of the Governor in Hartford, Conn., on July 28. Left to right:</span><strong style="font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;"> Jane Baird</strong><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">, Government Relations, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center; Dr. </span><strong style="font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;">Wallis Molchen</strong><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">, Chief Resident, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center; </span><strong style="font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;">Jane Brancifort</strong><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Public Health; State Representative </span><strong style="font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;">John Hampton</strong><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">; Dr. </span><strong style="font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;">Brenda K. Balch</strong><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">, American Academy of Pediatrics Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Chapter Champion; </span><strong style="font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;">Nancy Wyman</strong><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">, Lt. Governor; </span><strong style="font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;">Lisa Saunders,</strong><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif"> parent representative, Congenital Cytomegalovirus </span><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">Fou<wbr></wbr>ndation, holding a picture of her deceased daughter, </span><strong style="font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;">Elizabeth </strong><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">(Lizzie); State Representative </span><strong style="font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;">Kevin Ryan</strong><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">; Governor </span><strong style="font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;">Dannel P. Malloy</strong><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">; Senator </span><strong style="font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;">Cathy Osten</strong><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">; </span><strong style="font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;">Ken Hiscoe</strong><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">, Pfizer, Government Relations; </span><strong style="font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;">Jarred</strong><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif"> and his mother, </span><strong style="font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face=""arial" , sans-serif">Melvette Ruffin</span></strong><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">; <strong>DeVaughn Ward</strong>, Liaison, Department of Public Health; and <strong><span face=""arial" , sans-serif">Kinson Perry</span></strong>, lobbyist at Rome, Smith and Lutz.</span></span></span></div></div></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-color: white; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif" style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span style="color: red;"><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin: 0px; vertical-align: middle;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif"><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 18.2px;">To contact the following on the Public Health Committee with more information on CMV and the bill: </div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></div></span></span></span><div style="line-height: 18.2px;"><span face=""arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif"><span><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif"><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">1)<b> Senator Heather Somers, Public Health Committee, Ranking Member</b>, <a href="mailto:Heather.Somers@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Heather.Somers@cga.ct.gov</a>, <a href="mailto:katelyn.liegeot@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">katelyn.liegeot@cga.ct.gov</a>, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://ctsenaterepublicans.com/contact-somers/&source=gmail&ust=1675942360107000&usg=AOvVaw0REEkJWCpqXJ1hwBy2tDes" href="https://ctsenaterepublicans.com/contact-somers/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://ctsenaterepublicans.<wbr></wbr>com/contact-somers/</a>, Phone: 860-240-8800. Relevant Facebook post to comment on: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/100058284060405/posts/pfbid0ocmUnygX7txE2uWSNLgnAo1U3SUCFHvuXFFC8N4471Emah5thhGbGPc14SnKBD7l/?d%3Dn&source=gmail&ust=1675942360107000&usg=AOvVaw2tJYhtVfkJ2WLEzAUevsKl" href="https://www.facebook.com/100058284060405/posts/pfbid0ocmUnygX7txE2uWSNLgnAo1U3SUCFHvuXFFC8N4471Emah5thhGbGPc14SnKBD7l/?d=n" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>100058284060405/posts/<wbr></wbr>pfbid0ocmUnygX7txE2uWSNLgnAo1U<wbr></wbr>3SUCFHvuXFFC8N4471Emah5thhGbGP<wbr></wbr>c14SnKBD7l/?d=n</a><br /><br />2) <b>Rep. Cristen MaCarthy- Vahey, Public Health Committee, Chair</b>, 860-240-8585, 1-800-842-8267, <a href="mailto:Cristin.McCarthyVahey@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Cristin.McCarthyVahey@cga.ct.<wbr></wbr>gov</a>. I also sent info to Constituent Engagement Coordinator, Allison Kyff:<br />860-240-0082, <a href="mailto:allison.kyff@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">allison.kyff@cga.ct.gov</a> Relevant Facebook post to comment on:<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/100057778432870/posts/pfbid02xn7dotxdc1fAde9yHnjEpWbTBiG1cUtwgYJEVfDpYHrTN77GKJy9PafXYemmsc2Tl/?d%3Dn&source=gmail&ust=1675942360107000&usg=AOvVaw1ludea_7W_JMLQwJoLMezl" href="https://www.facebook.com/100057778432870/posts/pfbid02xn7dotxdc1fAde9yHnjEpWbTBiG1cUtwgYJEVfDpYHrTN77GKJy9PafXYemmsc2Tl/?d=n" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>100057778432870/posts/<wbr></wbr>pfbid02xn7dotxdc1fAde9yHnjEpWb<wbr></wbr>TBiG1cUtwgYJEVfDpYHrTN77GKJy9P<wbr></wbr>afXYemmsc2Tl/?d=n</a><br /><br />3)<b> Sen. Saud Anwar, Chair: Public Health</b>, Legislative Aide, Will Simpson, <a href="mailto:Will.Simpson@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Will.Simpson@cga.ct.gov</a>, 860-240-0347, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/anwar-contact&source=gmail&ust=1675942360107000&usg=AOvVaw0rVXeVoR9i98FBW_w_Xkw6" href="http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/anwar-contact" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">http://www.senatedems.ct.gov/<wbr></wbr>anwar-contact</a> Facbook post relevant to Public Health Committee work: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/100050586185008/posts/pfbid0a8eQrQ2FhQjkJJPpwqVCnpHDEgVKdsk8szoAnZamgaGjS95wn9TBorgepq56BUpil/?d%3Dn&source=gmail&ust=1675942360107000&usg=AOvVaw1ntb3_6HrsHcw8utFuvEAR" href="https://www.facebook.com/100050586185008/posts/pfbid0a8eQrQ2FhQjkJJPpwqVCnpHDEgVKdsk8szoAnZamgaGjS95wn9TBorgepq56BUpil/?d=n" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>100050586185008/posts/<wbr></wbr>pfbid0a8eQrQ2FhQjkJJPpwqVCnpHD<wbr></wbr>EgVKdsk8szoAnZamgaGjS95wn9TBor<wbr></wbr>gepq56BUpil/?d=n</a><br /><br />4) <b>Representative Nicole Klarides-Ditria (R-105), Ranking Member,</b> Public Health Committee,<a href="mailto:Nicole.Klarides-Ditria@housegop.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Nicole.Klarides-<wbr></wbr>Ditria@housegop.ct.gov</a>, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cthousegop.com/klarides-ditria/contact-me/&source=gmail&ust=1675942360107000&usg=AOvVaw1GP9rnAmD0qdUOjGP-3p50" href="https://www.cthousegop.com/klarides-ditria/contact-me/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.cthousegop.com/<wbr></wbr>klarides-ditria/contact-me/</a> Facbook post relevant to Public Health Committee work: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/100057815390928/posts/pfbid02XVkWtg8iPJaM34wn8Jr7gTrDXHuZx4fG3HKR1hTJFz6Y3hKs5wPo6dorbgk9akwsl/?d%3Dn&source=gmail&ust=1675942360107000&usg=AOvVaw0r1dVe_xGh_VMJnkbXPn4W" href="https://www.facebook.com/100057815390928/posts/pfbid02XVkWtg8iPJaM34wn8Jr7gTrDXHuZx4fG3HKR1hTJFz6Y3hKs5wPo6dorbgk9akwsl/?d=n" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/<wbr></wbr>100057815390928/posts/<wbr></wbr>pfbid02XVkWtg8iPJaM34wn8Jr7gTr<wbr></wbr>DXHuZx4fG3HKR1hTJFz6Y3hKs5wPo6<wbr></wbr>dorbgk9akwsl/?d=n</a><br /><br />5) <b>Representative Martha Marx,</b> Vice Chair, <a href="mailto:martha.marx@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">martha.marx@cga.ct.gov</a>,<br /><a href="mailto:nikki.neifeld@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">nikki.neifeld@cga.ct.gov</a> (she said she would advocate for it)<br /><br />6)<b> Senator Julie Kushner, Vice-Chair,</b><br /><a href="mailto:haley.zawilinski@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">haley.zawilinski@cga.ct.gov</a><br /><br />7) <b>Representative John-Michael Parker, Vice-Chair,</b><br /><a href="mailto:johnmichael.parker@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">johnmichael.parker@cga.ct.gov</a><table cellpadding="0" style="border-spacing: 0px; color: #222222; font-family: "Google Sans", Roboto, RobotoDraft, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="margin: 0px; padding: 2px 0px; vertical-align: top; width: auto;"><span style="vertical-align: top;"><br /><br /><b>These three supported previous CMV bills: </b><br />8) Representative Kevin Ryan, <a href="mailto:Kevin.Ryan@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Kevin.Ryan@cga.ct.gov</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: x-small;">9) Representative Michelle Cook, </span><span style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="mailto:michelle.cook@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">michelle.cook@cga.ct.gov</a></span></div><div dir="ltr">10) Representative Kathleen McCarty, <span style="font-size: 14px;"><a href="mailto:kathleen.mccarty@housegop.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">kathleen.mccarty@<wbr></wbr>housegop.ct.gov</a></span></div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr">Other Public Health Committee members (or there assistants):</div><div dir="ltr" style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"></div><div style="line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></div><a href="mailto:Aimee.Berger-Girvalo@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Aimee.Berger-Girvalo@cga.ct.<wbr></wbr>gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:madison.chain@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">madison.chain@cga.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:christie.carpino@housegop.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">christie.carpino@housegop.ct.<wbr></wbr>gov</a>,<br /><a href="mailto:Anne.Dauphinais@housegop.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Anne.Dauphinais@housegop.ct.<wbr></wbr>gov</a>,<br /><a href="mailto:Mark.DeCaprio@housegop.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Mark.DeCaprio@housegop.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:Mike.Demicco@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Mike.Demicco@cga.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:Keith.Denning@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Keith.Denning@cga.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:Josh.Elliott@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Josh.Elliott@cga.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:Josh.Elliott@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Josh.Elliott@cga.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:henry.genga@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">henry.genga@cga.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:Jillian.Gilchrest@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Jillian.Gilchrest@cga.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:Jeff.Gordon@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Jeff.Gordon@cga.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:Eleni.KavrosDeGraw@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Eleni.KavrosDeGraw@cga.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:sarah.keitt@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">sarah.keitt@cga.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:Eleni.KavrosDeGraw@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Eleni.KavrosDeGraw@cga.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:sarah.keitt@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">sarah.keitt@cga.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:Kathy.Kennedy@housegop.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Kathy.Kennedy@housegop.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:Liz.Linehan@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Liz.Linehan@cga.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:Tracy.Marra@housegop.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Tracy.Marra@housegop.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:Kathleen.McCarty@housegop.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Kathleen.McCarty@housegop.ct.<wbr></wbr>gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:Christine.Palm@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Christine.Palm@cga.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:jason.perillo@housegop.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">jason.perillo@housegop.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:Moira.Rader@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Moira.Rader@cga.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:MD.Rahman@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">MD.Rahman@cga.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:Karen.Reddington-Hughes@housegop.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Karen.Reddington-Hughes@<wbr></wbr>housegop.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:daniela.luna@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">daniela.luna@cga.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:Jonathan.Steinberg@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Jonathan.Steinberg@cga.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:Peter.Tercyak@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Peter.Tercyak@cga.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:Mary.Welander@cga.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Mary.Welander@cga.ct.gov</a><br /><a href="mailto:Lezlye.Zupkus@housegop.ct.gov" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Lezlye.Zupkus@housegop.ct.gov</a></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br /></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">He represented me for the 2015 CMV bill: On YouTube: <a href="https://youtu.be/Icq-tXxHKBw">Rep. Bumgardner urges support for cytomegalovirus screening</a></div></span></span></span></div><div style="line-height: 18.2px;"><br />https://www.facebook.com/StateRepAundreBumgardner</div><div style="line-height: 18.2px;"><ul style="background-color: white; color: #1c1e21; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 x2lah0s x1nhvcw1 x1qjc9v5 xozqiw3 x1q0g3np xyamay9 xykv574 xbmpl8g x4cne27 xifccgj" style="align-items: stretch; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-flow: row nowrap; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-start; margin: -6px; padding-top: 16px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 xdt5ytf x193iq5w xeuugli x1r8uery x1iyjqo2 xs83m0k xamitd3 xsyo7zv x16hj40l x10b6aqq x1yrsyyn" style="align-self: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="x78zum5 xdt5ytf xz62fqu x16ldp7u" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px;"><div class="xu06os2 x1ok221b" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" color="var(--primary-text)" dir="auto" style="display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">+1 860-240-8585</span></div></div></div></div><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 x2lah0s x1nhvcw1 x1qjc9v5 xozqiw3 x1q0g3np xyamay9 xykv574 xbmpl8g x4cne27 xifccgj" style="align-items: stretch; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-flow: row nowrap; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-start; margin: -6px; padding-top: 16px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 xdt5ytf x2lah0s x193iq5w xeuugli xsyo7zv x16hj40l x10b6aqq x1yrsyyn" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><img alt="" class="x1b0d499 xuo83w3" height="20" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/v3/yE/r/2PIcyqpptfD.png" style="border: 0px; filter: var(--filter-placeholder-icon); vertical-align: -0.25em;" width="20" /></div><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 xdt5ytf x193iq5w xeuugli x1r8uery x1iyjqo2 xs83m0k xamitd3 xsyo7zv x16hj40l x10b6aqq x1yrsyyn" style="align-self: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="x78zum5 xdt5ytf xz62fqu x16ldp7u" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px;"><div class="xu06os2 x1ok221b" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm xzsf02u x1yc453h" color="var(--primary-text)" dir="auto" style="display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">aundre.bumgardner@cga.ct.gov</span></div></div></div></div><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 x2lah0s x1nhvcw1 x1qjc9v5 xozqiw3 x1q0g3np xyamay9 xykv574 xbmpl8g x4cne27 xifccgj" style="align-items: stretch; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-flow: row nowrap; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; justify-content: flex-start; margin: -6px; padding-top: 16px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 xdt5ytf x2lah0s x193iq5w xeuugli xsyo7zv x16hj40l x10b6aqq x1yrsyyn" style="box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><img alt="" class="x1b0d499 xuo83w3" height="20" src="https://static.xx.fbcdn.net/rsrc.php/v3/y3/r/BQdeC67wT9z.png" style="border: 0px; filter: var(--filter-placeholder-icon); vertical-align: -0.25em;" width="20" /></div><div class="x9f619 x1n2onr6 x1ja2u2z x78zum5 xdt5ytf x193iq5w xeuugli x1r8uery x1iyjqo2 xs83m0k xamitd3 xsyo7zv x16hj40l x10b6aqq x1yrsyyn" style="align-self: center; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex: 1 1 0px; font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; padding: 6px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="x1i10hfl xjbqb8w x6umtig x1b1mbwd xaqea5y xav7gou x9f619 x1ypdohk xt0psk2 xe8uvvx xdj266r x11i5rnm xat24cr x1mh8g0r xexx8yu x4uap5 x18d9i69 xkhd6sd x16tdsg8 x1hl2dhg xggy1nq x1a2a7pz xt0b8zv x1qq9wsj" href="http://housedems.ct.gov/Bumgardner?fbclid=IwAR0moQYzCbaTTsqaDVeBpWFJUI315AU6LDLyMYEAhr2eBoFzjMWteOtUf-s" rel="nofollow noopener" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0" target="_blank"><div class="x78zum5 xdt5ytf xz62fqu x16ldp7u" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px;"><div class="xu06os2 x1ok221b" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="x193iq5w xeuugli x13faqbe x1vvkbs x1xmvt09 x1lliihq x1s928wv xhkezso x1gmr53x x1cpjm7i x1fgarty x1943h6x xudqn12 x3x7a5m x6prxxf xvq8zen xo1l8bm x1qq9wsj x1yc453h" color="var(--accent)" dir="auto" style="display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;">housedems.ct.gov/Bumgardner</span></div></div></a></div></div></div></ul></div><div style="line-height: 18.2px;"><br /></div></div>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-75533622983950635132022-12-06T11:25:00.038-08:002022-12-20T03:34:58.221-08:00The Passing of "Elizabeth's Law" - A Priceless Gift <p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNcsQ6Q8qZxPzE8OjR14arpHpivXjVXxhMoIVcBwn48NLDT3BNkOwF6aSpTBmDfceggK1yhQIsA_q5DxZUmook8NZmuN6PmfAtCwXCtLJesT5aqIrXVqU-TSD5zTJ-0LUGEHw2Hs_2wfQjK1KPzGqBj-LHSSiHg1wraZHzIXVyQwPL7PrlIMUKlzEhgw/s2016/CMV%20rocks%20over%20200%20awareness%20Lyons.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNcsQ6Q8qZxPzE8OjR14arpHpivXjVXxhMoIVcBwn48NLDT3BNkOwF6aSpTBmDfceggK1yhQIsA_q5DxZUmook8NZmuN6PmfAtCwXCtLJesT5aqIrXVqU-TSD5zTJ-0LUGEHw2Hs_2wfQjK1KPzGqBj-LHSSiHg1wraZHzIXVyQwPL7PrlIMUKlzEhgw/s320/CMV%20rocks%20over%20200%20awareness%20Lyons.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span face="Muli, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">A memorial of 220 silver rocks (the color of CMV awareness) on the Trail of Hope in Lyons, NY, honoring the number of babies born disabled by congenital CMV in New York each year, was created as part of a June 2021 CMV Awareness Month presentation. The rocks memorialize the names of 70 children that families asked to be included.</span><br /><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBnhnL3U-4iolDzkWUpsBVO8IIqnKgd-KnKgLTzgw9xqwVcZ3Z9InN_Ibw0heLFSvFVqZKIn-zQIH3JC6kuKFplbRIpQzzIQuKJcJBG1mrQXvIiHYEvn9tTwHh91RxwS4nwG5s0wC6RndGaSp9XJShfv76BcfsmkI-J0WxwA8nD0YoZIu61l_ma-jF4A/s1529/Elizabeth%20and%20Lisa.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1012" data-original-width="1529" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBnhnL3U-4iolDzkWUpsBVO8IIqnKgd-KnKgLTzgw9xqwVcZ3Z9InN_Ibw0heLFSvFVqZKIn-zQIH3JC6kuKFplbRIpQzzIQuKJcJBG1mrQXvIiHYEvn9tTwHh91RxwS4nwG5s0wC6RndGaSp9XJShfv76BcfsmkI-J0WxwA8nD0YoZIu61l_ma-jF4A/s320/Elizabeth%20and%20Lisa.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Elizabeth Saunders with her mom, Lisa Saunders. <br /><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSm9BaXdnpiHnWO70L5ynIIpm_rpTrBT0mPAmPwDs4orum33QfbAZbJJQTWwac_9qR2CsyXucmXFNIPjH4zxZg64EWKAUGkD0OW-0DcYkcNCpl-caHuoaIMo6TJ7SWj1bxliNsM0m6O3Jq6fKVQrhWG64qjIX3_rzJ8xC9YzCTDz8T4nv53mwHecP5zQ/s1745/Stop%20CMV%20Elizabeth%20rock%20cropped%202.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1219" data-original-width="1745" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSm9BaXdnpiHnWO70L5ynIIpm_rpTrBT0mPAmPwDs4orum33QfbAZbJJQTWwac_9qR2CsyXucmXFNIPjH4zxZg64EWKAUGkD0OW-0DcYkcNCpl-caHuoaIMo6TJ7SWj1bxliNsM0m6O3Jq6fKVQrhWG64qjIX3_rzJ8xC9YzCTDz8T4nv53mwHecP5zQ/s320/Stop%20CMV%20Elizabeth%20rock%20cropped%202.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span face="Muli, sans-serif" style="color: #333333; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;">This memorial of 220 silver rocks (the color of CMV awareness) left on the Trail of Hope in Lyons, NY, honors the number of babies born disabled by congenital CMV in New York each year. It was created as part of a June 2021 CMV Awareness Month presentation. The rocks memorialize the names of 70 children whose families asked to be included. Lisa's story: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><a href="https://riverreporter.com/stories/the-passing-of-elizabeths-law-a-priceless-gift,71432?" style="color: #1155cc; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The passing of ‘Elizabeth’s Law’: A priceless gift</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” (2022)</span><br /><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><div style="text-align: center;">The Passing of ‘Elizabeth’s Law’ - A Priceless Gift</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: black;"><b>New York Moms Will Learn How to Stop CMV From Hurting </b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i style="color: black;"><b>Their Unborn Babies</b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">A first-person narrative piece by LISA SAUNDERS</div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: start;"><br /><div dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><div style="text-align: center;"><p style="background: transparent; font-family: arial; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;">I just received one of the best presents ever—the passing of “Elizabeth’s Law,” named in memory of my daughter. Elizabeth was born with severe brain damage on December 18, 1989. For more than 30 years, I’ve been trying to tell women how to protect their unborn children from the leading viral cause of birth defects.</span></p><p style="background: transparent; font-family: arial; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span></div><span style="color: #222222;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“Elizabeth’s Law” </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">(</span></span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b&source=gmail&ust=1670934915698000&usg=AOvVaw1lJdz_RMTbCj0UZus9w_JF" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b" style="background-color: transparent; color: navy;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><b>A7560B/S6287C</b></span></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">)</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> was signed by the governor on November 28. The law ensures pregnant women and child care providers receive information on how to prevent contracting cytomegalovirus (CMV). "About one out of every 200 babies is born with congenital CMV infection. About one in five babies with congenital CMV infection will have long-term health problems" (</span></span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://cdc.gov/cmv&source=gmail&ust=1670934915698000&usg=AOvVaw33pY3_7d8XOjZEtd5pfkHJ" href="http://cdc.gov/cmv" style="background-color: transparent; color: navy;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: arial;">cdc.gov/cmv</span></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;">). </span></span></div></span><span class="im" style="color: #500050;"><p></p><p style="background: transparent; font-family: arial; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span></div><span style="color: #222222;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">When I was pregnant with Elizabeth, I was a licensed, in-home childcare provider, church nursery volunteer, and the mother of a toddler—all things that put me at increased risk for CMV—yet I was never educated about the virus.</span></div></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">When Elizabeth was born, I felt a stab of fear. “Her head looks so small—so deformed,” I thought. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #500050;">After a CAT scan and other tests, the neonatologist concluded Elizabeth’s small head, known as microcephaly, was caused by congenital (present at birth) CMV. He said, “Your daughter’s brain is very small with calcium deposits throughout. If she lives, she will never roll over, sit up, or feed herself.” I was then handed printed information on congenital CMV.</span></div></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;">My head spun as I read that caregivers and teachers of young children are at greater risk for contracting CMV. Did</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;">n’t I</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"> live in a country where workers have the right to “receive information and training about hazards, methods to prevent harm?” </span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">(</span></span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3021.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1670934915698000&usg=AOvVaw1Z-4zG392-xgiGA8AvbEOU" href="https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3021.pdf" style="background-color: transparent; color: navy;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #88bb22;"><span face="tahoma, Trebuchet MS, lucida, helvetica, sans-serif"><b>OSH Act of 1970</b></span></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">)</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"> </span></div></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent; font-family: arial; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent; font-family: arial; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;">I felt sick at what my lack of knowledge had done to my little girl. In milder cases, children with congenital CMV may lose hearing or struggle with learning disabilities. But Elizabeth’s case was not a mild one. It took Elizabeth a couple of months to figure out where my face was, but one day she looked directly into my eyes and smiled—we had finally connected. I gradually began to think, “If she doesn’t care that she is profoundly mentally impaired, and, apart from a miracle, will never walk or talk, why should I be so upset?” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black;">It took me about a year, but I eventually stopped praying that God would kill me so I could escape my overwhelming anguish over Elizabeth's brain damage. </span></p><span class="im" style="color: #500050;"><p style="background: transparent; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Years later, on Elizabeth’s 16th birthday, I awoke proud. When “I’ll be home for Christmas” played on the radio, I cried thinking how hard Elizabeth fought to be home for yet another Christmas. She had overcome battles with pneumonia, major surgeries, and most recently, seizures. Weighing only 50 pounds and at the development level of a three-month-old, she looked funny to strangers with her small head and adult teeth, but she was lovely to us with her long, brown hair, large blue eyes and soul-capturing smile. Although still in diapers and unable to speak or hold up her head, Elizabeth was very happy and </span></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">loved being at school.</span></span></span></div></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent; font-family: arial; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span></div><span style="color: #222222;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">Over a month later, I dropped Elizabeth off at school. Strapping her into her wheelchair, I held her face in my hands, kissed her cheek, and said, “Now be a good girl today.” She smiled as she heard her teacher say “Elizabeth is always a good girl!” With that, I left. At day's end, I got the call I had feared. “Mrs. Saunders, Elizabeth had a seizure and she’s not breathing.”</span></div></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent; font-family: arial; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="background: transparent; font-family: arial; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">The medical team at </span></span></span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/elizabeth-saunders-obituary?pid%3D149413661&source=gmail&ust=1670934915698000&usg=AOvVaw2KzxzBc-fZEF4yWNF_Tv3z" href="https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/elizabeth-saunders-obituary?pid=149413661" style="color: navy;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #669922;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="background: transparent;">Nyack Hospital</span></b></span></span></a><span style="color: #555544;"><span face="tahoma, Trebuchet MS, lucida, helvetica, sans-serif"><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> </span></span></span><span style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">did all they could, but she was gone. While holding Elizabeth’s body on his lap, my husband looked down into her partially open, lifeless eyes and cried, “No one is ever going to look at me again the way she did.”</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">Feeling lost and empty, I sought the comfort of my bed. But then I suffered a tormenting dream: Finding myself in a support group of young parents with babies disabled by congenital CMV, I dreaded my turn to speak. When I told the group about Elizabeth’s birth 16 years earlier, the parents stared incredulously at me. Why hadn’t I done everything humanly possible to warn them about CMV—why hadn’t I shouted it from the rooftops?</span></div></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent; font-family: arial; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span></div></span><span style="color: #222222;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Since that dream in 2006, CMV advocacy has become my mission in life. I wrote articles and books, </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;">and in 2</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;">015, with the help of CMV advocates across the country, to get a </span></span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.clinicaladvisor.com/home/web-exclusives/connecticut-passes-cytomegalovirus-screening-law-for-newborns/%23:~:text%3D%25E2%2580%259CThis%2520law%2520will%2520require%2520newborns,advocate%252C%2520said%2520in%2520Connecticut%2520Magazine.&source=gmail&ust=1670934915698000&usg=AOvVaw3T5tSF-kVcdOVt0jF_SmH9" href="https://www.clinicaladvisor.com/home/web-exclusives/connecticut-passes-cytomegalovirus-screening-law-for-newborns/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CThis%20law%20will%20require%20newborns,advocate%2C%20said%20in%20Connecticut%20Magazine." style="background-color: transparent; color: navy;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #669922;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><b>Connecticut CMV law </b></span></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;">passed that requires testing a newborn for </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;">CMV </span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;">if they fail their hearing exam.</span></span></div></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0in;"></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;">In 2021, I collaborated with other parents of CMV children </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;">for</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"> a New York June Cytomegalovirus Awareness Month event with Trail Works in Lyons. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;">We left</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222;"> over 220 silver rocks (the color of CMV awareness) on the Trail of Hope to honor the number of babies born disabled by congenital CMV in New York each year.</span></div></span><p></p><p style="background: transparent; font-family: arial; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="background: transparent; font-family: arial; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;">Since then, my husband and I, i</span><span style="color: black;">n an effort to continue raising awareness of CMV, have been walking across New York State between Albany and Buffalo on the 360-mile Erie Canalway Trail. As of November 2022, </span><span style="color: black;">we</span><span style="color: black;"> have walked 189 miles, which is 53% across the State of New York. We leave </span><span style="color: #222222;">#Stop CMV silver rocks</span><span style="color: black;"> along the way, to remind others of our </span><span style="color: black;">lost </span><span style="color: black;">children and </span><span style="color: black;">the </span><span style="color: black;">future ones we hope to save. The</span><span style="color: #222222;"> rocks are painted by Tabitha Rodenhaus of Buffalo </span><span style="color: #222222;">in honor of her daughter</span><span style="color: #222222;">. </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I used iMovie to make this </span><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #1c0b3c;">one-minute video about our quest, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3Dp7eHTM27QL4&source=gmail&ust=1671052357945000&usg=AOvVaw1rxRH-ZM-qXt7pv_VoPnJ0" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7eHTM27QL4" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Erie Canal Trail: Stop Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Birth Defects. Pass "Elizabeth's Law"</a>.</p><p style="background: transparent; font-family: arial; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="background: transparent; font-family: arial; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;">Anyone who would like to learn more about the New York CMV laws can contact Assemblymember </span><span style="color: #222222;">Linda B. </span><span style="color: #222222;">Rosenthal’s office at 518/455-5802 or Nick Guile, Legislative Director for Assemblymember Rosenthal, at </span><a href="mailto:guilen@nyassembly.gov" style="color: navy;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>guilen@nyassembly.gov</b></span></span></a><span style="color: #222222;">.</span></p></div></div><div class="HOEnZb" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><div class="adm" style="margin: 5px 0px;"><div class="ajR h4" id="q_0" style="background-color: #e8eaed; border-radius: 5.5px; border: none; clear: both; color: #500050; cursor: pointer; font-size: 11px; line-height: 6px; outline: none; position: relative; width: 24px;"></div></div></div></div></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;">For more information about CMV, </span><span style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;">the </span><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: justify; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CDC has fliers available in</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html&source=gmail&ust=1670440581280000&usg=AOvVaw0TUx17812EAeAy-nzbNByg" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; text-align: justify; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">English and Spanish</span></a><span style="color: #555544; text-align: justify;">.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">###</div><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;">Added details</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>Elizabeth's nurses also sparked feelings of love in me toward Elizabeth. “Look, she loves to have her head rubbed,” one said as she held her in the crook of her arm and rubbed the top of her head with her free hand. “Take her home and enjoy her—try not to worry about what her future holds. Just take it one day at a time.”<div><div style="color: #555544;"><br /></div><div style="color: #555544;"><span style="color: black;"><div style="color: #555544;">But once home, I was so depressed I could barely function. All I could do was rock Elizabeth and watch movies such as "It's a Wonderful Life" to give me a reason to live. I spent hours listening to sad music about others who endured indescribable suffering and immersed myself in the Book of Psalms. Before Elizabeth was born, I couldn’t relate to the Psalmists tales of agony. I thought, “Wow, those people are really depressed!” Now, I found comfort in their bitter questions, such as, “How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow all the day?” I prayed God would help me love Elizabeth just the way she was—to see her as a little girl and not just some hopeless prognosis. If I was ever to move forward and find happiness again, I knew I had to stop dwelling on the unanswerable questions that kept popping into my head like, “Why would God let me catch CMV?”; “Why wasn't I warned about this?” and “Who did I catch it from?” One of Elizabeth’s many doctors, a specialist who knew of my mental torment and guilt over catching CMV reminded me, “You’ll never know for certain where you caught it. The majority of adults have had it at one time in their lives. You need to move on and make the best of the situation. This isn’t your fault. It just happened.” Jim didn’t blame me for catching it, why was I still blaming myself? I began having debilitating anxiety attacks as I pondered her future and was prescribed Valium so I could calm down enough to care for my children. </div><div style="color: #555544;"><br /></div><div style="color: #555544;">It took Elizabeth a couple of months to figure out where my face was, but then one day she looked directly into my eyes and smiled—we had finally connected! I gradually began to think, “If she doesn’t care that she is profoundly mentally impaired, and, apart from a miracle, will never walk or talk, why should I be so upset?” Maybe it was the Valium talking, but that thought gradually stuck with me. I no longer needed “mother’s little helpers” to get me out of bed and into the shower.</div><div style="color: #555544;"><br /></div><div style="color: #555544;">I no longer focused on Elizabeth’s disabilities, but on her abilities—her appreciation for being alive for one. Although she could not hold up her head or move her tightly clenched fists to reach a toy, she could hear and see—at least a little. She could not sit up by herself much less crawl, but she could sit for hours snuggled contentedly in my lap and study my face with her large blue eyes framed by long dark eyelashes. When I smiled at her, she’d break into an ear-to-ear grin in return, letting me know that my happiness with her was all she needed to be satisfied in this world. I decided to follow the nurse’s advice and just think about Elizabeth’s care one day at a time. There was no use in letting myself get overwhelmed with despair over what Elizabeth might not be able to do in the future. Today’s tasks were what I needed to tackle. I was told Elizabeth could die unexpectedly at any moment. I could die at any moment for that matter. What was the point of losing my sanity fretting about tomorrow?</div></span></div><div style="color: #555544;"><br /></div><div style="color: #555544;">In 2010, Jim and I moved from New York to Connecticut when Jim was transferred by Pfizer. In 2012, I received an email from a distressed grandmother about her grandson just born with congenital CMV. The baby's mother was a high school student interning in a daycare center. The young mother, just like me decades earlier, was unaware she was putting her pregnancy at increased risk by working with young children. When I visited the family in the hospital, the attending nurse asked me, "Knowing what you do about CMV, why haven’t you launched an awareness campaign?" I explained to her that CMV parents, teachers, scientists and doctors have been trying for years to raise awareness, but the virus remains little known because <span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CMV education is not "part of standard prenatal care” (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid%3DIwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA&source=gmail&ust=1670440581279000&usg=AOvVaw3MtqX-UnIiI8Q4O-QD2oY3" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid=IwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Washington Post</span></a><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 2021), d</span><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">octors don’t want to frighten, worry or “burden” patients (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html&source=gmail&ust=1670440581279000&usg=AOvVaw3grfJHnG7_NkaJ5h6z2uky" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>New York Times</i></span></a><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 2016), and although </span><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">OSHA lists CMV as a "</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/cmv/hazards.html&source=gmail&ust=1670440581279000&usg=AOvVaw1kf88E4pQT4aLCOuCA9Kp6" href="http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/cmv/hazards.html" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>Recognized Hazard</i></span></a><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">", </span><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">there are no federal laws governing CMV education policies for child care workers. </span></div><div><p style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 1em;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">When Jim retired from Pfizer, we moved back to New York, this time to Baldwinsville (outside of Syracuse) to be near our grandchildren. </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">I looked into <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/S2816%23:~:text%3DS2816%2520%252D%2520Summary-,Requires%2520urine%2520polymerase%2520chain%2520reaction%2520testing%2520for%2520cytomegalovirus%2520of%2520newborns,to%2520various%2520aspects%2520of%2520cytomegalovirus.&source=gmail&ust=1670440581279000&usg=AOvVaw37h7yGL2Vp-mVVYCdkH_iz" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/S2816#:~:text=S2816%20%2D%20Summary-,Requires%20urine%20polymerase%20chain%20reaction%20testing%20for%20cytomegalovirus%20of%20newborns,to%20various%20aspects%20of%20cytomegalovirus." style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">New York's CMV law</a> passed in 2018 and found that it was similar to the targeted CMV testing law passed in Connecticut in 2015. It was spearheaded by </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid%3DIwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA&source=gmail&ust=1670440581280000&usg=AOvVaw3dkxgwZMu1C9JbL25GUlk5" href="https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid=IwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal</a> who decided<span face="arial, sans-serif"> something had to be done when she read the 2016 <i>New York Times</i> article, "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html&source=gmail&ust=1670440581280000&usg=AOvVaw33WPh8zaH7N6dJ8zycqMFh" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">CMV Is a Greater Threat to Infants Than Zika, but Far Less Often Discussed</a><span style="color: #500050;">". </span></span></p><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 1em; text-align: left;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">I joined a CMV Facebook group geared to families in western New York, where I met </span><span>Kristin Schuster of Canandaigua, the mother of Autumn born with congenital CMV in 2015. Autumn is her first child. Kristin told me, "I was teaching in a pre-kindergarten inclusion classroom while pregnant with Autumn and was unaware of the dangers of CMV exposure." </span><span>Kristin</span><span> and I collaborated </span><span>on a </span><span>New York </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://trackbill.com/bill/new-york-assembly-legislative-resolution-346-memorializing-governor-andrew-m-cuomo-to-proclaim-june-2021-as-cytomegalovirus-awareness-month-in-the-state-of-new-york/2131474/" style="background: transparent; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">June 2021 Cytomegalovirus Awareness Month</a> event </span><span>with </span><span>Mark De Cracker of Trail Works </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">in Lyons. A co-sponsor of the Awareness Month Proclamation, </span><a class="bold" href="https://trackbill.com/legislator/new-york-assemblymember-brian-manktelow/794-17807/" style="border: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: bold; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px 5px 0px 0px; text-decoration-line: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Assemblymember Brian Manktelow</a>, <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">read the Proclamation aloud: "...</span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">It is imperative that women are educated about the virus </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">itself and simple preventative measures, such as not sharing food with </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">toddlers, and washing one's hands after changing infants and toddlers d</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">iapers..."</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">The reading concluded with us leaving over 220 silver rocks (the color of CMV awareness) </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">on the </span><a href="https://trailworks.org/trail-of-hope/" style="font-family: arial;">Trail of Hope </a> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">to honor t</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">he number of babies born disabled by congenital CMV in New York each year. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><b>Kristin </b>painted many of these silver rocks and, per requests from families unable to attend, featured the names of 70 children born disabled by CMV on the rocks</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">. </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Tabitha Rodenhaus of Buffalo sent in the #Stop CMV rocks she painted in honor of her daughter Kaia, born in 2016, and Boces students from Career Creations painted over 100 rocks. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">Kristin's daughter Autumn tried to help us place the silver rocks within a red rock shaped heart. </span><span id="docs-internal-guid-470460a1-7fff-b43c-8790-f3637c89890e"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/18taK4C4CUDdW8q7iJq3wFS_lvawJm0fc/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jessica Keukelaa</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">r </span></span><b style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;">of Macedon</b><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> watched with her first child Kyleigh, born with congenital CMV in 2018. Like Kristin and myself, Jessica worked professionally with young children during her pregnancy and was unaware of her occupational risk for CMV (see music video of the event: "Had I Known (about CMV)," at: </span></span><a href="https://youtu.be/dUEQmKrG354" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/<wbr></wbr>dUEQmKrG354</a>).</div><p style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 1em;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: #500050;">Although the <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/S2816%23:~:text%3DS2816%2520%252D%2520Summary-,Requires%2520urine%2520polymerase%2520chain%2520reaction%2520testing%2520for%2520cytomegalovirus%2520of%2520newborns,to%2520various%2520aspects%2520of%2520cytomegalovirus.&source=gmail&ust=1670440581279000&usg=AOvVaw37h7yGL2Vp-mVVYCdkH_iz" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/S2816#:~:text=S2816%20%2D%20Summary-,Requires%20urine%20polymerase%20chain%20reaction%20testing%20for%20cytomegalovirus%20of%20newborns,to%20various%20aspects%20of%20cytomegalovirus." style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">New York CMV law</a><span style="color: black;"> passed in 2018</span> helped newborns who failed their hearing test receive early intervention, it did little to ensure pregnant women learned how to prevent contracting CMV in the first place. </span></span><span style="color: #500050;">Angela Cote of Buffalo appreciates the 2018 CMV testing law because it diagnosed why her daughter Elise failed her hearing test, giving her options for early intervention , she wishes she knew about CMV before her pregnancy with Elise--especially since Angela had an occupational risk for it. She said, "Not once have I ever heard of CMV or was told about CMV. I was a nanny so I was around children a lot as well as having my daughter, who was a toddler at the time I became pregnant with Elise. Not my OB or any other doctor mentioned or screened me for CMV to see if I had been exposed in the past."</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="color: #500050;">Beginning in 2021, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid%3DIwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA&source=gmail&ust=1670440581280000&usg=AOvVaw3dkxgwZMu1C9JbL25GUlk5" href="https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid=IwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Assemblymember Rosenthal</a><span style="color: #555544;"> and </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/john-w-mannion/senator-john-w-mannions-legislation-protect-pregnant-women&source=gmail&ust=1670440581280000&usg=AOvVaw14hCboQy5P3G7mpw95T2FN" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/john-w-mannion/senator-john-w-mannions-legislation-protect-pregnant-women" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Senator John W. Mannion</a><span style="color: #555544;">, with the help of many CMV families and their friends, doctors and teachers, </span>fought to get "Elizabeth's Law" signed by the Senate, Assembly and then the governor on <span style="color: #555544;">November 28, 2022.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="color: #555544;"></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="color: #555544;"><br /></span></p><div><span style="color: #555544;">Less than two weeks after the law passed, Jim and I went to Seneca Falls, New York, for its annual celebration of “It’s a Wonderful Life” movie. </span><span style="color: #555544;">Seneca Falls, and its canal bridge where a woman tried to take her own life, is the town that supposedly inspired upstate New York's "Bedford Falls" in the movie. </span><span style="color: #555544;">The It's a Wonderful Life museum</span><span style="color: #555544;"> is a collection of photos and memorabilia from the movie, which includes information on Suicide Prevention. During the celebration, I </span><span style="color: #555544;">met the actress who played little Zuzu (remember "Zuzu's petals"?), </span><span style="color: #5f6368;">Karolyn Grimes, who flew in from California</span><span style="color: #555544;">. I told her how much her</span><span style="color: #555544;"> movie meant to me after Elizabeth was born with such an awful prognosis. She seemed interested to hear more, so I told her about "Elizabeth's Law" passing and all the help received from friends, etc. I told her how women can reduce their chances of contracting it. She hoped there was a similar law in California. </span><span style="color: #555544;">Meeting her was a full circle moment for me. I later learned that her own son ended his life, which is probably why she flies from California every year to meet folks in upstate New York touched by her movie. </span><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #5f6368; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Karolyn Grimes </span><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">autographed her children's book, "</span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Zuzus-Petals-Dream-Wonderful-Life/dp/069278490X" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Zuzu's Petals, A Dream of It's a Wonderful Life</a><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">" for me.</span></div><div><div class="gmail-separator" style="clear: both; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="tahoma, Trebuchet MS, lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544;">It's good to remember this line from the film: "</span><a href="https://youtu.be/ILXyC7z1b8w" style="color: #1155cc;">No Man Is A Failure Who Has Friends</a>"</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you feel you need to do something legislative wise to help others, let me know in case I can advise you.<span style="font-size: small;"> </span>This recent TV interview captured how I felt the moment the governor signed Elizabeth's Law: <a href="https://cnycentral.com/news/local/baldwinsville-mom-celebrates-new-law-in-daughters-name-to-protect-pregnant-women-babies#" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://cnycentral.com/news/<wbr></wbr>local/baldwinsville-mom-<wbr></wbr>celebrates-new-law-in-<wbr></wbr>daughters-name-to-protect-<wbr></wbr>pregnant-women-babies#</a></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinH3dXSfCxZAbb01-815UytXI5EQv3nRRl7a3Pxdni2xsrpLAtMNH0WVrl1Y3KNiJatKmJoJW4sGefsBMS_vyTFwpH21LQImdm4vhk7SjE_Opp35BN_rW_MfKBV9s9qIYwi0LwQNPd22gNCxkF0Xv3o4i-jE9eaXMxSTOmyquK7wBNBtD9cVt8PWZikQ" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"></a></div></div><div><br /></div><div style="color: #555544;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinH3dXSfCxZAbb01-815UytXI5EQv3nRRl7a3Pxdni2xsrpLAtMNH0WVrl1Y3KNiJatKmJoJW4sGefsBMS_vyTFwpH21LQImdm4vhk7SjE_Opp35BN_rW_MfKBV9s9qIYwi0LwQNPd22gNCxkF0Xv3o4i-jE9eaXMxSTOmyquK7wBNBtD9cVt8PWZikQ" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEinH3dXSfCxZAbb01-815UytXI5EQv3nRRl7a3Pxdni2xsrpLAtMNH0WVrl1Y3KNiJatKmJoJW4sGefsBMS_vyTFwpH21LQImdm4vhk7SjE_Opp35BN_rW_MfKBV9s9qIYwi0LwQNPd22gNCxkF0Xv3o4i-jE9eaXMxSTOmyquK7wBNBtD9cVt8PWZikQ" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #5f6368; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Jim and I will actress Karolyn Grimes</span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggx1htvMxvVy9-fF_s0HvOGfElTTmBZWZ1nHZNW_SPJqmkiq2zYWDVGhmR49AHdfVoOj1X5pi7v9cwp4kIoadXuQfysJg4Cr6bz7EdMdLMkldCWcYMxEAXiXvzlaJ_02WT-9r2gHdh5TZq6My5vNnSI6e4uEhho2nmmuRYIO-3JWhyu4re-oCYNegGdA" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEggx1htvMxvVy9-fF_s0HvOGfElTTmBZWZ1nHZNW_SPJqmkiq2zYWDVGhmR49AHdfVoOj1X5pi7v9cwp4kIoadXuQfysJg4Cr6bz7EdMdLMkldCWcYMxEAXiXvzlaJ_02WT-9r2gHdh5TZq6My5vNnSI6e4uEhho2nmmuRYIO-3JWhyu4re-oCYNegGdA" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxFxkGwBaB4B6TqsUMTXrYBrUTjHaTDiZi09J_8mMOUanQm1qc9rLIng8u_gi8rhF87BeKYPTO6c-DiDARZ8j9Xi7OK8UPWZ85bJCDUBBSJ8kf378JBDdPOzo78_cwuPAn1PyYRuSIZpCzAVvBaL3yXtkEFW8T6pw3RHmKDNhNPBkR2nBg2Ee2H506Qg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="2016" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhxFxkGwBaB4B6TqsUMTXrYBrUTjHaTDiZi09J_8mMOUanQm1qc9rLIng8u_gi8rhF87BeKYPTO6c-DiDARZ8j9Xi7OK8UPWZ85bJCDUBBSJ8kf378JBDdPOzo78_cwuPAn1PyYRuSIZpCzAVvBaL3yXtkEFW8T6pw3RHmKDNhNPBkR2nBg2Ee2H506Qg" width="320" /></a></div><br />Like this actor playing George Bailey, Jim and I feel the passage of "Elizabeth's Law" was like us lassoing the moon!</div><div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">###</span></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="color: #500050; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: black;">To learn more about "Elizabeth's Law" (</span><span style="color: #555544;">Bills </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b&source=gmail&ust=1670440581280000&usg=AOvVaw1c3TIXvUv_d83sq0K7eg4O" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">A7560B/S6287C</a><span style="color: black;">)</span><span style="color: #555544;">,</span><span style="color: black;"> see the following press releases from the sponsors of the bill: </span></span></div><div style="color: #500050;"><ol style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding-left: 24px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 8px 0px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">NYAssembly.gov: “<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid%3DIwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA&source=gmail&ust=1670440581280000&usg=AOvVaw3dkxgwZMu1C9JbL25GUlk5" href="https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid=IwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal Bill to Educate Childcare Providers, Pregnant Patients on Cytomegalovirus Dangers Signed into Law</a>,” November 28, 2022.</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 20.8px; margin: 8px 0px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">NYSenate.gov: “<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/john-w-mannion/senator-john-w-mannions-legislation-protect-pregnant-women&source=gmail&ust=1670440581280000&usg=AOvVaw14hCboQy5P3G7mpw95T2FN" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/john-w-mannion/senator-john-w-mannions-legislation-protect-pregnant-women" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Senator John W. Mannion’s legislation to protect pregnant women from dangerous viral infection that’s a leading cause of birth defects is signed into law</a>,” November 28, 2022.</span></li></ol></div><p style="color: black; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 1em;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"> Anyone who would like to learn more about the New York CMV laws, or get involved in the effort to see all newborns tested for CMV, can contact Assemblymember Rosenthal's office at: 518.455.5802 or Nick Guile, Legislative Director for Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal, at <a href="mailto:guilen@nyassembly.gov" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">guilen@nyassembly.gov</a>.<span style="color: #500050;"> </span></span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 1em;"><br /></p><p style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #500050;"><b>From Other New York </b></span><span style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #500050;"><b>Families</b></span></span></p><p style="color: black; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 1em; text-align: center;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: #500050;"><span style="color: #500050;"><b><br /></b></span></span></span></p><p style="color: black; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 1em;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: #500050;"><span style="color: #500050;"><b><a href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/resources/blog/october/volunteer-spotlight-brandi-hurtubise">Brandi Hurtubise</a> of Buffalo</b>, New York National CMV Foundation Alliance Chair, stated, "My daughter Samantha [born 2016] will never walk or talk independently because of a virus no one told me about. No one told me I shouldn't share drinks or food with my toddler while I was pregnant with my daughter. Or that I needed to wash my hands after every single diaper change. That I needed to be cautious of his saliva and urine because it could be carrying a virus that would harm my unborn baby. I didn't know because CMV isn't commonly talked about or educated on; even though it is more common than Down </span><span style="color: #500050;">Syndrome" </span><span style="color: #500050;">(<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid%3DIwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA&source=gmail&ust=1670440581280000&usg=AOvVaw3dkxgwZMu1C9JbL25GUlk5" href="https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid=IwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">NYAssembly.<wbr></wbr>gov, </a></span><span style="color: #500050;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid%3DIwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA&source=gmail&ust=1670440581280000&usg=AOvVaw3dkxgwZMu1C9JbL25GUlk5" href="https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid=IwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">November 2022</a>). </span><span style="color: #555544; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (</span><span style="color: #500050;">I interviewed Brandi on local access TV:</span><span style="color: #555544;"> </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA&source=gmail&ust=1670440581280000&usg=AOvVaw1YT8m3cVuzz_yTWqcGU27C" href="https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CytoMegaloVirus (CMV) - What Moms Wished They Knew</span></a><span style="color: #500050; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">PAC-B TV, 2021</span><span style="color: #500050; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="color: #500050; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">(</span><span style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brandi can be reached at </span></span><span style="color: #555544; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="mailto:nationalcmvny@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">nationalcmvny@gmail.com</a> or visit: </span><span style="color: #555544; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://nationalcmv.org/&source=gmail&ust=1670440581280000&usg=AOvVaw2Ujg2sE0jikft6SySDvJPY" href="http://nationalcmv.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">nationalcmv.org</a>).</span></span></span></p><p style="color: black; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 1em;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: arial;">Kelly Smolar Gerne</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: arial;">, a mechanical engineer from Brooklyn told Lisa Saunders, "My daughter Alexis was born in August 2020 with congenital CMV. With the help of Northwell, Dr. Sood and Nurse Stellato, Alexis is thriving because she was diagnosed and treated early following a failed newborn hearing test. While I am angry about the lack of CMV education prior and during my pregnancy, the CMV testing law passed in 2018 meant our family was the recipient of those who had fought before us. I want to continue that forward so all babies in the State of New York will have the option for early intervention."</span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;"><div><b style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Edel Law </b><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">of Tappan</span><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"> told Lisa Saunders that Elizabeth's Law "is important to me because my three-year-old daughter has congenital CMV. It came as a total shock when at 31 weeks pregnant, I found out she had abnormal brain development. Upon further testing, we found out I had contracted and passed CMV onto my daughter. After learning about CMV, it was not shocking that I contracted the virus since I had a toddler in preschool and was an early childhood educator. My daughter has developmental delays, single sided deafness, wears a cochlear implant, and has a form of heart failure."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Other mothers have also shared their stories on TV, hoping to prevent this from happening to other families. ”Imagine giving birth to a seemingly healthy newborn baby, only to find out a few weeks down the road that your baby is deaf…That is what happened to a Western New York family and they have found that they are not alone…” </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Marielle Fitzgerald</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the baby’s mother, said, “‘Like most pregnant women, I did everything I could to ensure a healthy pregnancy…I followed all of my doctors recommendations to avoid certain foods. I didn't go on a vacation to Florida with our family to avoid Zika, right? But no one probably ever said I should avoid my own daughter's saliva. And if they had, I would have’”(</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/health/cmv-virus-causing-deafness-in-newborns-1/466924064%23_%3D_&source=gmail&ust=1670500647123000&usg=AOvVaw319IwFtffb4o_gIsdvY0vY" href="https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/health/cmv-virus-causing-deafness-in-newborns-1/466924064#_=_" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-family: arial; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CMV: Virus causing deafness in newborns</span></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, WGRZ-TV, 2017).</span></div></div><div class="yj6qo" style="color: #555544;"></div><div class="adL" style="color: #555544; margin: 2px 0px 0px; outline: none; padding: 10px 0px; width: 22px;"><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /></div></div></div></div>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-67818623170381357892022-10-18T05:57:00.021-07:002023-02-08T04:19:09.723-08:00NY Passes "Elizabeth's Law' to protect babies from #1 birth defects virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV). Next goal to test all newborns for CMV for early intervention<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDM3eK6KjXwWhBv42qWVPp6U-7Du5SvXWL8n2RwlMOONzRDE33W_RVQwHPvCeTLzQsJafIlZ6YGFSPySUDDzx7hs-S1dysziNk0ClMdZeiK7l_4eooWXUmtiNoyz7aWBIX5DGICMKPebho3tqWxM537axYooIKm3MQwpXZnn8Z5eNNqppHqvvkXxhjQ/s1024/Eliz%20in%20NICU%20cropped%20sq.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="953" data-original-width="1024" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgDM3eK6KjXwWhBv42qWVPp6U-7Du5SvXWL8n2RwlMOONzRDE33W_RVQwHPvCeTLzQsJafIlZ6YGFSPySUDDzx7hs-S1dysziNk0ClMdZeiK7l_4eooWXUmtiNoyz7aWBIX5DGICMKPebho3tqWxM537axYooIKm3MQwpXZnn8Z5eNNqppHqvvkXxhjQ/s320/Eliz%20in%20NICU%20cropped%20sq.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><i>Elizabeth Saunders born with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) in 1989. Mother Lisa Saunders, a New York resident, is thrilled the governor signed "Elizabeth's Law" ( <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b&source=gmail&ust=1666180827703000&usg=AOvVaw0swnmqqIUQbc713T9PhWC2" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">A7560B/S6287C</a>) on </i><span style="text-align: left;"><i> 11/28/22.</i></span></div><p></p><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align: center;"><u><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">On November 28, 2022, the governor signed "Elizabeth's Law" (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw15QUpD2Eskd3-gQ47UXCOX" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">A7560B/S6287C</a><span face="arial, sans-serif">), named in memory of </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/elizabeth-saunders-obituary?pid%3D149413661&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3bILYnkdZz-R5JKa4Oudj5" href="https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/elizabeth-saunders-obituary?pid=149413661" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif;" target="_blank">my daughter,</a><span face="arial, sans-serif"> to ensure pregnant women and child care providers get information on preventing the leading viral cause of birth defects, cytomegalovirus (CMV). </span></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; color: #500050;"><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Please see these press releases from the sponsors of the bill, plus my own that follows: </span></span><div><ol style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding-left: 24px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 8px 0px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;">NYAssembly.gov: “<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid%3DIwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw2Ircsf69KsbkRom0nw4uE8" href="https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid=IwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal Bill to Educate Childcare Providers, Pregnant Patients on Cytomegalovirus Dangers Signed into Law</a>,” November 28, 2022.</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 8px 0px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;">NYSenate.gov: “<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/john-w-mannion/senator-john-w-mannions-legislation-protect-pregnant-women&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw1MATcIttoVa5tce8tpKsuG" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/john-w-mannion/senator-john-w-mannions-legislation-protect-pregnant-women" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Senator John W. Mannion’s legislation to protect pregnant women from dangerous viral infection that’s a leading cause of birth defects is signed into law</a>,” November 28, 2022.</span></li></ol><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">(The co-sponsors of "Elizabeth's Law" can be found at: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw15QUpD2Eskd3-gQ47UXCOX" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">A7560B/S6287C</a>)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;">3. Newspaper articles published after Elizabeth's Law passed in 2022: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black;"><span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hIavToAg-yD07rQ2kbREu44WMle--MB9/view?usp=sharing">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hIavToAg-yD07rQ2kbREu44WMle--MB9/view?usp=sharing</a></span></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">The following press release was written by me, Lisa Saunders, the mother of Elizabeth:</span><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMhb9EpidegGBNJ2B8sl6I0-hwE02YftyyK58Vagzw7J4LBo8yTX_VmkFQjbfU_Al0jTzHVZHG4LR-DXWQ0kD_NsmxFMXLxUxf4Sl1e5sB1z0AKs8aiVXZt7BBoxZ3cAeg04tMHhn53z3xE7UTLYRVl8vAwQkW-k9CteI5hPVxOOT5re4TtqWeICVGw/s1600/fe10_014.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1084" data-original-width="1600" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbMhb9EpidegGBNJ2B8sl6I0-hwE02YftyyK58Vagzw7J4LBo8yTX_VmkFQjbfU_Al0jTzHVZHG4LR-DXWQ0kD_NsmxFMXLxUxf4Sl1e5sB1z0AKs8aiVXZt7BBoxZ3cAeg04tMHhn53z3xE7UTLYRVl8vAwQkW-k9CteI5hPVxOOT5re4TtqWeICVGw/s320/fe10_014.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTt8DfjA6vyTKGrZS3XhacjLwgDIx9Vhfl_SUEdl-jrFPcLFTfV3uQ1X0bN89s7SfW2ZwuBdk-uXrgMZF_RTigA2JyYw-dMoO3iFb5AZABm_x_C2-x6iW7WalaFfebZireAkZA2e26JMqwAHpaqPqbON1ALPKEFX7vx4Y3nnr-etT66WdwoKEgsTCuWQ/s1297/Stop%20CMV%20rocks%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1297" data-original-width="1059" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTt8DfjA6vyTKGrZS3XhacjLwgDIx9Vhfl_SUEdl-jrFPcLFTfV3uQ1X0bN89s7SfW2ZwuBdk-uXrgMZF_RTigA2JyYw-dMoO3iFb5AZABm_x_C2-x6iW7WalaFfebZireAkZA2e26JMqwAHpaqPqbON1ALPKEFX7vx4Y3nnr-etT66WdwoKEgsTCuWQ/s320/Stop%20CMV%20rocks%20(2).jpg" width="261" /></a></div><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;">Photo captions: </span><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: medium;">1) Lisa Saunders with her daughter Elizabeth Saunders.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: black;">2) Lisa Saunders and her husband Jim, a recently retired Pfizer scientist, leave behind #Stop CMV rocks as they walk across New Yorrk State on the 360-mile Erie Canalway Trail. Their daughter <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/elizabeth-saunders-obituary?pid%3D149413661&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3bILYnkdZz-R5JKa4Oudj5" href="https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/elizabeth-saunders-obituary?pid=149413661" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Elizabeth (1989-2006)</a> was born with brain damage from congenital CMV. (Photo of rocks by Tabitha Rodenhaus of Buffalo. She paints these rocks to honor daughter Kaia born with congenital CMV in 2016. )</span><br /><br /></span><div><div data-smartmail="gmail_signature" dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: medium;">IMMEDIATE RELEASE</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: medium;">Lisa Saunders</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: large;">Baldwinsville, NY </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="mailto:LisaSaunders42@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span face="arial, sans-serif">LisaSaunders42@gmail.com</span></a><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/NYStopCMV&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw35jiRAPuuh-I1XqBnooH4K" href="https://www.facebook.com/NYStopCMV" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large;" target="_blank">New York Stop CMV</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span face="arial, sans-serif">About Lisa's </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nSO9X0Bzj0wtUzofBpKUTbZ5oaCkgnBd/edit?usp%3Dsharing%26ouid%3D112272037130908785892%26rtpof%3Dtrue%26sd%3Dtrue&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw1xvSErCnQNmZYFcsj6GTYz" href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nSO9X0Bzj0wtUzofBpKUTbZ5oaCkgnBd/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=112272037130908785892&rtpof=true&sd=true" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif;" target="_blank">CMV work</a><br /></span></p><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><u>New York State Passes "Elizabeth's Law' to protect babies from </u></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><u>#1 birth defects virus</u></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><b><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: medium;">NY Governor signs Bill A7560, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/elizabeth-saunders-obituary?pid%3D149413661&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3bILYnkdZz-R5JKa4Oudj5" href="https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/elizabeth-saunders-obituary?pid=149413661" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">named for a teen who died at Nyack Hospital</a> from a seizure. Requires CMV prevention information distributed</span></b></i></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><b><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></i></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><i><b><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: medium;">Next goal: Universal testing</span></b></i></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;">On November 28, 2022, the governor signed "Elizabeth's Law" (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw15QUpD2Eskd3-gQ47UXCOX" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">A7560B/S6287C</a>) to ensure pregnant women and child care providers get information on preventing the leading viral cause of birth defects, cytomegalovirus (CMV). Lisa Saunders of Baldwinsville, mother of </span><span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"> </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/elizabeth-saunders-obituary?pid%3D149413661&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3bILYnkdZz-R5JKa4Oudj5" href="https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/elizabeth-saunders-obituary?pid=149413661" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;" target="_blank">Elizabeth (1989-2006)</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;">, says she is thrilled that New York women will finally have a chance to learn how to protect their pregnancies from CMV. A child care provider when pregnant with Elizabeth, Lisa says,"Women who have or care for toddlers are at higher risk for contracting CMV." </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222;">Racial and ethnic minorities are also at higher risk for CMV: </span></span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">"Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most common infectious cause of fetal malformations and childhood hearing loss. CMV is more common among socially disadvantaged groups, and it clusters geographically in poor communities"</span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"> </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">(</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28201739/&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3NEtTxkRcx_g2enjstG2XD" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28201739/" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; font-weight: bold; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Geographic Disparities in Cytomegalovirus Infection During Pregnancy</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">, </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">Lantos et al, 2017). </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The CDC has CMV fliers available in</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3qxHtznM6Dyv-opL9A8p37" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: large; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">English and Spanish</span></a><span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;">“Expectant parents and caregivers of New York will be empowered to prevent the transmission of congenital CMV, the leading infectious cause of birth defects and infant brain damage, because of this legislation. Assemblymember Rosenthal's leadership, and the support of her colleagues in the Legislature, on this important public health issue will help ensure all infants have a healthy start to life,” said </span><b style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;">Dr. Sallie Permar</b><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;">, Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medicine and Pediatrician-in-Chief at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical and New York-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital. (NYAssembly.gov: “</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid%3DIwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw2Ircsf69KsbkRom0nw4uE8" href="https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid=IwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; margin: 0px; text-align: left;" target="_blank">Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal Bill to Educate Childcare Providers, Pregnant Patients on Cytomegalovirus Dangers Signed into Law</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;">,” Nov. 2022)</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><b>Brandi Hurtubise of Buffalo</b>, New York National CMV Foundation Alliance Chair, stated, "My daughter Samantha will never walk or talk independently because of a virus no one told me about. No one told me I shouldn't share drinks or food with my toddler while I was pregnant with my daughter. Or that I needed to wash my hands after every single diaper change. That I needed to be cautious of his saliva and urine because it could be carrying a virus that would harm my unborn baby. I didn't know because CMV isn't commonly talked about or educated on; even though it is more common than Down </span><span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">Syndrome" </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;">(<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid%3DIwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw2Ircsf69KsbkRom0nw4uE8" href="https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid=IwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">NYAssembly.<wbr></wbr>gov, </a></span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid%3DIwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw2Ircsf69KsbkRom0nw4uE8" href="https://www.nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/story/103976?fbclid=IwAR0Z0N-BDnH7C7TizcCe1HpPrt2vxWHqfr1PGY_bmo512cLmadpaXJD62nA" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">November 2022</a>). </span><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brandi can be reached at </span></span><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-size: large; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="mailto:nationalcmvny@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">nationalcmvny@gmail.com</a> or visit: </span><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-size: large; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://nationalcmv.org/&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw2sG5woOXPHYOl3dHNJFfLS" href="http://nationalcmv.org/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">nationalcmv.org</a>. (</span><span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">Lisa Saunders interviewed Brandi on local access TV:</span><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3xs5O-UGx8an3-e-dcBP5v" href="https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: large; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CytoMegaloVirus (CMV) - What Moms Wished They Knew</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3xs5O-UGx8an3-e-dcBP5v" href="https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: large; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">PAC-B TV, 2021</span></a><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-size: large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-size: large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Other mothers have also shared their stories on TV, hoping to prevent this from happening to other families. ”Imagine giving birth to a seemingly healthy newborn baby, only to find out a few weeks down the road that your baby is deaf…That is what happened to a Western New York family and they have found that they are not alone…” </span><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-size: large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Marielle Fitzgerald</span><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-size: large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the baby’s mother, said, “‘Like most pregnant women, I did everything I could to ensure a healthy pregnancy…I followed all of my doctors recommendations to avoid certain foods. I didn't go on a vacation to Florida with our family to avoid Zika, right? But no one probably ever said I should avoid my own daughter's saliva. And if they had, I would have’”(</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/health/cmv-virus-causing-deafness-in-newborns-1/466924064%23_%3D_&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3C0xH7h-x0zZ4CauA_ShTc" href="https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/health/cmv-virus-causing-deafness-in-newborns-1/466924064#_=_" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CMV: Virus causing deafness in newborns</span></a><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-size: large; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, WGRZ-TV, 2017). </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;">When Lisa Saunders resided in Connecticut (2010-2019), she was able to help that state pass a law requiring </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.ctinsider.com/connecticutmagazine/health/article/Mystic-Mom-Overwhelmed-by-Governor-Signing-Law-17041622.php&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw10abUDKDSLOemnO-GReOi4" href="https://www.ctinsider.com/connecticutmagazine/health/article/Mystic-Mom-Overwhelmed-by-Governor-Signing-Law-17041622.php" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; margin: 0px; text-align: left;" target="_blank">testing newborns for CMV if they failed their hearing screen</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;">. Lisa was not, however, able to get a prevention education law passed in Connecticut. Now that New York ensures prevention education though "Elizabeth's Law", Lisa says, "I believe this new law will help many families avoid the heartache we endured over our daughter's suffering until her death at Nyack Hospital from a seizure. I agree with the researchers who wrote: 'Perhaps no single cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities in the United States currently provides greater opportunity for improved outcomes in more children than congenital CMV' ( Cannon MJ, Davis KF. </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15967030/&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw13Ri_-lw5HmOnMCVHKxztQ" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15967030/" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; margin: 0px; text-align: left;" target="_blank">Washing our hands of the congenital cytomegalovirus disease epidemic</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;">, 2005)." </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;">According to the <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/index.html&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3jaiJMSdt0CwBnuCrUk3BY" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/index.html" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">CDC</a>, CMV is the leading viral cause of birth defects with one in 200 babies born with cCMV. Approximately 20% of babies born with cCMV will suffer long-term health problems such as hearing and vision loss, developmental delays and cerebral palsy. CMV "is a common virus that infects people of all ages. Most people infected with CMV show no signs or symptoms. When a baby is born with cytomegalovirus infection, it is called congenital CMV and may cause brain, liver, spleen, lung, and growth problems. The most common long-term issue is hearing loss, which may be present at birth or develop later in childhood (CDC, 2019). </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;">Congenital CMV can also cause visual impairments, including strabismus, cortical visual impairment, nystagmus, and optic nerve atrophy" (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationaldb.org/info-center/overview/causes/%23:~:text%3DCongenital%2520Cytomegalovirus%26text%3DThe%2520most%2520common%2520long%252Dterm,et%2520al.%252C%25202017).&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw35wyl66xyTmH7YpBX8fgyi" href="https://www.nationaldb.org/info-center/overview/causes/#:~:text=Congenital%20Cytomegalovirus&text=The%20most%20common%20long%2Dterm,et%20al.%2C%202017)." rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Causes of Deaf-Blindness</a>, National Center on Deaf-Blindness). </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;">"CMV is spread from person to person through body fluids. Day care workers, nurses, mothers of young children, and others who work with young children are at greatest risk of exposure to CMV. Since young children commonly carry CMV, pregnant women and women planning pregnancies should take extra care to avoid urine and saliva from young children,” stated <b>Sunil K. Sood, M.D</b>., Chair of Pediatrics, South Shore University Hospital, Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases, Cohen Children's Medical Center and Professor, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/what-is-cytomegalovirus-and-how-can-it-be-treated&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3bR3YAxmiehuo9unuuz6xp" href="https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/what-is-cytomegalovirus-and-how-can-it-be-treated" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; margin: 0px; text-align: left;" target="_blank">NYMetroParents, 2016</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;">). Dr. Sood’s efforts to prevent the consequences of congenital CMV include co-authorship of a study “</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25738669/&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3aha8VPuKsRfBu_IXBaTVX" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25738669/" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; margin: 0px; text-align: left;" target="_blank">Valganciclovir for symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus disease</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;">”, 2</span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;">015, and his newborn CMV screening program at Northwell Health has become a model for the State of New York.</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><b>Kelly Smolar Gerne of Brooklyn</b>, a mechanical engineer and mother of Alexis, born 2020, says Alexis is thriving because she was diagnosed and treated early following a failed newborn hearing test. “While I am angry about the lack of CMV education prior and during my pregnancy, the </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/S2816%23:~:text%3DS2816%2520%252D%2520Summary-,Requires%2520urine%2520polymerase%2520chain%2520reaction%2520testing%2520for%2520cytomegalovirus%2520of%2520newborns,to%2520various%2520aspects%2520of%2520cytomegalovirus.&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3EGH-_gEmT-SOSKwF5N3eM" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/S2816#:~:text=S2816%20%2D%20Summary-,Requires%20urine%20polymerase%20chain%20reaction%20testing%20for%20cytomegalovirus%20of%20newborns,to%20various%20aspects%20of%20cytomegalovirus." style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;" target="_blank">CMV testing law passed in 2018 </a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;">meant our family was the recipient of those who had fought before us. I want to continue that forward so all babies in the State of New York will have the option for early intervention." </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;">The targeted </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/S2816%23:~:text%3DS2816%2520%252D%2520Summary-,Requires%2520urine%2520polymerase%2520chain%2520reaction%2520testing%2520for%2520cytomegalovirus%2520of%2520newborns,to%2520various%2520aspects%2520of%2520cytomegalovirus.&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3EGH-_gEmT-SOSKwF5N3eM" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/S2816#:~:text=S2816%20%2D%20Summary-,Requires%20urine%20polymerase%20chain%20reaction%20testing%20for%20cytomegalovirus%20of%20newborns,to%20various%20aspects%20of%20cytomegalovirus." style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; text-align: left;" target="_blank">CMV testing law passed in 2018</a><span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"> was also</span><span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;"> </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;">spearheaded by Assemblymember Rosenthal. When she read the 2016 <i>New York Times</i> article, "</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw2rfTMm4XWSXZZtdZTzuHvR" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html" style="color: #1155cc; font-size: large; text-align: left;" target="_blank">CMV Is a Greater Threat to Infants Than Zika, but Far Less Often Discussed</a><span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">", she felt that something had to be done. </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;">In 2023, moms, doctors and early interventionists, along with Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal, are seeking to amend the </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/S2816%23:~:text%3DS2816%2520%252D%2520Summary-,Requires%2520urine%2520polymerase%2520chain%2520reaction%2520testing%2520for%2520cytomegalovirus%2520of%2520newborns,to%2520various%2520aspects%2520of%2520cytomegalovirus.&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw3EGH-_gEmT-SOSKwF5N3eM" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/S2816#:~:text=S2816%20%2D%20Summary-,Requires%20urine%20polymerase%20chain%20reaction%20testing%20for%20cytomegalovirus%20of%20newborns,to%20various%20aspects%20of%20cytomegalovirus." rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; margin: 0px; text-align: left;" target="_blank">2018 CMV law</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;"> requiring newborns with hearing loss be tested for CMV, to </span><span style="font-size: large; text-align: left;">require</span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;"> <i>all </i>newborns tested for CMV (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?default_fld%3D%26leg_video%3D%26bn%3DA10129%26term%3D0%26Summary%3DY%26Text%3DY&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw080_Y4mtSTSEzzEJT_TKZY" href="https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?default_fld=&leg_video=&bn=A10129&term=0&Summary=Y&Text=Y" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; margin: 0px; text-align: left;" target="_blank">A10129</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;">). (In 2022, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.health.state.mn.us/news/pressrel/2022/newborn020222.html&source=gmail&ust=1670406924890000&usg=AOvVaw0RIPG45TTSX6ZVmydwmFfz" href="https://www.health.state.mn.us/news/pressrel/2022/newborn020222.html" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: large; margin: 0px; text-align: left;" target="_blank">Minnesota</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;"> became the first state to pass legislation requiring every newborn be tested for CMV.) </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;">According to the NY Department of Health, Wadsworth Center, "the New York State Newborn Screening Program was recently awarded a contract from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) to provisionally add congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV) to our screening panel. All babies will be tested for this infection." (<a href="https://www.wadsworth.org/news/addition-of-cmv-screening">NY DPH, 2022</a>).</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;">In an effort to continue raising awareness of CMV, Lisa Saunders and her husband Jim, a recently retired Pfizer scientist, leave behind #Stop CMV rocks as they walk across New York State between Albany and Buffalo on the 360-mile Erie Canalway Trail. Lisa says, "As of November 2022, Jim and I have walked 189 miles, which is 53% across the State of New York. We walk in all kinds of weather, which means we've been chased by mosquitoes, biting flies, lightning, torrential downpours and blinding snow. We’ve confronted snakes, floods, slippery ice, chafing underwear, aching feet, swollen knees, and a desperate need to find a bathroom. But it's all worth it if our walk brings attention to CMV!" </span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></b></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">Edel Law </b><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>of Tappan</b></span><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-size: large; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b> </b>told Lisa Saunders that Elizabeth's Law "is important to me because my three-year-old daughter has congenital CMV. It came as a total shock when at 31 weeks pregnant, I found out she had abnormal brain development. Upon further testing, we found out I had contracted and passed CMV onto my daughter. After learning about CMV, it was not shocking that I contracted the virus since I had a toddler in preschool and was an early childhood educator. My daughter has developmental delays, single sided deafness, wears a cochlear implant, and has a form of heart failure."</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-size: large; text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="color: black; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: medium;"><div style="color: #222222;"><div dir="ltr"><div style="text-align: center;"><p style="background: transparent; line-height: 13px; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #222222;">Anyone who would like to learn more about the New York CMV laws can contact Assemblymember </span><span style="color: #222222;">Linda B. </span><span style="color: #222222;">Rosenthal’s office at 518/455-5802 or Nick Guile, Legislative Director for Assemblymember Rosenthal, at </span><a href="mailto:guilen@nyassembly.gov" style="color: navy;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span><b>guilen@nyassembly.gov</b></span></span></a><span style="color: #222222;">.</span></p></div></div><div class="HOEnZb"><div class="adm" style="margin: 5px 0px;"><div class="ajR h4" id="q_0" style="background-color: #e8eaed; border-radius: 5.5px; border: none; clear: both; color: #500050; cursor: pointer; line-height: 6px; outline: none; position: relative; width: 24px;"></div></div></div></div></span></div></div><div style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px; padding-left: 70px; padding-right: 70px; word-break: break-word;"><p style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: inherit; font-size: large;">###</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div dir="ltr"><div><div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Additional quotes and information: </span></span></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">To review the case for Universal CMV Screening, which includes a Q. and A., such as who pays for the test, visit: </span></span><a href="https://cmvmass.org/screen/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">CMVmass.org/screen/</a>. </span></div></div><div><i><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></i></div><div><p style="line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.01in; margin-top: 5px;"><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">The National CMV Foundation states, "M</span>ore children live with disabilities due to congenital CMV than other well-known infections and syndromes, including: Down syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome, spina bifida, pediatric HIV/AIDS, toxoplasmosis, and Zika – yet less than ten percent of women know about CMV." The non-profit organization <span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">recommends that "congenital CMV to be added to the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hrsa.gov/advisory-committees/heritable-disorders/rusp/nominate.html&source=gmail&ust=1666180827703000&usg=AOvVaw3kFEN8JGNY469V7rOZ14Bw" href="https://www.hrsa.gov/advisory-committees/heritable-disorders/rusp/nominate.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">RUSP</a>), national recommendations that guide and support states in the development of their newborn screening programs. Screening every child for CMV at birth opens the door for early intervention, therapeutic support, the very best developmental outcomes possible" (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.change.org/p/advisory-committee-on-heritable-disorders-in-newborns-and-children-achdnc-nominate-congenital-cytomegalovirus-cmv-for-uniform-newborn-screening-18a6356e-341a-4ddc-b84a-44303b4d23a2?signed%3Dtrue&source=gmail&ust=1666180827703000&usg=AOvVaw2sqgZAdrHuWek_IJv97WUl" href="https://www.change.org/p/advisory-committee-on-heritable-disorders-in-newborns-and-children-achdnc-nominate-congenital-cytomegalovirus-cmv-for-uniform-newborn-screening-18a6356e-341a-4ddc-b84a-44303b4d23a2?signed=true" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Nominate congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) for uniform newborn screening</a>, 2019). </p><p style="line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.01in; margin-top: 5px;"><br /></p><div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">Angela Cote of Buffalo appreciates the </span><a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/S2816#:~:text=S2816%20%2D%20Summary-,Requires%20urine%20polymerase%20chain%20reaction%20testing%20for%20cytomegalovirus%20of%20newborns,to%20various%20aspects%20of%20cytomegalovirus." rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">2018 targeted CMV testing</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"> law, also spearheaded Assemblymember Rosenthal, because it led to the quick diagnosis of why Elise, born in 2019, failed her newborn hearing test, giving her access to early intervention, but Angela wishes she had known about CMV before her pregnancy. She told Lisa Saunders in a public access TV interview how shocked she was by the diagnosis. She couldn’t believe she had never heard of CMV, especially since she was surrounded by young children as a nanny and the mother of a toddler ("CytoMegaloVirus (CMV) - What Moms Wished They Knew," </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw3gdc4eE65IqBdRIgXIwKZ6" href="https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">PAC-B TV, 2021</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">). </span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><br /></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">The CDC states, "Hearing loss may progress from mild to severe during the first two years of life, which is a critical period for language learning. Over time, hearing loss can affect your child’s ability to develop communication, language, and social skills. Babies who show signs of congenital CMV disease can be treated with medicines called antivirals. Antivirals may decrease the severity of hearing loss" (</span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/hearing-loss.html" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/hearing-loss.html</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">). </span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">Despite being more common than many of the diseases tested in New York's newborn screening process, cCMV is not one of the 50 different disorders screened. Newborn screening "refers to medical tests...performed to identify babies with certain disorders, which without intervention, may permanently impact newborns and their families" (New York State Newborn Screening Program, Department of Health, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wadsworth.org/programs/newborn/screening&source=gmail&ust=1666180827703000&usg=AOvVaw15dLaWqOmQooU4hFnvDG8J" href="https://www.wadsworth.org/programs/newborn/screening" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Wadsworth Center</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">). </span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">Children born with symptomatic congenital CMV can be treated if diagnosed early. “Infants congenitally infected with CMV may benefit from antiviral therapy, especially if treatment is initiated within the first month of life,” states Dr. Demmler-Harrison, Director, </span><a href="https://www.bcm.edu/departments/pediatrics/sections-divisions-centers/cmvregistry" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Congenital CMV Disease Research, Clinic & Registry</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"> (</span><a href="http://www.uptodate.com/contents/congenital-cytomegalovirus-infection-management-and-outcome" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">www.uptodate.com/contents/congenital-cytomegalovirus-infection-management-and-outcome</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">). </span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">Kristin Schuster of Canandaigua, mom to Autumn (born 2015), said, "Unfortunately, my daughter wasn't diagnosed with congenital CMV until 18 months old--well after the opportunity had passed to receive treatment most effective when given between ages zero to six months. She was not diagnosed with congenital CMV at birth despite failing her newborn hearing screen multiple times, having 'low for gestational age' birth weight, and microcephaly. Autumn received her first pair of hearing aids for bilateral severe hearing loss at 4 months old, glasses for vision impairment at 5 months, an MRI showing brain calcifications, very significant global delays, and received a g-tube for feeding at 15 months of age. Up until then, all of the doctors and specialists we were seeing claimed that her diagnoses were 'unrelated.' It wasn't until I read an article about CMV posted in a Facebook group for Rochester parents of children with hearing loss that I had that 'aha' moment that congenital CMV must be the root cause of all of my daughter's difficulties. When I requested to have her tested for CMV, I was initially given pushback, but when I demanded her newborn blood spot be tested, her neurologist arranged to have it tested from where it was banked in Albany. When the test came back, we finally had our confirmed diagnosis of congenital CMV--too late for her to receive treatment in the optimal first months of life." </span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">Susanne Morgan Morrow, MA, CI, CT, Project Director, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.nydeafblind.org/&source=gmail&ust=1666180827703000&usg=AOvVaw3Yu9hz9wm4UagEC5xRTOvu" href="http://www.nydeafblind.org/" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">New York Deaf-Blind Collaborative</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"> (NYDBC), said ,"It is critical that children with dual sensory loss be identified as early as possible for a myriad of reasons. Research shows that children with compromised hearing and vision require the most direct interventions in order to develop concepts and to have access to language that is in the most suitable modality to their experience. Families are often extremely overwhelmed with the knowledge of this new diagnosis and need to get connected to resources and experts who can provide appropriate assessments." </span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">Jacqueline Augustine, President of Hands & Voices of NY, a non-profit for families with deaf and hard of hearing children, said, "Early screening and detection for CMV is essential to ensuring children and families are given the necessary resources, follow-up and medical interventions needed for their development. Many children go misdiagnosed. Parents also do not know that CMV is possible to be contracted in-utero. More education is also needed for parents prior to birth. Screening and early detection combined with prenatal CMV education is paramount." </span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">"If an infant is known to have passed the newborn hearing screen but has tested positive for CMV, the most recent JCIH [Joint Committee on Infant Hearing] statement recommends a full pediatric audiology evaluation by 3 months of age and then future monitoring “every 12 months to age 3 or at shorter intervals based on parent/provider concerns," stated Brenda K. Balch, MD, American Academy of Pediatrics Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Connecticut Chapter Champion (</span><a href="https://successforkidswithhearingloss.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/CMV-An-Often-Unknown-Cause-of-Hearing-Loss.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">CMV - An often unknown cause of hearing loss</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">, 2019). </span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><p style="line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.01in; margin-top: 5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"></span></p><div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">"We concluded that there is good evidence of potential benefit from nonpharmaceutical interventions for children with delayed hearing loss that occurs by 9 months of age. Similarly, we concluded that there is fair evidence of potential benefit from antiviral therapy for children with hearing loss at birth and from nonpharmaceutical interventions for children with delayed hearing loss occurring between 9 and 24 months of age and for children with CMV-related cognitive deficits...Overall, we estimated that in the United States, several thousand children with congenital CMV could benefit each year from newborn CMV screening, early detection, and interventions" ("</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4494732/&source=gmail&ust=1666180827703000&usg=AOvVaw3OvYE-lrN8HSBdo1v8CY0e" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4494732/" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #005d8f; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Universal newborn screening for congenital CMV infection: what is the evidence of potential benefit?</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;">", Cannon et al., 2014). </span></div><div><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></div><p style="line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.01in; margin-top: 5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></p><p style="line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.01in; margin-top: 5px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Marcia Fort, AuD, CCC-A, representing the Board of Directors of the Directors of Speech and Hearing Programs in State Health and Welfare Agencies (DSHPSHWA), wrote a letter to the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children in support of nominating congenital CMV infection for consideration by the Committee for the </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hrsa.gov/advisory-committees/heritable-disorders/rusp&source=gmail&ust=1666180827703000&usg=AOvVaw35A9w3_qRU-kO6cFcXdzCO" href="https://www.hrsa.gov/advisory-committees/heritable-disorders/rusp" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">RUSP</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">: "Failure to diagnose the cCMV infection can lead to a delayed diagnosis of hearing loss, impacting the child's language development and educational progression" (National CMV Foundation, "</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.change.org/p/advisory-committee-on-heritable-disorders-in-newborns-and-children-achdnc-nominate-congenital-cytomegalovirus-cmv-for-uniform-newborn-screening-18a6356e-341a-4ddc-b84a-44303b4d23a2?signed%3Dtrue&source=gmail&ust=1666180827703000&usg=AOvVaw2sqgZAdrHuWek_IJv97WUl" href="https://www.change.org/p/advisory-committee-on-heritable-disorders-in-newborns-and-children-achdnc-nominate-congenital-cytomegalovirus-cmv-for-uniform-newborn-screening-18a6356e-341a-4ddc-b84a-44303b4d23a2?signed=true" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Nominate congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) for uniform newborn screening</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">", 2019, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/about-us/advocacy/RUSP_CMV_Nomination_Final.pdf.aspx&source=gmail&ust=1666180827703000&usg=AOvVaw06LCsQeXsKXD7F4QN0dceX" href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/about-us/advocacy/RUSP_CMV_Nomination_Final.pdf.aspx" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: inherit;" target="_blank">Application</a><span style="font-family: inherit;">). </span></p><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">William C. Gruber, M.D., FAAP, FIDSA, Senior Vice President of Pfizer Vaccine Clinical Research and Development, also wrote a letter to the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children in support of nominating congenital CMV infection for <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.hrsa.gov/advisory-committees/heritable-disorders/rusp&source=gmail&ust=1666180827703000&usg=AOvVaw35A9w3_qRU-kO6cFcXdzCO" href="https://www.hrsa.gov/advisory-committees/heritable-disorders/rusp" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">RUSP</a>. He stated, "In the absence of a vaccine to prevent the disease, prompt diagnosis and valganciclovir treatment of symptomatic congenital CMV infection has been associated with improved audiologic outcomes and neurodevelopmental outcomes; prompt diagnosis would facilitate early identification of hearing loss so that other interventions could also be applied early to facilitate hearing and child development. In addition, routine screening would better identify the burden of the disease that could be prevented by a vaccine, facilitating vaccine development and recommendations" (p.279, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/about-us/advocacy/RUSP_CMV_Nomination_Final.pdf.aspx&source=gmail&ust=1666180827703000&usg=AOvVaw06LCsQeXsKXD7F4QN0dceX" href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/about-us/advocacy/RUSP_CMV_Nomination_Final.pdf.aspx" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Application</a>). </span></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">Dr. Roy D. Baynes of Merck wrote in his letter of support for congenital CMV infection for review as part of RUSP: "Beyond hearing loss which can sometimes appear years after birth, other health problems can include vision loss, intellectual disability, seizure, and more...Evidence suggests that newborn screening is cost-effective under a wide set of assumptions and universal screening offers a larger savings opportunity and the opportunity to direct care" (p.266, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/about-us/advocacy/RUSP_CMV_Nomination_Final.pdf.aspx&source=gmail&ust=1666180827703000&usg=AOvVaw06LCsQeXsKXD7F4QN0dceX" href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/about-us/advocacy/RUSP_CMV_Nomination_Final.pdf.aspx" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Application</a>).</span></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div><div><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /></div></div></div>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-8698163597660412202022-08-13T05:18:00.005-07:002022-08-15T07:18:51.041-07:00 Gail J. Demmler-Harrison, MD, Winner of Prestigious 2022 Master Clinician Award, Working Over 30 Years to Prevent and Treat the Leading Viral Cause of Birth Defects, Cytomegalovirus<p> </p><div style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /><div style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #669922;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; white-space: normal;">by Lisa Saunders</span></div><br /><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-color: initial; border-image: initial; border-style: initial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></span></span></div></div><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="white-space: normal;"></span></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjslRiXHdYibRrshdsNzku5op0QftH7YyOWy14Vfs5roRZmGNzA9RAjzUAQAGHn3WF3sABzxLUwKIxfenwoaOcAgfi8kH1bo2-tbMIRefUWbmjCIzPVelVJ7y_AZYbyXtW4vbE1-h1cR-qRGT-lWT3O2YCeiu47i3r7iniZSFCmzOwxBfrY0cfANvWYhA/s1280/Gail%20Demmler%20Harrison%20Lisa%20Saunders%20Willie%20Nelson%20CMV.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjslRiXHdYibRrshdsNzku5op0QftH7YyOWy14Vfs5roRZmGNzA9RAjzUAQAGHn3WF3sABzxLUwKIxfenwoaOcAgfi8kH1bo2-tbMIRefUWbmjCIzPVelVJ7y_AZYbyXtW4vbE1-h1cR-qRGT-lWT3O2YCeiu47i3r7iniZSFCmzOwxBfrY0cfANvWYhA/s320/Gail%20Demmler%20Harrison%20Lisa%20Saunders%20Willie%20Nelson%20CMV.jpg" width="320" /></a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #500050;">(Photo caption, l to r): Lisa Saunders, former licensed childcare provider and founding member of New York Stop CMV Project; and Gail J. Demmler-Harrison MD, Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases at Texas Children's Hospital and Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Infectious Disease Section, Baylor College of Medicine (Congenital CMV Public Health & Policy Conference, Austin, TX ,September 2016).</span></div><div><span class="im" style="color: #500050;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="http://www.bcm.edu/people-search/gail-harrison-demmler-22821" style="background-color: transparent;">Gail J. Demmler-Harrison, MD</a><span style="background-color: transparent;">, Professor, Department of Pediatrics and Pathology and Immunology, Baylor College of Medicine, winner of the 2022 Master Clinician Award, is a pediatric infectious disease specialist who has been advocating for prevention of cytomegalovirus (CMV) throughout her entire medical career. An Attending Physician in Infectious Diseases at Texas Children's Hospital, she states that not providing CMV counseling is "a missed opportunity to save a baby from the devastating effects of CMV, including death in the womb and permanent disabilities'"(<i><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html">New York Times</a></i>, Saint Louis, 2016).</span></span></p></span><span style="font-family: arial;">According to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/congenital-infection.html">CDC</a>, congenital CMV is acquired in utero and can result in serious birth defects in the baby. About 1 in every 200 babies is born with a congenital CMV infection. Of these babies, around 1 in 5 will have long-term health problems such as hearing and vision loss, microcephaly (small head), developmental and motor delays, and seizures.<br /><br />I am the mother of Elizabeth. She was born with a severely damaged brain from congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) in 1989. At the time of my pregnancy, I was a professional child care provider, church nursery volunteer, and mother of a toddler--all situations that put me at higher risk for CMV, yet I never heard of it. Toddlers, especially those in group care, are often excreting the virus in their saliva and urine.<br /><br />Dr. Demmler Harrison states, “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" (<a href="https://www.texaschildrens.org/blog/2014/12/cmv-pregnancy-what-should-i-know">CMV in Pregnancy: What Should I Know, Texas Children's Hospital</a>).<br /><br />Dr. Demmler-Harrison, or Dr. Gail (the name she encourages us CMV parents to use), makes time for moms like me looking to learn more about treating or preventing congenital CMV. I first contacted her in 2006 after Elizabeth died during a seizure. I had had a tormenting dream about young parents still being unaware of CMV until it was too late to help their baby. When I looked online to see what was being done about CMV, I ran across the <a href="https://www.bcm.edu/departments/pediatrics/divisions-and-centers/congenital-cmv-disease-research-clinic-registry">National Congenital CMV Disease Research Clinic and Registry</a>, of which Dr. Gail is the spearhead. I contacted the Registry and asked if I could join forces with them even though Elizabeth had passed away. Dr. Gail not only welcomed me into the Registry, but for the last 16 years has answered my questions about CMV so I can write books and articles on it and seek legislation requiring testing and education. When I try to get media coverage about CMV, she makes herself available as an expert resource. Dr. Gail told one reporter why she keeps at her decades-long attempt to raise CMV awareness: “’I knew this was my mission’” (<a href="https://www.recordonline.com/story/lifestyle/health-fitness/2009/01/21/what-every-pregnant-woman-needs/52126562007/">What every pregnant woman needs to know</a>, <i>Times Herald Record</i>, 2009). Dr. Gail has even helped me produce videos by reviewing my content: <a href="https://youtu.be/p7eHTM27QL4">Erie Canal Trail: Stop Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Birth Defects. Pass "Elizabeth's Law" - A7560/ S6287A</a>.<br /><br />Dr. Gail states, “CMV is the most common virus that most people have never heard of. And I want to change that. I can’t change that CMV is a common virus, but I think I can change people’s knowledge-awareness about it. I have been studying CMV for over 30 years now and I’ve been profoundly affected by my patients and their families. So that is why I started [with] CMV and that’s why I’m staying with it…I want people to be aware of CMV. I don’t want to scare them. I don’t want to alarm them. I just want them to be aware—to have their eyes open so they can be mindful and thoughtful about what they can do to protect their family and their unborn child. As one pregnant woman told me, when she had a baby born with CMV, she said, ‘Why did those who came before me, not warn me?’...she looks you in the eye and says, ‘If I’d only known, I would have done something-- I would have done those simple precautions, but nobody told me.’ CMV—it’s public enemy number one for me...” (<a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__youtu.be_S81IFexJvz4&d=DwMFaQ&c=ZQs-KZ8oxEw0p81sqgiaRA&r=-xB74U57nuIM5_fZ0WyPgj7GXqB-eqrnw8_D8djXEi4&m=xWM7qhnE5FkzspmOlZyfd9BLlyNU1RQe_rokEnn2dXNCePpUqhTVbC3VYw1cELlf&s=rocP2ooDa4r0CN9sjiWapSWpjOL5t9iRPMlUy_COth4&e=">CMV Ends With Me - Dr. Demmler-Harrison</a>, National CMV Foundation, 2017).<br /><br />Sometimes, mothers contact me with medical questions about CMV, but since I'm not a doctor, I refer them to Dr. Gail. I feel so good knowing she answers their questions and points them in the right direction. When I've tried to get CMV laws passed in the states I've lived in (most recently, Connecticut and New York), she wrote “Letters of Support” to my legislators to prove to them that CMV is real and that only education can prevent it. In her letter written to New York legislators in 2022, she concluded: "When mothers and fathers sit across from me in my CMV clinic holding their little baby and ask, 'Why weren't we warned about CMV,' it's heart-breaking. All I can say is, 'I don’t know, I’ve been trying for over 30 years to educate pregnant women about CMV'” (<a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/114HY7HNOx5-JbGvXn6eptuE_NKTYHrsz/view?usp=sharing">Letter from Gail J. Demmler-Harrison MD</a>).<br /> <br />Despite the difficulties raising awareness of CMV, the often "silent" but deadly virus, Dr. Gail won't rest until ALL women know how to protect their pregnancies. She does whatever she can to shout a CMV warning from the rooftops--and even sports a personalized "CMV DOC" license plate on her car. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="377" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEO61RcaibTn1zmaV4q2n5tI6vhf4XA75OGvuy9n9hzrSIpi7RQgnCC03Jc-AVfASk-9q9yqmLDkgrVr5eS5P21gAV87vU8-RJpFH_Qgky0YK3wEa9f4yxrro75t_VYiXftAoKSTEt5L1W0wsvO-Dlf7esx5CxJCkzn5aw1wzVbLlVmIOrpvKDum0EYQ/s320/CMV%20Doc%20doctor%20gail%20demmler%20harrison%20cropped.jpg" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #500050; display: block; text-align: center;" width="320" /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">When asked why she chose to focus her medical career on CMV, she responded, “I was drawn to CMV, not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard. When I was a postdoctoral fellow, my mentor, Dr. Martha Yaw approached me...she put her arm around me and said, ‘I’d like you to be my post-doctoral fellow... looking at congenital CMV in pregnant women, and the long-term outcomes in their babies.’…So I slept on it... And said, ‘Yes. I like viruses. I like solving problems. This is going to be hard. And yes, I’ll do it.’ And that’s sort of the door that was opened for me. That I walked through, and I never left” (<a href="https://www.thehoutoguide.com/interview-with-ccmv-expert-gail-demmler-harrison">Interview, The Hou to Guide, 2020</a>).<br /><br />Dr. Gail has let me interview her several times in videos. In a video shot at the 2016 Congenital Cytomegalovirus Public Health & Policy Conference in Austin, Texas, I included an interview with one of her former patients, Caroline Bailey, a congenital CMV survivor and 26-year-old Master's college student at the time. She thanked Dr. Demmler-Harrion for the groundbreaking treatment she received just after birth and ended her story with what her life is like now--and with a very good question: "I am profoundly deaf, I have a cochlear implant and a hearing aid. But, I like to think I do pretty well in the world--I don't think I need much more than that. But, you know, it is surprising to me that more than 25 years after I was born that so many babies are still being infected with congenital CMV...It should be really just as well known as the Zika virus because the Zika virus and congenital CMV do many of the same things" (<a href="https://youtu.be/UMkgOcwuovU">The Lisa Saunders Show: Cytomegalovirus (CMV)' (SEC-TV, 2017</a>).<br /><br />When Dr. Gail visited my public access TV studio in Connecticut, we both watched Debra Lynn Alt, Singer/Songwriter, perform her song,</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://youtu.be/1WoGjfieRhY">"Had I Knows (about CMV)"</a>, </span><span style="font-family: arial;">that captures how mothers feel when their child is born disabled by congenital CMV.</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> It also captures what Dr. Gail has heard from mothers her entire medical career (</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJRTYQbEj7c" style="font-family: arial;">The Lisa Saunders Show: CMV, 2018</a><span style="font-family: arial;">).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br />To learn more about Gail J. Demmler-Harrison, MD, visit :<a href="https://www.bcm.edu/people-search/gail-harrison-demmler-22821">https://www.bcm.edu/people-search/gail-harrison-demmler-22821</a>. <br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;">###</div><br /><b>Notes:</b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>About Dr. Demmler-Harrison's 2022 Master Clinician Award From Baylor College of Medicine</b> - Links to images from the <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.facebook.com_photo_-3Ffbid-3D373329788159375-26set-3Da.373330231492664&d=DwMFaQ&c=ZQs-KZ8oxEw0p81sqgiaRA&r=-xB74U57nuIM5_fZ0WyPgj7GXqB-eqrnw8_D8djXEi4&m=xWM7qhnE5FkzspmOlZyfd9BLlyNU1RQe_rokEnn2dXNCePpUqhTVbC3VYw1cELlf&s=5jT6k0HPCXpWj2Ln_DfeXWk3V04h-_0m3QdiuMIP1bQ&e=">Faculty Awards Day ceremony</a> on May 19, 2022, the <a href="https://www.bcm.edu/pdf/Faculty-Awards-Day-2022.pdf">full list of award winners</a> and the <a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.facebook.com_media_set_-3Fvanity-3DBaylorCollegeOfMedicine-26set-3Da.373330231492664&d=DwMFaQ&c=ZQs-KZ8oxEw0p81sqgiaRA&r=-xB74U57nuIM5_fZ0WyPgj7GXqB-eqrnw8_D8djXEi4&m=xWM7qhnE5FkzspmOlZyfd9BLlyNU1RQe_rokEnn2dXNCePpUqhTVbC3VYw1cELlf&s=VCvMDSd1Cu_MWqTchIp1OENLZQIA2grjdNO1-7-cKJw&e=">photo gallery of recipients</a>. The Award honors "outstanding contributions by Baylor faculty members to the College’s clinical mission." Those eligible for nomination are "Faculty members involved in the direct care of patients, and in clinical areas such as clinical or translational research, patient safety and quality, clinical diagnostics and healthcare leadership" (<a href="https://www.bcm.edu/education/academic-faculty-affairs/faculty-resources/faculty-affairs-development/recognition/faculty-awards-patient-care">bcm.edu/education/academic-faculty-affairs/faculty-resources/faculty-affairs-development/recognition/faculty-awards-patient-care</a>)).</span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>From the CDC Fact Sheets available in English and Spanish:</div><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/fact-sheets/parents-pregnant-women.html">CMV Fact Sheet for Pregnant Women and Parents</a><div><br /></div>"Had I Known (about CMV)" MASTER.mp3 by Debra Lyn Alt: <div><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2CmjRGN0cnBNQXRDdExMQWJOVHVZRGR1aWFJX0lJ/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-sRLqxboO0JUxdmqlo0-Mcw">https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2CmjRGN0cnBNQXRDdExMQWJOVHVZRGR1aWFJX0lJ/view?usp=sharing&resourcekey=0-sRLqxboO0JUxdmqlo0-Mcw</a><br /><div><div><div class="im"><blockquote style="background: transparent; margin-left: 0.39in; margin-right: 0.39in;"><br /></blockquote></div></div></div></div>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-59577890528406896612022-05-25T05:39:00.021-07:002022-07-17T03:53:46.182-07:00NY Lawmakers Pass "Elizabeth's Law" to Educate Pregnant Women and Child Care Providers on Cytomegalovirus (CMV), #1 Birth Defects Virus<p> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMyfoloeUPcx0ihUp7QkNfd7uNu7k2qvaaCXxDjfju7T_yyXJYgluZH5esuCO8PLGeI9SnjP5-DdoIMZZe-lPpmZwOGeQ_g07nGKJq_VPs_Wd2KCrcEJnsier9XKSprYjCFJNVSyvKDdUKym95KSKz2hvH_AgLWsjvwbrOVIOnj9zuaKzd1wBVT3fyew" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="2000" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiMyfoloeUPcx0ihUp7QkNfd7uNu7k2qvaaCXxDjfju7T_yyXJYgluZH5esuCO8PLGeI9SnjP5-DdoIMZZe-lPpmZwOGeQ_g07nGKJq_VPs_Wd2KCrcEJnsier9XKSprYjCFJNVSyvKDdUKym95KSKz2hvH_AgLWsjvwbrOVIOnj9zuaKzd1wBVT3fyew" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjA0ikZHf76fH1XlXr8gJdynrv3LZXyiip1m9oLES9hFrxGs3Ab0sevODPfp25vyDwHG-cON9EVugBZO8AlbUlm_6bM3B9xkK_wsCeN2L-7WV8ia3mjLBEFPIk7xbZb-sOJRG6m-j0-7PKJRQkEDZ75fQBdJ0UnYpjjLtZH3o-nnyUCvdG572lR41bwUg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="1500" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjA0ikZHf76fH1XlXr8gJdynrv3LZXyiip1m9oLES9hFrxGs3Ab0sevODPfp25vyDwHG-cON9EVugBZO8AlbUlm_6bM3B9xkK_wsCeN2L-7WV8ia3mjLBEFPIk7xbZb-sOJRG6m-j0-7PKJRQkEDZ75fQBdJ0UnYpjjLtZH3o-nnyUCvdG572lR41bwUg" width="180" /></a></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi40Oi-nCZXQ5NWLGDpIYc0ax_68Qo2vmQN1qh932lWeGvfU94PAgYZSF738F8iP83LS7ZjdvAesNXSDN2i_b-nxlBkz28TDvtvuhP_3T0bWN-URYExvFa93AAC22b3yXkBdEG3h4MbWhvVYVkh1wl8dYoiZ85DajBsFyt79dhuPcxLHIlaOsJM95ds8A" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="807" data-original-width="2560" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEi40Oi-nCZXQ5NWLGDpIYc0ax_68Qo2vmQN1qh932lWeGvfU94PAgYZSF738F8iP83LS7ZjdvAesNXSDN2i_b-nxlBkz28TDvtvuhP_3T0bWN-URYExvFa93AAC22b3yXkBdEG3h4MbWhvVYVkh1wl8dYoiZ85DajBsFyt79dhuPcxLHIlaOsJM95ds8A" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The New York Assembly passed “Elizabeth’s Law” (<a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b">Assembly Bill A7560B</a>/Senate Bill S6287C) on May 24, 2022, which requires "the provision of informational materials to child care providers and certain physicians and midwives regarding the impacts and dangers of congenital cytomegalovirus infection and the treatments and methods of prevention of cytomegalovirus infection". (Photographs of the New York Assembly voting on A7560B/ S6287C taken by the Assembly sponsor of the bill, Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal, on May 24, 2022.)</i></div><br /><p></p><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><u>New York Lawmakers Pass "Elizabeth's Law" to Reduce Disabilities From Congenital Cytomegalovirus (CMV)</u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><i><b><br /></b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><i><b>Awaiting Governor Kathy Hochul to Sign or Veto "Elizabeth's Law" (<span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544;">A7560B/ S6287C)</span> to </b></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt; text-align: center;"><i><b>Educate Pregnant Women and Child Care Providers on CMV, #1 Birth Defects Virus </b></i><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHRv6UzDpYz8-P8CO_jJSEVSnR54Ms8S0qRkPOtcPZ9fLbtjyxvshvlD1bqZP7XIibUB-SxVcm4myw5emSu-ekie3wbK52czqOJ66hyYwtzbPTodE7jBk4j-dUYDDYoip_IN09HNAnTH30409sbv5RAj5iBaORbGvTdA6_c6FelF5gyV06wbQIxQAtQ/s1745/Stop%20CMV%20Elizabeth%20rock%20cropped%202.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1219" data-original-width="1745" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsHRv6UzDpYz8-P8CO_jJSEVSnR54Ms8S0qRkPOtcPZ9fLbtjyxvshvlD1bqZP7XIibUB-SxVcm4myw5emSu-ekie3wbK52czqOJ66hyYwtzbPTodE7jBk4j-dUYDDYoip_IN09HNAnTH30409sbv5RAj5iBaORbGvTdA6_c6FelF5gyV06wbQIxQAtQ/s320/Stop%20CMV%20Elizabeth%20rock%20cropped%202.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-size: 13px;">Photograph of<i> </i>Elizabeth Saunders (1989-2006), of "Elizabeth's Law", surrounded by 222 silver cytomegalovirus (CMV) awareness rocks, representing the estimated number of children in New York disabled by congenital CMV each each year, at a </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-size: 13px;">June 2021 Cytomegalovirus Awareness Month event in Lyons, New York (p</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-size: 13px;">hotograph by Lisa Saunders).</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;">Albany, New York--<span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544;">On May 24, the A</span><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544;">ssembly passed </span><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; text-align: center;">"Elizabeth's Law", </span><a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">A7560B</a><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544;"> (Rosenthal, L) </span><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; text-align: center;">/<a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/s6287/amendment/c" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">S6287C</a> (Mannion, J). </span><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544;">After the bill was introduced, Assemblymember Rosenthal explained her vote. She said, "This legislation is named in memory of Elizabeth Ann Saunders who died from a seizure at the young age of 16 in 2006. Elizabeth was born with brain damage from a congenital cytomegalovirus infection--a little known disease that can have devastating impacts on newborns. The disease is commonly transmitted through bodily fluids of young children, and while most adults can go on to live healthy lives with CMV and show no symptoms, for a pregnant person, the infection can cause permanent disabilities for their newborn, including microcephaly and hearing loss. Nationwide, up to 40,000 infants are born with CMV. Each year, approximately 400 die from this infection. Elizabeth's mother Lisa Saunders worked as a child care provider when she contracted CMV while she was pregnant and asked the same question that so many families affected by CMV ask: </span><i style="font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;">'Why was I never told about this?' </i><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544;">Since Elizabeth's passing, Lisa Saunders has made it her mission to help stop the spread of CMV nationwide. Under the legislation we are passing today, child care providers and pregnant people visiting an OB/GYN will be given the info necessary to learn about CMV and the simple steps they can take to prevent transmission. I want to thank Lisa Saunders, Dr. Sallie Permar at Weill Cornell, Dr. Sunil Sood of Cohen Children's Medical Center and the entire STOP CMV coalition for their efforts in helping me to move this bill forward. I'm proud to cast my vote in the affirmative" </span>(The public can watch the proceedings by clicking here: <a href="https://nystateassembly.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=6&clip_id=7008&meta_id=182008" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">A07560B</a>).</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">According to Robert Harding, politics reporter for </span><i style="font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;">The</i><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif"> </span><i style="font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;">Citizen</i><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">, "The state Senate passed Mannion's bill again in early May, but lawmakers worked on finalizing an agreement that could clear both houses. The Senate passed the amended bill by a 61-0 vote on May 23. The next day, it was approved by the state Assembly in a near-unanimous 147-2 vote. It will be sent to Gov. Kathy Hochul for her signature. Her office has not indicated whether she will sign or veto the measure" (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-lawmakers-ok-cmv-awareness-bill-named-in-honor-of-cny-couples-daughter/article_608f181a-d230-55eb-ae56-35af760c3432.html?utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_campaign%3Duser-share%26fbclid%3DIwAR2M1pro8qhB9XoltZBp7yxtIR4YcRIDbz_hCa2DP_O7pKbVX3x4Kf9gf-g&source=gmail&ust=1654338286779000&usg=AOvVaw28-WaY_cRmaSag-NsQa-2D" href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-lawmakers-ok-cmv-awareness-bill-named-in-honor-of-cny-couples-daughter/article_608f181a-d230-55eb-ae56-35af760c3432.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-share&fbclid=IwAR2M1pro8qhB9XoltZBp7yxtIR4YcRIDbz_hCa2DP_O7pKbVX3x4Kf9gf-g" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">NY lawmakers <span aria-haspopup="true" id="m_-1644356548934776773:1x3.1074" role="menuitem">OK</span> CMV awareness bill named in honor of CNY couple's daughter, Auburn Citizen</a><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif">, 2022). </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">When “Elizabeth’s Law” was first passed by the New York Senate in 2021, </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Senator John Mannion stated, "My legislation will provide for training and increased awareness so expecting moms have the information they need to make informed decisions to keep themselves and their babies safe. I thank and commend Lisa and Jim Saunders, who have turned their heartache into potentially life-saving action" (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html&source=gmail&ust=1654338286779000&usg=AOvVaw3G03FFTiFLGK6IBe52Z8Tb" href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"NY Senate passes bill, named for CNY couple's daughter, to boost CMV awareness</span></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">", T</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">he Citizen</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Harding, R., </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2021).</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lisa Saunders of Baldwinsville </span><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">learned about cytomegalovirus (CMV) the hard way. Her daughter Elizabeth was born with a severely damaged brain from the virus in 1989. Saunders was at higher risk for contracting CMV because she had and worked with toddlers, who are often excreting the virus. “When I was pregnant with Elizabeth, I ran a licensed child care center in my home, volunteered in our church nursery and a toddler— all activities that put my pregnancy at higher risk for CMV — yet I never heard of it. I completed hours of training to get my in-home daycare license, but nowhere was I told of my occupational hazard for CMV until after Elizabeth was born. Like me, many women caring for toddlers (their own or professionally) admit to sharing food with them and using diaper wipes to clean up urine or saliva to save time. Diaper wipes do not effectively remove CMV from hands (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3911075/&source=gmail&ust=1654338286779000&usg=AOvVaw2Rbl4bieIdr5cFYa6-ZFRo" href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3911075/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-family: arial; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stowell et al., 2014</span></a><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). Elizabeth had cerebral palsy, developmental delays, epilepsy, and vision and hearing loss. She died at Nyack Hospital after a seizure at the age of 16 (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/elizabeth-saunders-obituary?pid%3D149413661&source=gmail&ust=1654338286779000&usg=AOvVaw0n5dsukg4c1xXjhPSfRXyO" href="https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/elizabeth-saunders-obituary?pid=149413661" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-family: arial; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lohud, 2006</span></a><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)."</span><br /></p><div style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></div><div style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”CMV is spread from person to person through body fluids. Day care workers, nurses, mothers of young children, and others who work with young children are at greatest risk of exposure to CMV. Since young children commonly carry CMV, pregnant women and women planning pregnancies should take extra care to avoid urine and saliva from young children,” stated </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sunil K. Sood, M.D.</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Chair of Pediatrics, South Shore University Hospital, Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases, Cohen Children's Medical Center and Professor, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/what-is-cytomegalovirus-and-how-can-it-be-treated&source=gmail&ust=1654338286779000&usg=AOvVaw1PpjrunB8wc_bpALL_EQl2" href="https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/what-is-cytomegalovirus-and-how-can-it-be-treated" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">NYMetroParents, 2016</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div><div style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial;">More than 30 years after the birth of Elizabeth Saunders, women are still largely unaware of CMV--until it’s too late for them to prevent it.</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> ”Imagine giving birth to a seemingly healthy newborn baby, only to find out a few weeks down the road that your baby is deaf…That is what happened to a Western New York family and they have found that they are not alone…” </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Marielle Fitzgerald</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the baby’s mother, said, “‘Like most pregnant women, I did everything I could to ensure a healthy pregnancy…I followed all of my doctors recommendations to avoid certain foods. I didn't go on a vacation to Florida with our family to avoid Zika, right? But no one probably ever said I should avoid my own daughter's saliva. And if they had, I would have’”(</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/health/cmv-virus-causing-deafness-in-newborns-1/466924064%23_%3D_&source=gmail&ust=1654338286779000&usg=AOvVaw3xJkC2fS9KxXwIAutKYt63" href="https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/health/cmv-virus-causing-deafness-in-newborns-1/466924064#_=_" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-family: arial; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CMV: Virus causing deafness in newborns</span></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, WGRZ-TV, 2017). </span><br /></div><div style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b style="white-space: normal;">Dr. Sallie Permar</b><span style="white-space: normal;">, Chair, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, and pediatrician-in-chief, New York-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital, known for her “groundbreaking work on mother-to-child transmission of viruses" stated that CMV is "'a virus that has a PR problem. It's the most common congenital infection in every population...It's a virus we have recognized for over 60 years as the cause of birth defects and brain damage in infants...'" </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">(“</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://news.weill.cornell.edu/news/2021/06/dr-sallie-permar%25E2%2580%2599s-work-protecting-mothers-infants-from-hiv-cmv-lands-her-among-%25E2%2580%2598giants%23:~:text%3DWeill%2520Cornell%2520Medicine.-,Dr.,%2527t%2520know%2520about%2520it.%25E2%2580%259D&source=gmail&ust=1654338286779000&usg=AOvVaw1h5l3a0L2dqjReqmc76Ah2" href="https://news.weill.cornell.edu/news/2021/06/dr-sallie-permar%E2%80%99s-work-protecting-mothers-infants-from-hiv-cmv-lands-her-among-%E2%80%98giants#:~:text=Weill%20Cornell%20Medicine.-,Dr.,%27t%20know%20about%20it.%E2%80%9D" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: normal;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dr. Sallie Permar’s Work Protecting Mothers, Infants from HIV, CMV Lands Her Among ‘Giants’</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">”, Weill Cornell Medicine, 2021</span>
</span></div><div style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Throughout her medical career</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.bcm.edu/people-search/gail-harrison-demmler-22821&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw3LwRKQal6TCfr8O4pucDAp" href="http://www.bcm.edu/people-search/gail-harrison-demmler-22821" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gail J. Demmler-Harrison MD</span></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases at Texas Children's Hospital and pediatric infectious disease specialist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, has been advocating for CMV education, but progress has been slow. Featured in the</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> New York Times</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> article, </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw0dp28XFsROweatqYbjFTop" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-family: arial; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CMV Is a Greater Threat to Infants Than Zika, but Far Less Often Discusse</span></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">d</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">" (Saint Louis, 2016), Dr. Demmler-Harrison stated that not providing CMV counseling is "a missed opportunity to save a baby from the devastating effects of CMV, including death in the womb and permanent disabilities.'"</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br /></div><div style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span id="m_-1644356548934776773m_-1959173706035786743m_-5329353600029318211m_-19891323592432044gmail-docs-internal-guid-4204a963-7fff-7031-5cb9-3d4044b53e88" style="font-family: arial;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.38464; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 2.38464; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">When Lisa Saunders participated in an online <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nyassembly.gov/comm/?id%3D85&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw0MT0cVjiJK8K722QL4D6IC" href="https://nyassembly.gov/comm/?id=85" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">New York State </a><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nyassembly.gov/comm/?id%3D85&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw0MT0cVjiJK8K722QL4D6IC" href="https://nyassembly.gov/comm/?id=85" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Legislative Women's Caucus</a> meeting in March 2022, <b>Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal</b> told the group that when she read the 2016 <i>New York Times</i> article about CMV, she thought something had to be done. She sponsored the 2018 CMV law that helps diagnose children with congenital CMV by requiring “testing for cytomegalovirus of newborns with hearing impairments" (Assembly Bill <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/A587&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw1IusNMJ3a6AFItqJ6bZHj8" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/A587" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">A587C</a>). <br /></p></span></div><div style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Angela Cote of Buffalo</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> appreciates the 2018 CMV law because it led to the quick diagnosis of why Elise, born in 2019, failed her newborn hearing test, giving her access to early intervention, but Angela wishes she had known about CMV </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">before</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> her pregnancy. She told Lisa Saunders in a public access TV interview how shocked she was by the diagnosis. She couldn’t believe she had never heard of CMV, especially since she was surrounded by young children as a nanny and the mother of a toddler ("</span><span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color,var(--yt-spec-text-primary))" face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #f9f9f9;">CytoMegaloVirus (CMV) - What Moms Wished They Knew," </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw3gdc4eE65IqBdRIgXIwKZ6" href="https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">PAC-B TV, 2021</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">).</span></span></div><div style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b>Kelly Smolar Gerne</b>, a mechanical engineer from Brooklyn told Lisa Saunders, "My daughter Alexis was born in August 2020 with congenital CMV. With the help of Northwell, Dr. Sood and Nurse Stellato, Alexis is thriving because she was diagnosed and treated early following a failed newborn hearing test. While I am angry about the lack of CMV education prior and during my pregnancy, the CMV testing law passed in 2018 meant our family was the recipient of those who had fought before us. I want to continue that forward so all babies in the State of New York will have the option for early intervention."<br /><br /><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brandi Hurtubise</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of Buffalo told the</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/nationalcmv/photos/a.467850520035640/1980799172074093/?type%3D3&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw0sxAjq8-IoR67m_N-ocYls" href="https://www.facebook.com/nationalcmv/photos/a.467850520035640/1980799172074093/?type=3" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">National CMV Foundation</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">about her second child Samantha,</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">born in 2016 with congenital CMV. "No one told me I shouldn't share drinks or food with my toddler while I was pregnant with [Samantha]. Or that I needed to wash my hands after every single diaper change. That I needed to be cautious of his saliva and urine because it could be carrying a virus that would harm my unborn baby. I didn't know because CMV isn't commonly talked about or educated on; even though it is incredibly common." </span></div><div style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Assemblymember Rosentha</b>l now hopes to improve CMV education with “Elizabeth’s Law” (Assembly Bill <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw18AtzbxAJJMu8JaI27HMqs" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">A7560B</a>/Senate Bill <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/s6287/amendment/c&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw32aUs_yWdmwT6H3t5D2tmv" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/s6287/amendment/c" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">S6287C</a>). When she sponsored the </span><span style="font-family: arial;">2021 Cytomegalovirus Awareness Month Proclamation, it inspired an event in Lyons, New York, where 222 silver rocks were placed on the Trail of Hope to honor the estimated number of babies born each year in New York disabled by congenital CMV (</span><span id="m_-1644356548934776773m_-1959173706035786743m_-5329353600029318211m_-19891323592432044gmail-docs-internal-guid-26e76a38-7fff-e5df-0937-4a1a972cf33d" style="font-family: arial;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.fltimes.com/news/trail-of-hope-celebration-in-lyons-marks-cmv-month-in-new-york/article_09c0f4b7-a777-5501-b346-f85ffa4cfd83.html&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw1Y8vzP6wXL8wcLpIfdY7ow" href="https://www.fltimes.com/news/trail-of-hope-celebration-in-lyons-marks-cmv-month-in-new-york/article_09c0f4b7-a777-5501-b346-f85ffa4cfd83.html" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finger Lakes Times</span><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, June 2021</span></a></span><span style="font-family: arial;">). Two moms in attendance,</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><b style="font-family: arial;">Jessica Keukelaar</b><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">of Macedon and </span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><b style="font-family: arial;">Kristin Schuster</b><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial;">of Canandaigua, might have contracted CMV through their caregiver/teaching occupations as neither had children of their own during their pregnancies. Jessica is the mother of Kyleigh born with congenital CMV in 2018. She shared with Lisa Saunders the letter she sent to Assemblymember Rosenthal’s office where she stated, “I was a caregiver in a daycare center when I became pregnant with my daughter born with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV)... I had never heard of CMV or the precautions to take. This bill [Elizabeth’s Law] is important to me because it came as a complete shock when my daughter was born full term, in 2018, with numerous urgent health issues due to CMV...My daughter has developmental delays, spastic cerebral palsy which affects her entire body, eating and digestive difficulties, progressive hearing loss, microcephaly, and more...Congenital CMV has affected every aspect of Kyleigh’s life, as well as our whole family. I wish that someone took the time to educate me about CMV since I was at an increased risk of infection.” </span></div><div style="color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: arial;">Kristin Schuster</b><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>, </b>the mother of Autumn born with congenital CMV in 2015, had also never heard of CMV, or that she was at increased risk for the disease because of her occupation. She told Lisa Saunders, "I was teaching in a pre-kindergarten inclusion classroom while pregnant with Autumn and was unaware of the dangers of CMV exposure." <span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Autumn can be seen helping her mom and Saunders place the silver CMV rocks to the music video, “</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/dUEQmKrG354&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw1ZxvhTcia2hXzM9mXIS5YD" href="https://youtu.be/dUEQmKrG354" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Had I Known) (about CMV), Lyrics and Music by Debra Lynn Al</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">t”, which also features images of those attending the event including </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jessica Keukelaar</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> with her daughter Kyleigh and </span><span face=""Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif"><b>Assemblyman Brian Manktelow</b>, a co-sponsor of "Elizabeth's Law."</span></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span id="m_-1644356548934776773m_-1959173706035786743m_-5329353600029318211m_-19891323592432044gmail-docs-internal-guid-504ac784-7fff-b22e-60be-afc96f6393ef" style="font-family: arial;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gail J. Demmler-Harrison, MD</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is delighted by New York's efforts at CMV education. She sent Assemblymember Rosenthal's office a letter of support for "Elizabeth's Law" stating, “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." Her letter concludes:</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> "When mothers and fathers sit across from me in my CMV clinic holding their little baby and ask, 'Why weren't we warned about CMV,' it's heart-breaking. All I can say is, 'I don’t know, I’ve been trying for over 30 years to educate pregnant women about CMV.'”--</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://drive.google.com/file/d/114HY7HNOx5-JbGvXn6eptuE_NKTYHrsz/view?usp%3Dsharing&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw2lom0J6nRyaK30htiBwCIS" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/114HY7HNOx5-JbGvXn6eptuE_NKTYHrsz/view?usp=sharing" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gail J. Demmler-Harrison MD</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></p><div><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">According to Nellie Brown, MS, CIH, the following workers are at risk for CMV: "Childcare workers, early interventionists, early childhood providers (including daycare providers, pre-school teachers) and Healthcare workers (including nurses, therapists)" (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/73040&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw0v3wJehCdroenECiLompY1" href="https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/73040" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Occupational Exposure to Cytomegalovirus (CMV): Preventing Exposure in Child Care and Educational Settings, Including OSHA Advisories</span></a><span style="font-family: arial;">, </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cornell University, ILR School, Workplace Health and Safety Program, 2019). </span><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">In addition to mothers and caregivers/teachers of toddlers, congenital CMV also affects certain populations more than others. Studies have shown that there are "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29784513/&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw07PxtCO5bQlkO4K3FjyUts" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29784513/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Prevalence of Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">" (</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2018). (Watch short video, </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.powtoon.com/ws/cYmIurA4TBj/1/m&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw0-nLL9kLyXcXmHFMXXeF18" href="https://www.powtoon.com/ws/cYmIurA4TBj/1/m" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">CMV Racial Disparities</a>", The Massachusetts Congenital CMV Coalition, 2022).<br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><b style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Edel Law </b><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">of Tappan</span><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"> told Lisa Saunders that Elizabeth's Law "is important to me because my three-year-old daughter has congenital CMV. It came as a total shock when at 31 weeks pregnant, I found out she had abnormal brain development. Upon further testing, we found out I had contracted and passed CMV onto my daughter. After learning about CMV, it was not shocking that I contracted the virus since I had a toddler in preschool and was an early childhood educator. My daughter has developmental delays, single sided deafness, wears a cochlear implant, and has a form of heart failure."</span><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">In her effort to get New York legislators to pass "Elizabeth's Law", Lisa Saunders and her husband Jim, a recently retired Pfizer scientist, are walking across the State of New York between Buffalo and Albany on the 360-mile Erie Canalway Trail, leaving behind #<span aria-haspopup="true" id="m_-1644356548934776773:1x3.1075" role="menuitem">StopCMV</span> rocks painted by <b>Tabitha Rodenhaus</b> of Buffalo, the mother of Kaia born with congenital CMV in 2016. Jim and Lisa tell those they meet along the Trail, including doctors who have asked them about their #Stop CMV rocks, of their belief that CMV education is a "women's rights" issue--that all women of childbearing age have the right to know about CMV. Lisa says, "<span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Congress created the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor in 2000 because it ensured that "social reforms like...</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">the women’s rights movement</span><b style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> </b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">spread across upstate New York to the rest of the country..." (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-106hr5375ih/html/BILLS-106hr5375ih.htm&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw2yNAXKNrqkTJO_scPFlRh7" href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-106hr5375ih/html/BILLS-106hr5375ih.htm" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Congressional Bills</a>,106th Congress, 2000). </span></span><span style="font-family: arial;">As of June 22, 2022, Lisa and Jim have walked 45% of the way across the State of New York (163 miles). Saunders created a dramatic one-minute trailer of their trek: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3Dp7eHTM27QL4&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw2BU_BBAHkabPJJOBJsbcuL" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7eHTM27QL4" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-family: arial; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Erie Canal Trail Challenge to Stop CMV Birth Defects. Pass "Elizabeth's Law" - A7560/ S6287A</span></a><span style="font-family: arial;">.</span> </div><div><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lisa Saunders hopes the public will contact <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw2KTK6_BYcvBqdzy7B9l2Gb" href="https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">New York </a></span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw2KTK6_BYcvBqdzy7B9l2Gb" href="https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Governor Kathy Hochul</a> and ask her to sign<span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; text-align: center;"> "Elizabeth's Law" (</span><span style="text-align: center;">A7560B/ S6287C) </span>into law. Saunders said, "If you are composing a letter or email in support of the bill, it would be helpful if it was addressed to Honorable Kathy Hochul and forwarded to <span style="text-align: center;">Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal's office to add it to their packet of letters to present to the governor" (email it to </span>Nicholas R. Guile, Legislative Aide to Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, at <a href="mailto:guilen@nyassembly.gov" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">guilen@<span aria-haspopup="true" id="m_-1644356548934776773:1x3.1076" role="menuitem">nyassembly</span>.gov</a>).</div><div><br /></div><div>To learn more about "Elizabeth's Law", contact <b style="text-align: center;">Assemblymember Linda B. Rosentha</b><span style="text-align: center;">l through:</span> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/contact/&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw0w1OwrpFbtLT8nL-DX10LB" href="https://nyassembly.gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/contact/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://<span aria-haspopup="true" id="m_-1644356548934776773:1x3.1077" role="menuitem">nyassembly</span>.<wbr></wbr>gov/mem/Linda-B-Rosenthal/<wbr></wbr>contact/</a></div><div><span style="text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="text-align: center;">To help educate the public about CMV</span>, share resources from the CDC CMV Resource Center: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/index.html&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw0-4ooZw-ULvIeKnbjL6YPp" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/index.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.cdc.gov/<wbr></wbr>cmv/resources/index.html</a><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">To learn more about Lisa Saunders and the <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/NYStopCMV&source=gmail&ust=1654341084462000&usg=AOvVaw0RgKLhn3nCr-X_E0m-Yu7p" href="https://www.facebook.com/NYStopCMV" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">New York Stop CMV Project</a>, write to: <a href="mailto:LisaSaunders42@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">LisaSaunders42@<span aria-haspopup="true" id="m_-880597450154232544m_-1644356548934776773:1x3.1078" role="menuitem">gmail</span>.com</a>. </span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Saunders </span></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">is the author of</span></span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: black;"> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lisa-Saunders/e/B001K7Z5AC/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1" style="color: #1155cc;">several books</a> including "</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1540359921/ref%3Ddbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i6&source=gmail&ust=1654341084463000&usg=AOvVaw2iTvejgSEEOdwVYnbd41bG" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1540359921/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i6" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Once Upon a Placemat--A Table Setting Tale: Coloring Book and CMV Prevention Tool</a><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">" (available as a <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/18FDPAmyB3cHZhwtuQE5mBkOnnGkr2xzp/view" style="color: #1155cc;">free pdf</a>) and "</span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1482315505/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tpbk_p1_i5" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc;">Surviving Loss: The Woodcutter's Tale</a><span style="background-color: white;">" </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">(also available as a free <a href="https://congenitalcmv.blogspot.com/2016/03/surviving-loss-woodcutters-tale.html" style="color: #1155cc;">pdf</a>). </span></div><div><p dir="ltr" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 6pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">###</span></p><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;">ADDITIONAL INFORMATION</span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: normal;"><b>Available CMV informational materials include:</b></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: normal;"></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><ol style="white-space: normal;"><li style="line-height: 20.8px;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CDC's CMV fliers in</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw3DzHeDWFaRJfTzRiJGjwI1" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">English and Spanish</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The National CMV Foundation's fliers/posters include: “</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/Resources/educational-downloads/downloads/CMV-Awareness/CMV_Awareness-Flyer_11x17-2.pdf.aspx?ext%3D.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw1fVtBTvYS8TQ6sXmkOaTvB" href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/Resources/educational-downloads/downloads/CMV-Awareness/CMV_Awareness-Flyer_11x17-2.pdf.aspx?ext=.pdf" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ARE YOU PREGNANT</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”.</span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px;">For child care workers:<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/k9MFAEYVuLs&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw1vfQ9JGSdFxLreN1M8J11R" href="https://youtu.be/k9MFAEYVuLs" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CMV Training Module</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> created by the</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://aural.rehab.uconn.edu/cmv-training-module/&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw152Cxkfq8Y1GbfJQpvv7Nz" href="https://aural.rehab.uconn.edu/cmv-training-module/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">University of Connecticut</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Training resources for child care employers/policy makers includes, “</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/73040&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw0v3wJehCdroenECiLompY1" href="https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/73040" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Occupational Exposure to Cytomegalovirus (CMV): Preventing Exposure in Child Care and Educational Settings, Including OSHA Advisories</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (Cornell University, ILR School, Workplace Health and Safety Program, 2019, Nellie Brown, MS, CIH)</span></li></ol></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="font-family: arial; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #111111; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFEcqiFGhEoO1DbyOvAmqZqLvYvfNjiiE9VFxFQ56_qc_2HYQuBmNKRlCYkLOcJJjW7QnirPwPuPjdljsGkDmscPqJd1gWu0RgruhIffTVr1qZyWxCKJ-UFwx2thW5udiMWkxhj95f3lPpzvQ2TmKIp3Uai8sC_tSY0xqXBze5HxeYjcEn6Mol4v-tw/s1297/Stop%20CMV%20rocks%20(2).jpg" style="font-family: arial; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1297" data-original-width="1059" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivFEcqiFGhEoO1DbyOvAmqZqLvYvfNjiiE9VFxFQ56_qc_2HYQuBmNKRlCYkLOcJJjW7QnirPwPuPjdljsGkDmscPqJd1gWu0RgruhIffTVr1qZyWxCKJ-UFwx2thW5udiMWkxhj95f3lPpzvQ2TmKIp3Uai8sC_tSY0xqXBze5HxeYjcEn6Mol4v-tw/s320/Stop%20CMV%20rocks%20(2).jpg" width="261" /></a></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;">Lisa and Jim Saunders leave #Stop CMV rocks, painted by </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;">Tabitha Rodenhaus</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-size: 13px;"> of Buffalo, the mother of Kaia born with congenital CMV in 2016, along the Erie Canalway Trail as they walk across the State of New York trying to raise awareness of CMV and "Elizabeth's Law" (photograph by Tabitha Rodenhaus). </span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: "Times New Roman"; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPrHHpvDNAJZw4-2kFgtB3TrPvWEPlxq6CHIYZpc-7v-O2N0QpZhmRBJpf7TtqBF_-ioKxWOl-0Dc3vDwHHqsZmkNohO2cZcNgEuE8dzQznWrJ_Aj0B0VKtTgl6MkZ71MGpJwCdlhSu4-blZL1YjZGGfO7PTEj5S5grHtfndz_eWeUBWoqBtNIFXIOFw" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgPrHHpvDNAJZw4-2kFgtB3TrPvWEPlxq6CHIYZpc-7v-O2N0QpZhmRBJpf7TtqBF_-ioKxWOl-0Dc3vDwHHqsZmkNohO2cZcNgEuE8dzQznWrJ_Aj0B0VKtTgl6MkZ71MGpJwCdlhSu4-blZL1YjZGGfO7PTEj5S5grHtfndz_eWeUBWoqBtNIFXIOFw" width="180" /></a></span></span></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: blue;"><i><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px;">Today, 5/25/22, I met with </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px;"><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gpro0wi8 oo9gr5id lrazzd5p" href="https://www.facebook.com/SenatorJohnMannion?__cft__[0]=AZUP8QsRCr0-uOENAaakWp9jaZiD44Y5tAwJXOonmZjVHgxqC5q5zaWCSBSopCvR0Z8vlBAyx0XfqwhkOtGo28RIk83DIefEjnGNslVry03wGuXuiZh6z7MwhY_PTL8TEUTlFPcCL01nQT2If90Sn5uNNFAd4u7fkREeq9gW2qOBYw&__tn__=-]K*F" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 600; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="nc684nl6" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Senator John W. Mannion</span></span></a></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px;">’s office staff at </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px;"><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gpro0wi8 oo9gr5id lrazzd5p" href="https://www.facebook.com/Cafe108.org/?__cft__[0]=AZUP8QsRCr0-uOENAaakWp9jaZiD44Y5tAwJXOonmZjVHgxqC5q5zaWCSBSopCvR0Z8vlBAyx0XfqwhkOtGo28RIk83DIefEjnGNslVry03wGuXuiZh6z7MwhY_PTL8TEUTlFPcCL01nQT2If90Sn5uNNFAd4u7fkREeq9gW2qOBYw&__tn__=kK*F" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 600; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="nc684nl6" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Cafe 108</span></span></a></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px;"> to thank them for their work as the Senate Sponsor of “Elizabeth’s Law” (S6287C), which has now passed both the Senate and the Assembly. Now it’s up to the governor to sign it into law to prevent the leading viral cause of birth defects, cytomegalovirus (CMV)! (The photo of me holding an image of my daughter and a </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px;"><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gpro0wi8 oo9gr5id lrazzd5p" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/stopcmv?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZUP8QsRCr0-uOENAaakWp9jaZiD44Y5tAwJXOonmZjVHgxqC5q5zaWCSBSopCvR0Z8vlBAyx0XfqwhkOtGo28RIk83DIefEjnGNslVry03wGuXuiZh6z7MwhY_PTL8TEUTlFPcCL01nQT2If90Sn5uNNFAd4u7fkREeq9gW2qOBYw&__tn__=*NK*F" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 600; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0">#StopCMV</a></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px;"> rock, painted by CMV mom </span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px;"><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl gpro0wi8 oo9gr5id lrazzd5p" href="https://www.facebook.com/tabitha.weishan?__cft__[0]=AZUP8QsRCr0-uOENAaakWp9jaZiD44Y5tAwJXOonmZjVHgxqC5q5zaWCSBSopCvR0Z8vlBAyx0XfqwhkOtGo28RIk83DIefEjnGNslVry03wGuXuiZh6z7MwhY_PTL8TEUTlFPcCL01nQT2If90Sn5uNNFAd4u7fkREeq9gW2qOBYw&__tn__=-]K*F" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-weight: 600; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="nc684nl6" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tabitha Rodenhaus</span></span></a></span><span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505; font-size: 15px;">, was taken by Victoria Coit, Director of Public Affairs for Senator Mannion).</span></i></span></span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgroLhOb0q6JgMvTaeWO9aZKeJlYLh7du_f_TA16PcHRNrfLXzpnWMoFLbbb3FI6rTjsPFeBm76sfd9FGYuFmMysaHi99jkpQ_jW7SAZ36g-NU9UDuRhL8oLm27YuIQahkz4edwI08igGt3cSWubeHrVsW9FS5zPrPdYnD5VnGe2nYiA7rlMeQKpFGavQ/s2048/Lisa%20Stop%20CMV%20Empire%20State%20Canalway%20Trail%20N%20Poolsbrook%20Kirkville.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgroLhOb0q6JgMvTaeWO9aZKeJlYLh7du_f_TA16PcHRNrfLXzpnWMoFLbbb3FI6rTjsPFeBm76sfd9FGYuFmMysaHi99jkpQ_jW7SAZ36g-NU9UDuRhL8oLm27YuIQahkz4edwI08igGt3cSWubeHrVsW9FS5zPrPdYnD5VnGe2nYiA7rlMeQKpFGavQ/s320/Lisa%20Stop%20CMV%20Empire%20State%20Canalway%20Trail%20N%20Poolsbrook%20Kirkville.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-size: 13px; text-align: left;">Lisa Saunders shows her Stop CMV hand as she and her husband, Jim Saunders, walk the Erie Canalway Trail, which is part of the Empire State Trail (photograph by Jim Saunders). </span></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGkIkL9o9KF4TExacqbk_kbTtp6GkOpLuc4UO8bJSsipyAd958YqVcB9mepx2wn9iX5O0JgyQMsGaGLzednLtYeK5UKyOe6LhRrJqnEg72gK7Xl2J1k-iysbBbXzgZk0hpjOzdVZVxG9RObnTS_Ih_BDru_E7pIzJ-FrhCMT3xh2WLb_jRvRVkFKw5g/s2048/Lisa%20at%20CDC%20per%20Margaret.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPGkIkL9o9KF4TExacqbk_kbTtp6GkOpLuc4UO8bJSsipyAd958YqVcB9mepx2wn9iX5O0JgyQMsGaGLzednLtYeK5UKyOe6LhRrJqnEg72gK7Xl2J1k-iysbBbXzgZk0hpjOzdVZVxG9RObnTS_Ih_BDru_E7pIzJ-FrhCMT3xh2WLb_jRvRVkFKw5g/s320/Lisa%20at%20CDC%20per%20Margaret.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-size: 13px;"><br /></span></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #111111; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-size: 13px;">Lisa Saunders speaks at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, about how congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) affected her daughter's life and death at the </span><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; font-size: 13px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://congenitalcmv.blogspot.com/2008/&source=gmail&ust=1654334941549000&usg=AOvVaw29OwO2SwKgT488z_jNsi5b" href="https://congenitalcmv.blogspot.com/2008/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">2008 International Congenital CMV Conference</a> sponsored by the CDC and the Congenital CMV Foundation (photograph by </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="font-size: small; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gail J. Demmler-Harrison MD</span><span style="color: #555544; font-size: 13px; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). </span><br /></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #111111; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #111111; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Media Coverage in New York Regarding CMV Legislation</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: #111111; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><ul style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li><span style="color: #111111; font-family: arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Citizen:</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw09YTrJ4Csup_d-zuHxWSFC" href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #111111; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="color: #067638; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">"</span></a><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-lawmakers-ok-cmv-awareness-bill-named-in-honor-of-cny-couples-daughter/article_608f181a-d230-55eb-ae56-35af760c3432.html?utm_medium%3Dsocial%26utm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_campaign%3Duser-share%26fbclid%3DIwAR2M1pro8qhB9XoltZBp7yxtIR4YcRIDbz_hCa2DP_O7pKbVX3x4Kf9gf-g&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw1mKVkHFf9gNlO-zmMWtwyx" href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-lawmakers-ok-cmv-awareness-bill-named-in-honor-of-cny-couples-daughter/article_608f181a-d230-55eb-ae56-35af760c3432.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=user-share&fbclid=IwAR2M1pro8qhB9XoltZBp7yxtIR4YcRIDbz_hCa2DP_O7pKbVX3x4Kf9gf-g" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">NY lawmakers <span aria-haspopup="true" id="m_-1644356548934776773:1x3.1079" role="menuitem">OK</span> CMV awareness bill named in honor of CNY couple's daughter</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">", Robert Harding, June 1, 2022.</span></li><li style="color: #111111; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Eagle Newsroom</span><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, "</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://eaglenewsonline.com/new/government/2021/12/14/baldwinsville-couple-advocates-for-elizabeths-law-to-stop-cytomegalovirus/?swcfpc%3D1&source=gmail&ust=1654338286781000&usg=AOvVaw0kgpCZ_HiZq2e_MgyS9nAN" href="https://eaglenewsonline.com/new/government/2021/12/14/baldwinsville-couple-advocates-for-elizabeths-law-to-stop-cytomegalovirus/?swcfpc=1" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-style: normal; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #067638; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Baldwinsville couple advocates for 'Elizabeth's Law' to stop cytomegalovirus: Bill named in memory of their daughter</span></a><span style="font-style: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">," Dec. 14, 2021.</span>
</span></span></p></li><li style="color: #111111; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Spectrum News:</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> "</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u%3Dhttps-3A__spectrumlocalnews.com_nys_central-2Dny_news_2021_07_01_couple-2Dpushes-2Dfor-2Dlaw-2Din-2Dmemory-2Dof-2Dtheir-2Ddaughter%26d%3DDwMFaQ%26c%3Dlb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s%26r%3DpkXq5tTqZ16kUqCiAkfDtxw4XPpjnlYO0qLoHC87C_g%26m%3D-yDpIc0HZ0CNZh6J4hWCnqKorSWxwSVhDa5EKMHjVlo%26s%3DbCY96TfzRArglBKba-Qxc81LdIrxcy40D0FMxrPkY-8%26e%3D&source=gmail&ust=1654338286781000&usg=AOvVaw07EuABBdh0WEryN9_bcQMt" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__spectrumlocalnews.com_nys_central-2Dny_news_2021_07_01_couple-2Dpushes-2Dfor-2Dlaw-2Din-2Dmemory-2Dof-2Dtheir-2Ddaughter&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=pkXq5tTqZ16kUqCiAkfDtxw4XPpjnlYO0qLoHC87C_g&m=-yDpIc0HZ0CNZh6J4hWCnqKorSWxwSVhDa5EKMHjVlo&s=bCY96TfzRArglBKba-Qxc81LdIrxcy40D0FMxrPkY-8&e=" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #067638; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Couple pushes for law in memory of their daughter</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">" by Jessica Houghtaling (Jul. 01, 2021). Includes interview with Dr. Sunil Sood.</span></span></p></li><li style="color: #111111; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Finger Lakes Times,</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> "</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.fltimes.com/news/trail-of-hope-celebration-in-lyons-marks-cmv-month-in-new-york/article_09c0f4b7-a777-5501-b346-f85ffa4cfd83.html&source=gmail&ust=1654338286781000&usg=AOvVaw27HZwvIEcFAK3SXNnfzY3Q" href="https://www.fltimes.com/news/trail-of-hope-celebration-in-lyons-marks-cmv-month-in-new-york/article_09c0f4b7-a777-5501-b346-f85ffa4cfd83.html" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #067638; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Trail of Hope celebration in Lyons marks CMV Month in New York</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">", Steve Buchiere (Jun 11, 2021).</span></span></p></li><li style="color: #111111; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Finger Lakes Times</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">: "</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.fltimes.com/news/making-a-difference-couple-brings-awareness-to-threat-to-infant-health-cmv/article_37dac9f5-6991-5f9e-9e10-98de4f4ab216.htm&source=gmail&ust=1654338286781000&usg=AOvVaw1yL7IaMUaDMBJsHSbal5zm" href="https://www.fltimes.com/news/making-a-difference-couple-brings-awareness-to-threat-to-infant-health-cmv/article_37dac9f5-6991-5f9e-9e10-98de4f4ab216.htm" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #067638; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Couple brings awareness to threat to infant health: CMV</span></a><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">", Steve Buchiere (June 4, 2021).</span><br /></p></li><li style="color: #111111; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The Citizen:</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html&source=gmail&ust=1654338286781000&usg=AOvVaw33fZIjrO-sFTUE_xlb2q7F" href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #111111; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="color: #067638; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">"NY Senate passes bill, named for CNY couple's daughter, to boost CMV awareness</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">", Robert Harding (June 2, 2021).</span></span></p></li><li style="color: #111111; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Syracuse Woman</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> magazine, "</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://issuu.com/eaglenewsonline/docs/swm-may-2021-web-pages/28&source=gmail&ust=1654338286781000&usg=AOvVaw3ygtKEjar4FOUWzva2pRsX" href="https://issuu.com/eaglenewsonline/docs/swm-may-2021-web-pages/28" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #067638; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Fighting CMV One Step at a Time (p.28)</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">", Emma Vallelunga (May 2021) (p.29 image of</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ICRACl-Uo-bnh8PIQGc_iFb58Styit-F/view&source=gmail&ust=1654338286781000&usg=AOvVaw38uhA4J-ZrCXUrynf_izxf" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ICRACl-Uo-bnh8PIQGc_iFb58Styit-F/view" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #067638; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;"> Stop CMV hand, rock and shirt</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">)</span></span></p></li><li style="color: #111111; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The Citizen</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">: "</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elizabeths-law-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-would-boost-cmv-awareness/article_20ae2419-1868-546c-b2c8-71a5de2f84f1.html&source=gmail&ust=1654338286781000&usg=AOvVaw0aTMID0-yp_hYnLqQUyIif" href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elizabeths-law-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-would-boost-cmv-awareness/article_20ae2419-1868-546c-b2c8-71a5de2f84f1.html" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #067638; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">'Elizabeth's law,' named for CNY couple's daughter, would boost CMV awareness</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">", Robert Harding (May 4,2021)</span></span></p></li><li style="color: #111111; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">The Citizen</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><i>, </i>"</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/challenge-for-change-auburn-native-walking-canal-trail-to-raise-virus-awareness/article_6840628a-968a-567e-a1bf-6b59f58dae3f.html?fbclid%3DIwAR1q7PErZwWZ6dRIbpmJ25HphGSkO5Tf2cn34fV2MiwpT1zAltbgTy7dbtM&source=gmail&ust=1654338286781000&usg=AOvVaw2rQPspmTq5EiCiitzY7_-C" href="https://auburnpub.com/challenge-for-change-auburn-native-walking-canal-trail-to-raise-virus-awareness/article_6840628a-968a-567e-a1bf-6b59f58dae3f.html?fbclid=IwAR1q7PErZwWZ6dRIbpmJ25HphGSkO5Tf2cn34fV2MiwpT1zAltbgTy7dbtM" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #067638; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Challenge for Change: Walking across NY to raise awareness of CMV</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">", David Wilcox (Mar 31, 2021)</span></span></p></li><li style="color: #111111; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 20.8px; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><p role="presentation" style="line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></span></p><div style="color: black; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">WHEN SAUNDERS HELPED CONNECTICUT PASS A CMV TESTING LAW: Cornell Alumni Magazine: </span><u style="color: #111111; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">"</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://cornellalumnimagazine.com/index.php?option%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26id%3D2235%26Itemid%3D1%26ed%3D49&source=gmail&ust=1654338286781000&usg=AOvVaw03kJQGfD0bsQ6J7zB4Ji_0" href="http://cornellalumnimagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2235&Itemid=1&ed=49" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">In Memory of Elizabeth</span></a></u><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Her daughter's death from a preventable disability spurs Lisa Avazian Saunders '82 into action," Alexandra Bond (Sept/Oct 2015). </span></div></li></ul></div></div></div><div><div data-smartmail="gmail_signature" dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">###</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><br style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;" /></p></div></div></div><div><div style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-weight: 400; white-space: pre-wrap;">To contact <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw2KTK6_BYcvBqdzy7B9l2Gb" href="https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">New York </a></span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form&source=gmail&ust=1654338286780000&usg=AOvVaw2KTK6_BYcvBqdzy7B9l2Gb" href="https://www.governor.ny.gov/content/governor-contact-form" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: 400;" target="_blank">Governor Kathy Hochul</a><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; font-weight: 400;"> </span></div><b><div><b><br /></b></div></b><a href="tel:15184748390">1-518-474-8390</a> | Office hours: 9:00am to 5:00pm<br /><br /><b>Contact By Mail: </b><br /><br />The Honorable Kathy Hochul<br />Governor of New York State<br />NYS State Capitol Building<br />Albany, NY 12224<p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Lisa Saunders letter to the governor: </b></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0.14in;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Dear Honorable Kathy Hochul:</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0.14in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span style="color: #222222;">I strongly support </span><span style="color: black;"> </span><a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b" style="color: #222222; text-align: center;">A7560B</a><span style="color: black; text-align: center;">/S6287C,</span></span><span style="text-align: center;">named "Elizabeth's Law" in memory of my daughter. The bill requires "the provision of informational materials to child care providers and certain physicians and midwives regarding the impacts and dangers of congenital cytomegalovirus [CMV} infection and the treatments and methods of prevention of cytomegalovirus infection". </span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The CDC has already created excellent congenital CMV materials in English and Spanish at: <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html">https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html</a></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">My daughter Elizabeth was born with a severely damaged brain from congenital CMV in 1989 and died at Nyack Hospital after a seizure in 2006. When I was pregnant with Elizabeth, I ran a licensed child care center in my home and cared for a toddler of my own--activities that put my pregnancy at risk for CMV yet I never heard of it--most women still haven't. I completed hours of training to get my in-home daycare license, but nowhere was I told of my occupational hazard for CMV until after Elizabeth was born. Like me, many women caring for toddlers (their own or professionally) admit to using diaper wipes to clean up urine or saliva to save time. Diaper wipes do not effectively remove CMV from hands (Stowell et al., 2014). Elizabeth had cerebral palsy, developmental delays, epilepsy, and vision and hearing loss. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">You should be aware that according to studies, there are "Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Prevalence of Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection" (2018). You can learn more by watching this short video: "CMV Racial Disparities" at: <a href="https://fb.watch/ddTMqFlqG-/">https://fb.watch/ddTMqFlqG-/</a></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The importance of Elizabeth’s Law is evident in the data: with more than 3 in every 5 children under the age of 5 being cared for in a childcare facility, and 30 to 40% of preschoolers in daycare excreting CMV in their saliva and/or urine, and up to 70% of children ages 1 to 3 years in group care settings excreting the virus, I strongly urge the passage of “Elizabeth’s Law.” CMV is recognized as a workplace hazard by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), however, in 2016, only 18.5% of licensed “in-home” daycare providers surveyed had heard of CMV. This level of awareness is insufficient in protecting workers, especially when OSHA acknowledges that childcare workers are at a greater risk of infection.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Increased awareness and education about CMV enhances the health and safety of expecting mothers and their unborn children, while empowering the workforce to make more informed decisions about the occupational hazards of CMV and its prevention. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0.14in; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Thank you in advance for your help.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">Sincerely, </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"><br />Lisa Saunders</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/NYStopCMV&source=gmail&ust=1653568265830000&usg=AOvVaw2E9flb36q_fQ-vari3viYy" href="https://www.facebook.com/NYStopCMV" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">New York Stop CMV</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">[my home address and phone #]</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Baldwinsville, NY 13027<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: blue;">Music Video "</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/dUEQmKrG354&source=gmail&ust=1653568265830000&usg=AOvVaw1Esod5KfLIt_XNDqArJK35" href="https://youtu.be/dUEQmKrG354" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Had I known (about CMV)</a><span style="color: blue;">"</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><br /></p></div><div><p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: blue;"></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: blue;"><br /></span></span><p></p></div><div>If you want to share this info on Facebook, you can reshare this: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/105157218190120/posts/391091939596645/?d%3Dn&source=gmail&ust=1653652650295000&usg=AOvVaw1s_5Hx3ZE0A6CZzRkAOlKc" href="https://www.facebook.com/105157218190120/posts/391091939596645/?d=n" rel="noreferrer" style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/10515<wbr></wbr>7218190120/posts/3910919395966<wbr></wbr>45/?d=n</a></div>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-60747926733730134322022-05-06T06:44:01.127-07:002022-07-02T03:15:30.118-07:00Parents and Doctors Believe ALL Women Have the Right to Know About Cytomegalovirus (CMV)<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 357px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; overflow: hidden; width: 336px;"><img height="357" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/mhwREbONZNCC6h70p7zLzyfYuOiPDVrODMu4dEyhsSWd-hMtvSdMkt9swhWrmtukPLHY7PWXROjCEJOIkwSUbz5RVkESOkbBB6XmPlAJvZYMvMDBpJ4WKzZMszNwKD4gqWJKhhWA6CN8utlxoA" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="336" /></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Photo caption: Mothers blindsided by congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) in their newborns meet up at the National CMV Foundation booth. Despite working in occupations that should have guaranteed they knew the dangers of contracting CMV just prior or during their pregnancies, they now collaborate to ensure all women know how to protect their pregnancies from the leading viral cause of birth defects. (l to r): </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;">Megan Honor Pesch, MD</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #2a2a2a; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, Pediatrician,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, President-Elect, National CMV Foundation, and founder of the Michigan CMV Project;</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;"> Lisa Saunders</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, former licensed childcare provider and founding member of New York Stop CMV Project; </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;">Kathleen M. Muldoon, PhD</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, Associate Professor of Anatomy at Midwestern University, Glendale, AZ, Chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee at the National CMV Foundation, and co-founder of STOP CMV AZ; and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline;">Amanda Devereaux </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">RN</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, BSN, Program Director of National CMV Foundation. </span> (Photograph taken at the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Annual Meeting, Kansas City, Missouri, 2020)</i></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; text-align: center; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGuM-GjNVMzbK6BIAAiLvTDPXPNp2E2pehUF3H7_DejWMPxkxEpJ0pcj1xWlajgG9z9Lryf7jDlKBNv7Xd5leEuKC2L1MJMjaDg8TXTzZn_QnnmsIA-h_HfQf-CkX3ZOFeWEUdjN8NVSj4S9TRhTTdFpn0h1aXkxFj3SAKKp960_G84Qjd-_mkyfkuWA/s1058/Gail%20National%20CMV%20Foundation%20Kristin%20by%20Lisa.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="894" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGuM-GjNVMzbK6BIAAiLvTDPXPNp2E2pehUF3H7_DejWMPxkxEpJ0pcj1xWlajgG9z9Lryf7jDlKBNv7Xd5leEuKC2L1MJMjaDg8TXTzZn_QnnmsIA-h_HfQf-CkX3ZOFeWEUdjN8NVSj4S9TRhTTdFpn0h1aXkxFj3SAKKp960_G84Qjd-_mkyfkuWA/s320/Gail%20National%20CMV%20Foundation%20Kristin%20by%20Lisa.jpg" width="270" /></a></span></div><p style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre-wrap;"></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></p><i><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Photo caption (l to r): </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gail J. Demmler-Harrison MD</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases at Texas Children's Hospital and Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Infectious Disease Section, Baylor College of Medicine; and </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kristen Hutchinson Spytek</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, President, National CMV Foundation, raise awareness of the leading viral cause of birth defects at the CMV Public Health and Policy Conference (Burlington, Vermont, 2018).</span></i><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family: arial;">May 17, 2022</span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">IMMEDIATE RELEASE<br /></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Lisa Saunders<br />New York Stop CMV Project<br />www.facebook.com/NYStopCMV<br />LisaSaunders42@gamil.com</span><div style="text-align: center;"><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div><br /></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></u></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="font-family: arial;">Parents and Doctors Believe ALL Women Have the Right to Know About the</span></u></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><u><span style="font-family: arial;">Leading Viral Cause of Birth Defects, Cytomegalovirus (CMV)</span></u></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><i><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"></span></i></b></p><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><i>Pregnant women of toddlers in group care, childcare providers, and <span style="background-color: white; text-align: left; white-space: pre-wrap;">ethnic minorities are at </span>increased risk for CMV</i></b></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fLhzVF-l0kB5MEH30xdEf_fvu2vsBikDSim1oMonvCuG05oSzTMAdmbDdMybawxK5tUKpTAOufmV5-nq7-wBPIndWaUG1dzBsq_lp7R3tUxxcNdYCtDK8PaGiQKu3hHzjVck9dQhC7coWACpmP1vFngihThKSLURoQMT2uSgrXiIAiCFxgMzDrvRmQ/s1024/Eliz%20in%20NICU%20cropped%20sq.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="953" data-original-width="1024" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fLhzVF-l0kB5MEH30xdEf_fvu2vsBikDSim1oMonvCuG05oSzTMAdmbDdMybawxK5tUKpTAOufmV5-nq7-wBPIndWaUG1dzBsq_lp7R3tUxxcNdYCtDK8PaGiQKu3hHzjVck9dQhC7coWACpmP1vFngihThKSLURoQMT2uSgrXiIAiCFxgMzDrvRmQ/s320/Eliz%20in%20NICU%20cropped%20sq.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div><i>Lisa Saunders holds her daughter Elizabeth born with a severely damaged brain from congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV). (Photograph by Jim Saunders, 1989.) </i></div><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: left; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></p><div><br style="font-family: "Times New Roman";" /></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>Baldwinsville, New York–<span id="docs-internal-guid-237690f2-7fff-e5d7-2898-57d35ba62be0"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lisa Saunders of</span><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> the </span><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/NYStopCMV">New York Stop CMV</a></span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Project learned about cytomegalovirus (CMV) the hard way. Her daughter Elizabeth was born with a severely damaged brain from the virus in 1989. Saunders was at higher risk for contracting CMV because she had and worked with toddlers, who are often excreting the virus. “When I was pregnant with Elizabeth, I ran a licensed child care center in my home, volunteered in our church nursery and a toddler— all activities that put my pregnancy at higher risk for CMV — yet I never heard of it. I completed hours of training to get my in-home daycare license, but nowhere was I told of my occupational hazard for CMV until after Elizabeth was born. Like me, many women caring for toddlers (their own or professionally) admit to sharing food with them and using diaper wipes to clean up urine or saliva to save time. Diaper wipes do not effectively remove CMV from hands (</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3911075/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Stowell et al., 2014</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). Elizabeth had cerebral palsy, developmental delays, epilepsy, and vision and hearing loss. She died at Nyack Hospital after a seizure at the age of 16 (</span><a href="https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/elizabeth-saunders-obituary?pid=149413661" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lohud, 2006</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)."</span></span><br /><br />According to the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/fact-sheets/parents-pregnant-women.html">CDC</a>, congenital CMV is acquired in utero and can result in serious birth defects in the baby. About 1 in every 200 babies is born with a congenital CMV infection. Of these babies, around 1 in 5 will have long-term health problems such as hearing and vision loss, microcephaly (small head), developmental and motor delays, and seizures. </span><span>An article published with the National Library of Medicine states, "Current estimates indicate that approximately 8,000 children are affected each year with some neurological sequelae related to in utero CMV infection. This incidence is far greater than that of better-known childhood disorders, such as Down syndrome (4,000/year), fetal alcohol syndrome (5,000/year), or spinal bifida (3,500/year), making congenital CMV infection the most common cause of birth defects and childhood disabilities in the United States. Considering the public health significance of CMV-related long-term neurological disabilities, it is surprising that more attention is not paid to understanding the neuropathogenesis of congenital CMV infection" (</span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2620634/">Neuropathogenesis of Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection: Disease Mechanisms and Prospects for Intervention</a><span>, 2009).</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”CMV is spread from person to person through body fluids. Day care workers, nurses, mothers of young children, and others who work with young children are at greatest risk of exposure to CMV. Since young children commonly carry CMV, pregnant women and women planning pregnancies should take extra care to avoid urine and saliva from young children,” stated </span><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sunil K. Sood, M.D.</span><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Chair of Pediatrics, South Shore University Hospital, Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases, Cohen Children's Medical Center and Professor, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell (</span><a href="https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/what-is-cytomegalovirus-and-how-can-it-be-treated" style="text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">NYMetroParents, 2016</span></a><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). </span></span><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dr. Sood’s efforts to prevent the consequences of congenital CMV include co-authorship of a study that changed the paradigm for treatment of congenital cytomegalovirus infection (“</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25738669/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Valganciclovir for symptomatic congenital cytomegalovirus disease</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”, 2015), and his newborn CMV screening program at Northwell Health that has become a model for the State of New York. </span></span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>More than 30 years after the birth of Elizabeth Saunders, women are still largely unaware of CMV--until it’s too late for them to prevent it.</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> ”Imagine giving birth to a seemingly healthy newborn baby, only to find out a few weeks down the road that your baby is deaf…That is what happened to a Western New York family and they have found that they are not alone…” </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Marielle Fitzgerald</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the baby’s mother, said, “‘Like most pregnant women, I did everything I could to ensure a healthy pregnancy…I followed all of my doctors recommendations to avoid certain foods. I didn't go on a vacation to Florida with our family to avoid Zika, right? But no one probably ever said I should avoid my own daughter's saliva. And if they had, I would have’”(</span><a href="https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/health/cmv-virus-causing-deafness-in-newborns-1/466924064#_=_" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CMV: Virus causing deafness in newborns</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, WGRZ-TV, 2017).</span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-4204a963-7fff-7031-5cb9-3d4044b53e88" style="font-family: arial;"><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.38464; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Throughout her medical career</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,</span><a href="http://www.bcm.edu/people-search/gail-harrison-demmler-22821" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gail J. Demmler-Harrison MD</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases at Texas Children's Hospital and pediatric infectious disease specialist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, has been advocating for CMV education, but progress has been slow. Featured in the</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> New York Times</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> article, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CMV Is a Greater Threat to Infants Than Zika, but Far Less Often Discusse</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">d</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">" (Saint Louis, 2016), Dr. Demmler-Harrison stated that not providing CMV counseling is "a missed opportunity to save a baby from the devastating effects of CMV, including death in the womb and permanent disabilities.'"</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.38464; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.38464; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">When <b>Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal</b> read the 2016 </span><i style="background-color: transparent;">New York Times</i><span style="background-color: transparent;"> article, she thought something had to be done. She sponsored a 2018 CMV law that helps diagnose children with congenital CMV by requiring “testing for cytomegalovirus of newborns with hearing impairments." </span></p></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Angela Cote of Buffalo</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> appreciates the 2018 CMV law because it led to the quick diagnosis of why Elise, born in 2019, failed her newborn hearing test, giving her access to early intervention, but Angela wishes she had known about CMV </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">before</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> her pregnancy. She told Lisa Saunders in a TV interview how shocked she was by the diagnosis. She couldn’t believe she had never heard of CMV, especially since she was surrounded by young children as a nanny and the mother of a toddler ("</span></span><span color="var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-color,var(--yt-spec-text-primary))" face="Roboto, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: #f9f9f9; font-size: var(--ytd-video-primary-info-renderer-title-font-size,var(--yt-navbar-title-font-size,inherit));">CytoMegaloVirus (CMV) - What Moms Wished They Knew," </span><a href="https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA" style="text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">PAC-B TV, 2021</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">).</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><b>Kelly Smolar Gerne</b>, a mechanical engineer from Brooklyn told Lisa Saunders, "My daughter Alexis was born in August 2020 with congenital CMV. With the help of Northwell, Dr. Sood and Nurse Stellato, Alexis is thriving because she was diagnosed and treated early following a failed newborn hearing test. While I am angry about the lack of CMV education prior and during my pregnancy, the CMV testing law passed in 2018 meant our family was the recipient of those who had fought before us. I want to continue that forward so all babies in the State of New York will have the option for early intervention."<br /><br /><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brandi Hurtubise</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of Buffalo told the</span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/nationalcmv/photos/a.467850520035640/1980799172074093/?type=3" style="text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">National CMV Foundation</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on </span></span><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Facebook </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">about her second child Samantha,</span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">born in 2016 with congenital CMV. "No one told me I shouldn't share drinks or food with my toddler while I was pregnant with [Samantha]. Or that I needed to wash my hands after every single diaper change. That I needed to be cautious of his saliva and urine because it could be carrying a virus that would harm my unborn baby. I didn't know because CMV isn't commonly talked about or educated on; even though it is incredibly common." </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal now hopes to improve CMV education with “Elizabeth’s Law” (Assembly Bill <a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560/amendment/b">A7560B</a>/Senate Bill <a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/s6287/amendment/c">S6287C</a>), which "Requires the provision of informational materials to child care providers and certain physicians regarding the impacts and dangers of congenital cytomegalovirus infection." </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>When “Elizabeth’s Law”, named in memory of Lisa and Jim Saunders’s daughter, was first passed by the New York Senate in 2021, <b>Senator John Mannion</b> stated, "My legislation will provide for training and increased awareness so expecting moms have the information they need to make informed decisions to keep themselves and their babies safe. I thank and commend Lisa and Jim Saunders, who have turned their heartache into potentially life-saving action" (</span><a href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"NY Senate passes bill, named for CNY couple's daughter, to boost CMV awareness</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">", T</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">he Citizen, </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2021).</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">As of May 17, 2022, "Elizabeth's Law" still needs to be passed by the Assembly. The bill is currently with the <a href="https://assembly.state.ny.us/comm/?sec=mem&id=33">Assembly Rules Committee</a> so Lisa Saunders wrote to <b>Speaker Carl E. Heastie </b>asking him to put it on the agenda to be voted on. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>Lisa Saunders, influential in the passage of a CMV testing law in Connecticut </span><span>(<i>Cornell Alumni Magazine</i>: </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><a href="https://cornellalumnimagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2235&Itemid=1&ed=49" style="text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">In Memory of Elizabeth</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”, 2015</span><span>), </span><span> says getting a bill introduced and passed is a lot of work but believes that CMV laws are necessary to get the CMV prevention message to ALL women of childbearing age. </span><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sara Menlove Doutre</span><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the special education policy expert behind the</span><a href="https://health.utah.gov/cshcn/programs/cmv.html" style="text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Utah CMV law (2013</span></a><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), stated, "Policy and legislation, backed by accurate science, are viable tools to change behaviour to reduce congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections. Addressing CMV through public policy can provide increased awareness among public health officials, access to existing venues for disseminating information...", etc. (</span><a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/ma/pdf/MA15058" style="text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Microbiology Australia, 2015</span></a><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Lisa's future legislative goals are to make "Elizabeth's Law" a federal law. </span><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When Saunders urged one state’s child care policy maker to include CMV in its licensing training, she was told that the content of the health and safety training “is based on federal requirements” and that the agency had other “several key priorities.” Saunders wants CMV education to find its place among those </span><span style="color: #555544; white-space: pre-wrap;">“several key priorities.” </span><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To learn which states have or are working to have laws requiring CMV education and/or testing, please visit:</span><a href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/about-us/advocacy" style="text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">https://www.nationalcmv.org/about-us/advocacy</span></a><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In addition to Lisa Saunders,</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Brenda K. Balch, MD</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Connecticut's American Academy of Pediatrics Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Chapter Champion, was also instrumental in the passage of Connecticut’s " Act Concerning Cytomegalovirus”. When she testified in Hartford in favor of the bill, she stated, “Studies confirm that when pregnant women adopt preventive good hygiene behaviors, especially when they are interacting with toddlers, it minimizes the transmission of CMV. Some of these simple preventive behaviors are good hand washing, not sharing food, drink or utensils, and avoiding kissing children on the mouth” (</span><a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/2015/PHdata/Tmy/2015HB-05525-R000220-Brenda%20Kinsella%20Balch,%20MD.%20AAP%20Connecticut%20Chapter%20Champion%20for%20the%20Early%20Hearing%20Detection%20and%20Intervention-TMY.PDF" style="text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">letter to Public Health Committee</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 2015).</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">In addition to sponsoring CMV bills, Assemblymember Rosenthal sponsored the New York </span><a href="https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?default_fld=%0D%0A&leg_video&bn=k346&term&Summary=Y&Text=Y&fbclid=IwAR26_cW9k6M2jfdelFm4MHXCfPloKP_eW4gKbvZthknGGxmiSlsOpEh4CyQ" style="text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">June Cytomegalovirus Awareness Month Proclamation</span></a><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">, which states, "It is difficult for mothers to protect themselves...especially if they are unaware of the virus itself ... less than half of obstetrician-gynecologists tell pregnant patients how to avoid CMV ... It is imperative that women are educated about the virus itself and simple preventative measures, such as not sharing food with toddlers, and washing one's hands after changing infants and toddlers diapers.” </span></span></div><div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The 2021 CMV Awareness Month Proclamation inspired an event in Lyons, New York, where 222 silver rocks were placed in the Trail of Hope to honor the estimated number of babies born each year in New York disabled by congenital CMV (<span id="docs-internal-guid-26e76a38-7fff-e5df-0937-4a1a972cf33d"><a href="https://www.fltimes.com/news/trail-of-hope-celebration-in-lyons-marks-cmv-month-in-new-york/article_09c0f4b7-a777-5501-b346-f85ffa4cfd83.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finger Lakes Times</span><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, June 2021</span></a></span>). Two moms in attendance, <b>Jessica Keukelaar</b> of Macedon and <b>Kristin Schuster</b> of Canandaigua, might have contracted CMV through their caregiver/teaching occupations as neither had children of their own during their pregnancies. Jessica is the mother of Kyleigh born with congenital CMV in 2018. She shared with Lisa Saunders the letter she sent to Assemblymember Rosenthal’s office where she stated, “I was a caregiver in a daycare center when I became pregnant with my daughter born with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV)... I had never heard of CMV or the precautions to take. This bill [Elizabeth’s Law] is important to me because it came as a complete shock when my daughter was born full term, in 2018, with numerous urgent health issues due to CMV...My daughter has developmental delays, spastic cerebral palsy which affects her entire body, eating and digestive difficulties, progressive hearing loss, microcephaly, and more. Some of the extra equipment Kyleigh requires on a daily basis are, a wheelchair due to immobility, gastrostomy tube for proper nutrition, cochlear implant for hearing, and special orthotics for her hands, wrists, ankles, and feet. She had surgery for her cochlear implant at 17 months, a double hip reconstruction at two years, and surgery to have her g-tube placed at three years. She also takes numerous medications several times per day, and receives 11 Botox injections quarterly to help with her spasticity. Congenital CMV has affected every aspect of Kyleigh’s life, as well as our whole family. I wish that someone took the time to educate me about CMV since I was at an increased risk of infection.” </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><b>Kristin, </b>the mother of Autumn born with congenital CMV in 2015, had also never heard of CMV, or that she was at increased risk for the disease because of her occupation. She told Lisa Saunders, "I was teaching in a pre-kindergarten inclusion classroom while pregnant with Autumn and was unaware of the dangers of CMV exposure." <span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Autumn can be seen helping her mom and Saunders place the silver CMV rocks to the music video, “</span><a href="https://youtu.be/dUEQmKrG354" style="text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Had I Known) (about CMV), Lyrics and Music by Debra Lynn Al</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">t”, which also features images of those attending the event including </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jessica Keukelaar</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> with her daughter Kyleigh and </span></span><span face=""Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><b>Assemblyman Brian Manktelow</b>, a co-sponsor of "Elizabeth's Law."</span></span></div><div> <div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-504ac784-7fff-b22e-60be-afc96f6393ef" style="font-family: arial;"><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"><span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gail J. Demmler-Harrison, MD</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is delighted by New York's efforts at CMV education. She sent Assemblymember Rosenthal's office a letter of support for "Elizabeth's Law" stating, “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." Her letter concludes:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> <b>"When mothers and fathers sit across from me in my CMV clinic holding their little baby and ask, 'Why weren't we warned about CMV,' it's heart-breaking. All I can say is, 'I don’t know, I’ve been trying for over 30 years to educate pregnant women about CMV.'”</b>--</span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/114HY7HNOx5-JbGvXn6eptuE_NKTYHrsz/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gail J. Demmler-Harrison MD</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></p><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span id="docs-internal-guid-15ab3579-7fff-7178-3f45-511b9f067e6d" style="font-family: arial;"><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Organizations such as the March of Dimes, Group B Strep International and National CMV Foundation also provided letters of support for Elizabeth’s Law. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amanda Devereaux RN, BSN</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of Iowa, Program Director at</span><a href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/default.aspx" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">National CMV Foundation</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, stated, "By establishing both an education program and helping to facilitate the conversation between women and health care providers, families in New York will have the information they need to prevent [congenital] CMV from impacting their family." Amanda was shocked when her daughter Pippa, born in 2015, was diagnosed at 21 weeks gestation with congenital CMV. She stated in her</span><a href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/resources/blog/july-2019/volunteer-spotlight-amanda-devereaux" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">National CMV Foundation Volunteer Spotlight</span></a> that <span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Even as a public health nurse, I was unaware of the impact of cCMV and the fact that I was at increased risk during my second pregnancy… All families deserve to know about cCMV and how it can be prevented and all children affected deserve early diagnosis so they can reach their full potential!” </span></p></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><br /><b>Dr. Sallie Permar</b>, Chair, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, and pediatrician-in-chief, New York-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital, known for her “groundbreaking work on mother-to-child transmission of viruses" stated that CMV is "'a virus that has a PR problem. It's the most common congenital infection in every population...It's a virus we have recognized for over 60 years as the cause of birth defects and brain damage in infants...'" </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(“</span><a href="https://news.weill.cornell.edu/news/2021/06/dr-sallie-permar%E2%80%99s-work-protecting-mothers-infants-from-hiv-cmv-lands-her-among-%E2%80%98giants#:~:text=Weill%20Cornell%20Medicine.-,Dr.,%27t%20know%20about%20it.%E2%80%9D" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dr. Sallie Permar’s Work Protecting Mothers, Infants from HIV, CMV Lands Her Among ‘Giants’</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”, Weill Cornell Medicine, 2021).</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></div><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-3d490431-7fff-f6f7-d6b0-2f24dc676d6f"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;"><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Saunders suggests five reasons why CMV has a PR (public relations) problem:</span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> </span></p></span></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><ol style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 6pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CMV education is not "part of standard prenatal care” (</span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid=IwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA"><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Washington Post</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 2021).</span></p></li></ol><br /><ol start="2" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Doctors don’t want to frighten, worry or “burden” patients (</span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>New York Times</i></span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 2016).</span></p></li></ol><br /><ol start="3" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CMV is a “silent virus”--"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” (</span><a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-5-70#:~:text=In%20addition%2C%20more%20than%20100,an%20important%20vehicle%20for%20transmission."><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cannon and Davis, 2005</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">).</span></p></li></ol><br /><ol start="4" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">OSHA lists CMV as a "</span><a href="http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/cmv/hazards.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>Recognized Hazard</i></span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">" and workers have the right to “receive information and training about hazards” (</span><a href="https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3021.pdf"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">but</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> there are no federal laws governing CMV education policies for child care workers. </span></p></li></ol><br /><ol start="5" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Medical training downplays the dangers. Michigan pediatrician <b>Megan Pesch, MD</b>, was shocked when her third daughter Odessa was born with congenital CMV. 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...I waver between feeling guilty and feeling furious. I have spent — how many years of my life in developmental pediatrics? — how could I not have known?”(</span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid=IwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA"><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Washington Post</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 2021).</span></p></li></ol></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="background-color: white;">PBS New Hour republished </span>Dr. Megan Perch's<span><span style="background-color: white;"> comments from her interview with </span><a href="https://19thnews.org/2022/06/cytomegalovirus-cmv-awareness-newborn-children/" style="background-color: white;">The 19th</a><span style="background-color: white;">:</span></span><span style="background-color: white;"> "</span><span><span>For Megan H. Pesch, </span></span><span style="background-color: white;">doing everything possible to ensure the health of her third baby became a bit of an obsession. </span><span style="background-color: white;">While pregnant, Pesch exercised, avoided changing her cat’s litter and put off getting highlights in hair, just in case the chemicals could have any effects. She even washed her hair with baking soda instead of commercial shampoo during the first trimester — though she is quick to admit this is not an evidence-based recommendation...</span><span style="background-color: white;">So she was shocked when her baby Odessa had completely lost her hearing by the time she was 2 1/2 months old. After weeks of tests and uncertainty, Pesch and her h</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 20px;">usband learned that Odessa’s hearing loss was caused by congenital cytomegalovirus...</span><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 20px;">Pesch’s feeling of being blindsided by her child’s risk to congenital CMV is common, though the virus itself isn’t rare...The risk can be mitigated by parents washing their hands and not sharing food with older children, however doctors often do not counsel about these practices in connection with CMV" ("<a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/this-common-virus-can-impact-babies-long-term-health-why-arent-more-parents-aware-of-it">This common virus can impact babies’ long-term health. Why aren’t more parents aware of it?</a>", </span><span><span style="font-size: 20px;">PBS News Hour, June 2022).</span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEO61RcaibTn1zmaV4q2n5tI6vhf4XA75OGvuy9n9hzrSIpi7RQgnCC03Jc-AVfASk-9q9yqmLDkgrVr5eS5P21gAV87vU8-RJpFH_Qgky0YK3wEa9f4yxrro75t_VYiXftAoKSTEt5L1W0wsvO-Dlf7esx5CxJCkzn5aw1wzVbLlVmIOrpvKDum0EYQ/s377/CMV%20Doc%20doctor%20gail%20demmler%20harrison%20cropped.jpg" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="290" data-original-width="377" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEO61RcaibTn1zmaV4q2n5tI6vhf4XA75OGvuy9n9hzrSIpi7RQgnCC03Jc-AVfASk-9q9yqmLDkgrVr5eS5P21gAV87vU8-RJpFH_Qgky0YK3wEa9f4yxrro75t_VYiXftAoKSTEt5L1W0wsvO-Dlf7esx5CxJCkzn5aw1wzVbLlVmIOrpvKDum0EYQ/s320/CMV%20Doc%20doctor%20gail%20demmler%20harrison%20cropped.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Photo caption: </span><i><span style="font-family: arial;">Dr. Gail J. Demmler-Harrison's automobile sports a "</span><span style="font-family: arial;">CMV DOC" license plate (those are her three dogs).</span></i></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Despite the difficulties faced when trying to raise awareness of CMV, there are many doctors and parents who won't rest until women know how to protect their pregnancies from this "silent" but deadly virus. Dr. Demmler-Harrison, spearhead of the <a href="https://www.bcm.edu/departments/pediatrics/sections-divisions-centers/cmvregistry/" style="text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">National Congenital CMV Disease Research Clinic and Registr</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">y</span>, does whatever she can to raise awareness and even attached a personalized CMV DOC license plate to her car. When asked why she chose to focus her medical career on CMV, she responded, “I was drawn to CMV, not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard. When I was a postdoctoral fellow, my mentor, Dr. Martha Yaw approached me...she put her arm around me and said, ‘I’d like you to be my post-doctoral fellow... looking at congenital CMV in pregnant women, and the long-term outcomes in their babies.’…So I slept on it... And said, ‘Yes. I like viruses. I like solving problems. This is going to be hard. And yes, I’ll do it.’ And that’s sort of the door that was opened for me. That I walked through, and I never left” <span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (</span><a href="https://www.thehoutoguide.com/interview-with-ccmv-expert-gail-demmler-harrison" style="text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Interview with cCMV expert, Dr. Gail Demmler-Harrison</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, The Hou to Guide, 2020). </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Y</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ou can “meet” Dr. Demmler-Harrison and see her passion for preventing CMV at: "</span><a href="https://youtu.be/S81IFexJvz4" style="text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">CMV Ends With Me - Dr. Demmler-Harrison</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">" (National CMV Foundation, 2017).</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></p><div style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOGaxZTqn7LmfY0JXlUE45b3b4_rgOi642SrtZKczn6XIc_b0-FlAZzviSZlAFT_Ol-gCO8HwCWiCTKmGivkC1-qkoE5G5B1XbqxtZCYxhAhcLgVl8G7nFPWw70rjIP6YVgfqSjIs0bFDzCZdWSpjZyKE7W6YznC-8Cxsdgzr5Dt9gp7_4me_DpH0CQ/s3088/CMV%20conference%20Gail%20Lisa%20Brenda%20Sara%20Ornaghi%20Italy%20OB.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2320" data-original-width="3088" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVOGaxZTqn7LmfY0JXlUE45b3b4_rgOi642SrtZKczn6XIc_b0-FlAZzviSZlAFT_Ol-gCO8HwCWiCTKmGivkC1-qkoE5G5B1XbqxtZCYxhAhcLgVl8G7nFPWw70rjIP6YVgfqSjIs0bFDzCZdWSpjZyKE7W6YznC-8Cxsdgzr5Dt9gp7_4me_DpH0CQ/s320/CMV%20conference%20Gail%20Lisa%20Brenda%20Sara%20Ornaghi%20Italy%20OB.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><br /></span></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span id="docs-internal-guid-2ad80618-7fff-f584-8f64-75137e0f889a" style="white-space: normal;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Photo caption: (l to r): </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sara Ornaghi, MD</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, PhD, Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology, MBBM Foundation at San Gerardo Hospital, University of Milan-Bicocca, Monza, Italy; </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gail J. Demmler-Harrison MD</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases at Texas Children's Hospital and Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Infectious Disease Section, Baylor College of Medicine; </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lisa Saunders</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, former licensed childcare provider and founding member of New York Stop CMV Project; and </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brenda K. Balch, MD</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Connecticut's </span></span><span id="docs-internal-guid-40a68e4f-7fff-c819-fdd7-258f8530836a" style="white-space: normal;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">American Academy of Pediatrics Early Hearing Detection and Intervention Chapter Champion (Photograph taken at th</span></span><span>e CMV Public Health and Policy Conference, Burlington, Vermont, 2018).</span></i></span></p></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Dr. Sara Ornaghi of Ital</b>y, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, wrote to Lisa Saunders in March 2022, "As a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, I've been working really hard to promote awareness and improve knowledge of congenital CMV in pregnant women as well as my colleagues. All mothers have the right to be informed by their caring obstetricians about the risk of acquiring CMV infection during pregnancy and how to possibly prevent it." (Lisa met Sara Ornaghi, MD, PhD, Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology, MBBM Foundation at San Gerardo Hospital, University of Milan-Bicocca, Monza, Italy, when Dr. Ornaghi studied at the Yale University School of Medicine in 2017. Lisa interviewed her, and Michael J. Paidas, M.D., on SEC-TV (<a href="https://youtu.be/V1NecSoxmdU">The Lisa Saunders Show: Yale CMV Study on Valnoctamide</a>, 2017).</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kristen Hutchinson Spyte</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">k, President and a co-founder of National CMV Foundation with her husband John, was inspired to raise awareness of CMV when their daughter Evelyn Grace was born with congenital CMV in 2013 (Evelyn Grace passed away in 2014). John stated, “‘You can't prevent colds, but they warn people to do that. And this [virus] has disastrous effects…and no one is doing anything about it. So we decided from the start, we can't sit around and do nothing.’...The primary goal [of the Foundation] is to inform people about CMV and to get obstetricians, gynecologists and pediatricians to talk about the virus and develop routine screenings for it. (</span><a href="https://www.tampabay.com/sports/football/bucs/family-of-bucs-executive-raises-awareness-of-cmv-birth-defect/2274047/" style="text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Tampa Bay Times, 2016</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span><br /><br /><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arizona’s</span><a href="https://www.midwestern.edu/academics/our-faculty/kathleen-muldoon-phd" style="text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Kathleen M. Muldoon, PhD</span></b></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Associate Professor of Anatomy, was herself blindsided by CMV with the birth of her son, Gideon. “CMV can cause hearing loss three to five years after the initial infection, and Gideon's starting to show some hearing loss in his left ear. Muldoon says she can't believe she never heard of CMV, especially since she teaches anatomy to medical students…’Even before Gideon was born, for close to a decade, I had been teaching about embryology and all the different factors that can go into creating a congenital birth defect. And yet, I'd never heard of this virus’.”(</span><a href="https://www.npr.org/transcripts/520966988" style="text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">NPR, 2017</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">According to Nellie Brown, MS, CIH, the following workers are at risk for CMV: "Childcare workers, early interventionists, early childhood providers (including daycare providers, pre-school teachers) and Healthcare workers (including nurses, therapists)" (</span><a href="https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/73040" style="text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #669922; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Occupational Exposure to Cytomegalovirus (CMV): Preventing Exposure in Child Care and Educational Settings, Including OSHA Advisories</span></a>, <span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cornell University, ILR School, Workplace Health and Safety Program, 2019). </span></span></div></div><div><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; white-space: normal;">Attention C</span></span><span style="font-family: arial;">aregivers/Teachers: </span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) states, “With regard to child-to-staff transmission, studies have shown increased rates of infection with CMV in caregivers/teachers ranging from 8% to 20% </span><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(</span><a href="https://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="font-family: arial; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #669922; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">AAP</span></a><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> et al., 2017)</span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">. </span><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Recent surveys show, however, that most child care providers do not know about CMV and many acknowledge using diaper wipes to clean hands instead of following proper protocols (</span><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10566-015-9325-y" style="font-family: arial; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: #669922; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Thackeray and Magnusson, 2016</span></a><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). </span></div><div><span face="Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505;"><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span>In addition to mothers and caregivers/teachers of toddlers, congenital CMV also affects certain populations more than others. Studies have shown that </span><span>there are</span><span> "</span><span style="background-color: white;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29784513/&source=gmail&ust=1652874247386000&usg=AOvVaw3JhKAuWxDUFMUu5rFGu3R5" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29784513/" style="background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Prevalence of Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">" (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2018). Learn more by watching the short video, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.powtoon.com/ws/cYmIurA4TBj/1/m&source=gmail&ust=1652874247386000&usg=AOvVaw23n4VWWz4qiunPHe7Iepca" href="https://www.powtoon.com/ws/cYmIurA4TBj/1/m" style="background-color: transparent;" target="_blank">CMV Racial Disparities</a><span style="background-color: transparent;">" </span></span>(The Massachusetts Congenital CMV Coalition, 2022).</span><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span>In her effort to get New York legislators to pass "Elizabeth's Law", Lisa Saunders uses several avenues to raise awareness of CMV--she does not want Elizabeth's life, suffering and death to have been in vain. The author of several articles and books on the topic, Lisa and her husband Jim, a recently retired Pfizer scientist, are walking across the State of New York between Buffalo and Albany on the 360-mile Erie Canalway Trail, leaving behind #StopCMV rocks painted by <b>Tabitha Rodenhaus</b> of Buffalo, the mother of Kaia born with congenital CMV in 2016. Jim and Lisa tell those they meet along the Trail, including doctors who have asked them about their #Stop CMV rocks, of their belief that CMV education is a "women's rights" issue--that all women of childbearing age have the right to know about CMV. </span></span><span>Lisa says, "</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Congress created the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor in 2000 because it was 'instrumental in the establishment of strong political and cultural ties between New England, upstate New York and the old Northwest and facilitated the movement of ideas and people ensuring that social reforms like...</span><b style="white-space: pre-wrap;">the women’s rights movement </b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">spread across upstate New York to the rest of the country...'" (<a href="https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-106hr5375ih/html/BILLS-106hr5375ih.htm">Congressional Bills</a>,106th Congress, 2000).</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lisa wrote a "<a href="https://congenitalcmv.blogspot.com/2021/03/womens-cmv-rights-women-have-right-to.html">Declaration of Women's CMV Rights and Sentiments</a>," inspired by the Women's Rights Declaration of Sentiments signed in 1848 and launched along the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor in Seneca Falls. Lisa says that several people across the country have already signed this statement that begins with: "We, the undersigned, hold these truths to be self-evident; that women are created with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and the right 'to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health' (Amnesty International), and the right to protect their pregnancies from infections and all other known causes of preventable birth defects. We believe women have the right to be educated about CMV (cytomegalovirus), the leading viral cause of birth defects, and how to reduce their chances of contracting it before and during their pregnancies."</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>Spectrum News filmed Lisa and Jim's journey along the Erie Canalway Trail, which was featured as: </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> "</span><a href="https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2021/07/01/couple-pushes-for-law-in-memory-of-their-daughter" style="text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Couple pushes for law in memory of their daughter</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">" and </span><span>includes an interview with Dr. Sood. As of May 7, 2022, Lisa and Jim have walked 40% of the way across the State of New York (143 miles). Saunders created a dramatic one-minute trailer of their trek: </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7eHTM27QL4" style="text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Erie Canal Trail Challenge to Stop CMV Birth Defects. Pass "Elizabeth's Law" - A7560/ S6287A</span></a><span>.</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b style="white-space: pre-wrap;">Edel Law </b><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">of Tappan</span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"> told Lisa Saunders that Elizabeth's Law "is important to me because my three-year-old daughter has congenital CMV. It came as a total shock when at 31 weeks pregnant, I found out she had abnormal brain development. Upon further testing, we found out I had contracted and passed CMV onto my daughter. After learning about CMV, it was not shocking that I contracted the virus since I had a toddler in preschool and was an early childhood educator. My daughter has developmental delays, single sided deafness, wears a cochlear implant, and has a form of heart failure."</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">Saunders hopes the passage of "Elizabeth's Law" in New York will mean that, in addition to the distribution of CMV educational materials, <span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">the <a href="https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/cytomegalovirus/fact_sheet.htm">NY Department of Health's cytomegalovirus webpage</a> would be updated to include those materials and</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent;"> that CMV will be specifically mentioned on the Department of Health's webpage, </span><a href="http://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/congenital_malformations/prevent.htm" style="background-color: transparent;">‘Prevention Prior To & During Pregnancy’</a>. Although it <span style="background-color: transparent;">alludes to conditions such as fetal alcohol syndrome, spina bifida and </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">toxoplasmas, which cause fewer birth defects than CMV, she thinks women need to be aware that the saliva of toddlers should be handled carefully and suggests wording such as: </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.638; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><div><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px; white-space: pre-wrap;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 10pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Avoid </span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/fact-sheets/parents-pregnant-women.html#:~:text=The%20saliva%20and%20urine%20of,your%20hands%20after%20changing%20diapers." style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">getting a child’s saliva in your mouth by, for example, not sharing food, utensils, or cups with a child</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></span></p></li></ul></div><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">For those who wish to educate women of childbearing about several infections at once, Lisa suggest the CDC's webpage, "<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/pregnancy/infections.html">10 Tips for Preventing Infections Before and During Pregnancy</a>".</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: pre-wrap;">To learn more, contact Lisa Saunders of the New York Stop CMV Project at LisaSaunders42@gmail.com or visit: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/NYStopCMV">https://www.facebook.com/NYStopCMV</a></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTD3ncenBhIBZbbsYf2PJs2XKDRtczjXUpqpe9Usy-hV8M_bLPbzqW_ruwWWJ4KtlF9nAFulRY_ccCsT1z9CMTWYDq_H8U4jqQ38xapnpfg1zaIQcnbAsj3Xc3yfX2DdWEjqvHKihqGLvo4Xp4t3AApv0IXFjP4lCc6vCxaKjeF5Qrz1vOKlwJKzSuw/s1600/Lisa%20at%20CDC%203.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsTD3ncenBhIBZbbsYf2PJs2XKDRtczjXUpqpe9Usy-hV8M_bLPbzqW_ruwWWJ4KtlF9nAFulRY_ccCsT1z9CMTWYDq_H8U4jqQ38xapnpfg1zaIQcnbAsj3Xc3yfX2DdWEjqvHKihqGLvo4Xp4t3AApv0IXFjP4lCc6vCxaKjeF5Qrz1vOKlwJKzSuw/s320/Lisa%20at%20CDC%203.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><i>Photo caption: Lisa Saunders speaks at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, about how congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) affected her daughter's life and death at the </i><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><i><a href="https://congenitalcmv.blogspot.com/2008/">2008 International Congenital CMV Conference</a> sponsored by the CDC and the Congenital CMV Foundation.</i></span></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></p></div><div><span><span><span><span><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 6pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">###</span></p><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;">ADDITIONAL INFORMATION</span></span></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></div><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: normal;"><b>CMV informational materials:</b></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; white-space: normal;"></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman"; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"></span></span></p><ol style="white-space: normal;"><li><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CDC's CMV fliers in</span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">English and Spanish</span></a><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></li><li><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When Utah passed a</span><a href="https://health.utah.gov/cshcn/programs/cmv.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CMV education and testing law</span></a><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in 2013, directing the Utah Department of Health to create a public education program, it published the flier, “</span><a href="https://health.utah.gov/cshcn/pdf/CMV/CMV%20What%20Childcare%20Providers%20Need%20to%20know.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What childcare providers need to know about CMV</span></a><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” in English and Spanish. </span></li><li><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Those who work with children will also benefit from the</span><a href="https://youtu.be/k9MFAEYVuLs" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CMV Training Module</span></a><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> created by the</span><a href="https://aural.rehab.uconn.edu/cmv-training-module/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">University of Connecticut</span></a><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></li><li><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hang attractive wall posters from the National CMV Foundation, which include, “</span><a href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/Resources/educational-downloads/downloads/CMV-Awareness/CMV_Awareness-Flyer_11x17-2.pdf.aspx?ext=.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ARE YOU PREGNANT</span></a><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”. If child care centers hang those flyers in a central spot, then parents will also learn how to protect their pregnancies-- critical because they too are at increased risk for contracting CMV. </span></li><li><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Training resources for employers/policy makers includes, “</span><a href="https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/73040" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Occupational Exposure to Cytomegalovirus (CMV): Preventing Exposure in Child Care and Educational Settings, Including OSHA Advisories</span></a><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (Cornell University, ILR School, Workplace Health and Safety Program, 2019, Nellie Brown, MS, CIH)</span></li><li>Watch how to tackle the problem of CMV in child care settings in <span face=""Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; white-space: pre-wrap;">the presentation, "<a href="https://youtu.be/z6S98AFC43I">Cytomegalovirus Protection and Prevention: An Issue for Day Care and Child Care Providers</a>", by Nellie Brown, Director of Workplace Health and Safety Programs for both the Outreach Division statewide and for the Buffalo Co-Lab of Cornell University’s ILR School (</span><span face="Segoe UI Historic, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="color: #050505;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">May 16, 2022).</span></span></li><li>Medscape, which offers free professional online education and CME (Continuing Medical Education) to physicians and healthcare professionals, now works to advance awareness of congenital CMV. Gail J. Demmler-Harrison, MD can be seen introducing its new CMV program: “As chair of the steering committee, I’d like to welcome you to Clinical Advances in Cytomegalovirus or CMV, a comprehensive learning center for clinicians who treat patients with CMV or who treat patients who are at risk for CMV…” (<a href="http://medscape.org/sites/advances/cmv">medscape.org/sites/advances/cmv</a>). Dr. Demmler-Harrison told Saunders, “This is just the first of many CME educational programs Medscape has planned. Check back often for new programs!" Steering Committee members include <b>Sallie Permar</b>, MD, PhD; <b>Amanda Devereaux</b>, RN, BSN; <b>Megan Pesch</b>, MD, MS; <b>Natali Aziz</b>, MD, MS; and <b>Nancy Durand</b>, MD, FRCSC.(Series supported by an independent educational grant from Moderna, Inc.)</li><li>The Texas Health and Human services created the free online CMV training module, "<a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.txhealthsteps.com_static_courses_cmv_sections_section-2D1-2D1.html&d=DwMFaQ&c=ZQs-KZ8oxEw0p81sqgiaRA&r=-xB74U57nuIM5_fZ0WyPgj7GXqB-eqrnw8_D8djXEi4&m=xVGkNsRdTChz4Y8XYhFhG_xrmwZXDwY7QZIoKPDaSY2PeuqXzuc1dfXlOVVITImo&s=3IrnQaIpMueTi5AHkvETxmz9gPl-pW3tPvz-4iv9YiI&e=" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Virus Among Us: Protecting Texas Mothers and Babies from Cytomegalovirus</span></a><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">".</span></li><li><span face="Roboto, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial; white-space: normal;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Still not convinced prenatal CMV counseling will make any difference? Read about several CMV prevention studies in the post, </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">“<a href="https://cmvmass.org/2020/12/05/the-role-of-prenatal-counseling-in-preventing-congenital-cmv/">The Role of Prenatal Counseling in Preventing Congenital CMV</a>,” which concludes, "There is a substantial amount of evidence that pregnant women can reduce their risk of transmission through simple behavioral changes... ", <a href="https://cmvmass.org/author/vcolleran/"><b>V</b><span style="color: black;"><b>anessa Colleran</b></span></a><b>,</b> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The Massachusetts Congenital CMV Coalition, 2020</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">). </span></span></li></ol></span></div><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.638; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">Published legal cases involving women who were not educated about their CMV risks: </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.638; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1) </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Connecticut: L</span><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">awsuit featured in the article, "Couple wins $37.6 million in Superior Court ruling against UConn Health for fertility procedure that left one child dead and her twin requiring lifetime medical attention", which included the comment, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">...did not inform Monroe-Lynch and 'knowledgeably obtain her consent' about the risks associated with a CMV infection, according to the lawsuit” (</span><a href="https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-uconn-lawsuit-20210629-3i7e7jv56zcrzowtimbtqzllny-story.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hartford Courant, 2021</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). The lawyers' website states, “The devastating consequences of contracting congenital CMV infection early in pregnancy are well-known in the medical community. There are simple safeguards in place to protect prospective parents and their children from this horrible disease” (</span><a href="https://www.walshwoodard.com/blog/walsh-woodard-wins-record-setting-37-6-million-dollar-medical-malpractice-judgment/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Walsh Woodard LLC, 2021</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.638; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.638; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2) </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Australia: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span><a href="https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/safety-and-prevention/hazards/hazardous-exposures/biological-hazards/cytomegalovirus-cmv-in-early-childhood-education-and-care-services" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Court of Appeal ruled that the child's disabilities resulted from the woman being infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV) at work (Hughes v SDN Children's Services 2002</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)” (</span><a href="https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/safety-and-prevention/hazards/hazardous-exposures/biological-hazards/cytomegalovirus-cmv-in-early-childhood-education-and-care-services" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">WorkSafe</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lawyers commented,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“The allegations of negligence were that ...breached its duty of care to Linda ...by failing to warn her of the risks of CMV in circumstances where the centre knew or ought to have known of the risks of CMV to pregnant women…”(</span><a href="https://www.meridianlawyers.com.au/insights/infectious-diseases-child-care-what-about-staff-members/" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Meridian Lawyers</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">).</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span></p><div style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">When Lisa Saunders connected with a childcare center director willing to tell her employees about CMV, the director sent a memo to her staff in accordance with </span><a href="https://nrckids.org/CFOC" style="text-decoration-line: none; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Caring for Our Children</span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, the </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">collection of national standards for early care and education settings by the </span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><a href="http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="text-decoration-line: none; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #669922; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">American Academy of Pediatrics</span></a><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> (AAP), which states,</span><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> that staff of childbearing age should be provided the information about CMV and “be referred to their primary health care provider or to the health department authority for counseling about their risk of 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”</span><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">” (</span><a href="http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="text-decoration-line: none; white-space: normal;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Staff Education and Policies on Cytomegalovirus</span></a><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">). </span></span><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">Several months later, however, a volunteer at the Center told Saunders that none of the new staff were aware of CMV. Saunders says, “This is why having a policy in place is key. The AAP suggests that all staff (paid or volunteer) sign a form similar to its sample one in</span><a href="https://d3knp61p33sjvn.cloudfront.net/2015/01/AAP_Model_Child_Care_Health_Policies.pdf.pdf" style="background-color: white; font-family: arial; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Model Child Care Health Policies</span></a><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;">, titled, ‘Acceptance of Occupational Risk by Staff Members’ (p. 116), which mentions ‘exposure to infectious diseases (including infections that can damage a fetus during pregnancy)’</span><span style="color: #555544; font-family: arial; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>How other countries handle CMV in child care</b></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>GERMANY AND AUSTRALIA</b><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Germany: “to protect DCWs [daycare workers] from primary infection, their CMV serostatus must be checked at the beginning of their pregnancy. When the DCW is seronegative, she is excluded from professional activities with children under the age of three years…“ (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4844919/" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Stranzinger et al., 2016</a>).<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“In Australia, state governments have differing recommendations for pregnant ECEC [early childhood education and care educators] working with young children. Some states, such as Queensland, suggest relocating educators who are pregnant to care for children aged over two to reduce contact with urine and saliva” (<a href="https://thesector.com.au/2019/01/07/pregnant-and-working-in-ecec-make-sure-you-know-the-risks-of-contracting-cmv/" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Clark, 2019</a>).</span></div><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Media Coverage in New York Regarding CMV Legislation</span></span></p><ul style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eagle Newsroom</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, "</span><a href="https://eaglenewsonline.com/new/government/2021/12/14/baldwinsville-couple-advocates-for-elizabeths-law-to-stop-cytomegalovirus/?swcfpc=1" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #067638; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Baldwinsville couple advocates for 'Elizabeth's Law' to stop cytomegalovirus: Bill named in memory of their daughter</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">," Dec. 14, 2021.</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spectrum News:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> "</span><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__spectrumlocalnews.com_nys_central-2Dny_news_2021_07_01_couple-2Dpushes-2Dfor-2Dlaw-2Din-2Dmemory-2Dof-2Dtheir-2Ddaughter&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=pkXq5tTqZ16kUqCiAkfDtxw4XPpjnlYO0qLoHC87C_g&m=-yDpIc0HZ0CNZh6J4hWCnqKorSWxwSVhDa5EKMHjVlo&s=bCY96TfzRArglBKba-Qxc81LdIrxcy40D0FMxrPkY-8&e=" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #067638; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Couple pushes for law in memory of their daughter</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">" by Jessica Houghtaling (Jul. 01, 2021). Includes interview with Dr. Sunil Sood.</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finger Lakes Times,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> "</span><a href="https://www.fltimes.com/news/trail-of-hope-celebration-in-lyons-marks-cmv-month-in-new-york/article_09c0f4b7-a777-5501-b346-f85ffa4cfd83.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #067638; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trail of Hope celebration in Lyons marks CMV Month in New York</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">", Steve Buchiere (Jun 11, 2021).</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Music video: "</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUEQmKrG354&authuser=0" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #067638; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Had I Known [about CMV], Lyrics and Music by Debra Lynn Alt</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">," produced by Mark De Cracker (June 2021).</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finger Lakes Times</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: "</span><a href="https://www.fltimes.com/news/making-a-difference-couple-brings-awareness-to-threat-to-infant-health-cmv/article_37dac9f5-6991-5f9e-9e10-98de4f4ab216.htm" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #067638; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Couple brings awareness to threat to infant health: CMV</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">", Steve Buchiere (June 4, 2021).</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Citizen:</span><a href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #067638; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"NY Senate passes bill, named for CNY couple's daughter, to boost CMV awareness</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">", Robert Harding (June 2, 2121).</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Syracuse Woman</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> magazine, "</span><a href="https://issuu.com/eaglenewsonline/docs/swm-may-2021-web-pages/28" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #067638; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fighting CMV One Step at a Time (p.28)</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">", Emma Vallelunga (May 2021) (p.29 image of</span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ICRACl-Uo-bnh8PIQGc_iFb58Styit-F/view" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #067638; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Stop CMV hand, rock and shirt</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Citizen</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: "</span><a href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elizabeths-law-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-would-boost-cmv-awareness/article_20ae2419-1868-546c-b2c8-71a5de2f84f1.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #067638; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">'Elizabeth's law,' named for CNY couple's daughter, would boost CMV awareness</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">", Robert Harding (May 4,2021)</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Citizen</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, "</span><a href="https://auburnpub.com/challenge-for-change-auburn-native-walking-canal-trail-to-raise-virus-awareness/article_6840628a-968a-567e-a1bf-6b59f58dae3f.html?fbclid=IwAR1q7PErZwWZ6dRIbpmJ25HphGSkO5Tf2cn34fV2MiwpT1zAltbgTy7dbtM" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #067638; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Challenge for Change: Walking across NY to raise awareness of CMV</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">", David Wilcox (Mar 31, 2021)</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></span></p><div style="color: black; white-space: normal;"><a href="https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/health/cmv-virus-causing-deafness-in-newborns-1/466924064#_=_" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CMV: Virus causing deafness in newborns</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, WGRZ-TV, 2017.</span></div></li></ul><br /><ul style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px; vertical-align: baseline;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><div><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cornell Alumni Magazine: </span><u style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><a href="http://cornellalumnimagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2235&Itemid=1&ed=49"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Memory of Elizabeth</span></a></u><span style="color: black; font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Her daughter's death from a preventable disability spurs Lisa Avazian Saunders '82 into action," Alexandra Bond (Sept/Oct 2015). </span></div></li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.48909; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.48909; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.48909; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><span face="Calibri,sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Materials produced by the "ChildCare Providers Fighting CMV" project by Lisa Saunders</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.48909; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">1) Above-sink wall flyer on hand-washing, "Share a Meal Not the Germs" </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Colored in version of wall sign, "Share a Meal Not the Germs" :</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2CmjLTdMVXQzTVA1UkNqaFIwNmhJNEJNZGxXeXdj/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2CmjLTdMVXQzTVA1UkNqaFIwNmhJNEJNZGxXeXdj/view?usp=sharing</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Above-sink wall flyer for hand-washing, "Diaper Wipes Don't Kill CMV"</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wcGpHOfu3lLKl9vYR_KhI5LIqI_h1tvC/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wcGpHOfu3lLKl9vYR_KhI5LIqI_h1tvC/view?usp=sharing</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">For children to color in: "Share a Meal Not the Germs":</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rHTADLykS58wRX7qBPRzYUwLDYnzFA_u/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rHTADLykS58wRX7qBPRzYUwLDYnzFA_u/view?usp=sharing</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.48909; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">2) Wall Flyer For Women Who Care for Toddlers: </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2CmjVzdONUZVNVBhSVlNQS03b0kyWk9RaGJjbmMw/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2CmjVzdONUZVNVBhSVlNQS03b0kyWk9RaGJjbmMw/view?usp=sharing</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">3) Fun Teaching Tool Kit for Students and Families</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">: Fairytale tells how to “Share a Meal, Not the Germs.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Click here for free, two-pages of </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fZ_-1no6duqFU9byQaj08ageB69pLU7D/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">story and placema</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">t for coloring. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">a. An educational “coloring book, </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Placemat-Table-Setting/dp/1540359921?SubscriptionId=AKIAJ2F6RDUSIYCWQMFQ&tag=sa-sym-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=1540359921" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Once Upon a Placemat: A Table Setting Tale</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> by Lisa Saunders and Jackie Tortora. Free pdf version of </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/18FDPAmyB3cHZhwtuQE5mBkOnnGkr2xzp/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Once Upon a Placemat: A Table Setting Tale</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> (or the educational fairy tale can be purchased as a bound coloring book, visit </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Placemat-Table-Setting/dp/1540359921/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519220389&sr=1-11" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Amazon for $5.38</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">). Or, download the words only for a o</span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fZ_-1no6duqFU9byQaj08ageB69pLU7D/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">ne-page read a loud</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">. OR, READ THE 2ND </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KK4SVeX6CvfX8Cj0gsGvN4gfW8KHeeB4/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">EDITION IN COLOR</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">. Click here for </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nd8yL0_JON3S2QPofz5u-lCHY9s_4g4K/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">PowerPoint</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> or </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o2Z1uBqICoEtgtu2X6UiINresHExKhhm/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">pdf</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">b. Placemats: Side one: </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2Cmjd21OTjB6SjNfYVU/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Placemat with tableware characters</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> with space for your coloring artist's name (perfect for laminating and using as a table-setting reminder): </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2Cmjd21OTjB6SjNfYVU/view" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2Cmjd21OTjB6SjNfYVU/view</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">c. Side two: </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2CmjcnZkNzlEOGRzX2NuTTg1T2ZZNWh3M3Zka184/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Germ prevention tips</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> and hand-washing instructions.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">d. Video: </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/edit?video_id=_0jDOKPFg4M" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">Short introduction of the tableware characters</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"> by Lisa Saunders at: </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/edit?video_id=_0jDOKPFg4M" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;">https://www.youtube.com/edit?video_id=_0jDOKPFg4M</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; vertical-align: baseline;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center; vertical-align: baseline;"><b style="font-family: tahoma, "trebuchet ms", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: garamond, serif; font-size: 12pt; text-transform: uppercase;">SUGGESTED LESSON PLAN FOR CHILDREN</span></b></p></span></span></span></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: tahoma, "trebuchet ms", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: tahoma, "trebuchet ms", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Staff can work into STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) theme*<span style="text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: tahoma, "trebuchet ms", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: tahoma, "trebuchet ms", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; font-family: tahoma, "trebuchet ms", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYeWnTQq6nvm7dWHOL80E_wO5n8e2tAzQOS3U6TSNhyphenhyphenUZ9DM0QAtFuVt0lobtKkAvcLyp-9NXvhYSUoweM6j1iQHM0ccIjglxqJrVqjtO4LjkmwgRLM813jn2sSFcmnYAoo6EhEFpSK0Wl/s1600/CMV+bags+books+for+children.JPG" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-decoration-line: none;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYeWnTQq6nvm7dWHOL80E_wO5n8e2tAzQOS3U6TSNhyphenhyphenUZ9DM0QAtFuVt0lobtKkAvcLyp-9NXvhYSUoweM6j1iQHM0ccIjglxqJrVqjtO4LjkmwgRLM813jn2sSFcmnYAoo6EhEFpSK0Wl/s320/CMV+bags+books+for+children.JPG" style="border: 0px; display: block;" width="320" /></a></div><br style="background-color: white; font-family: tahoma, "trebuchet ms", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;" /><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: tahoma, "trebuchet ms", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: tahoma, "trebuchet ms", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: tahoma, "trebuchet ms", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Read aloud the fairytale, "Once Upon a Placemat: A Table-Setting Tale," then share a meal together. Help the children wash their hands and set their place setting by referring to the tableware characters. You can say things like, "remember, Mr. Knife is afraid the dish will run away with the spoon, so put his teeth toward Mr. Plate" and "Miss Cup hates it when people share her without giving her a bath first because of those naughty germs." <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: tahoma, "trebuchet ms", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: tahoma, "trebuchet ms", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">If possible, give each child a "share a meal, not the germs" picnic kit with these suggested items: <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: tahoma, "trebuchet ms", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><ul style="background-color: white; font-family: tahoma, "trebuchet ms", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Bag (paper or reusable insulated bag).<span style="text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Plate, cup, napkin, fork, spoon, knife.<span style="text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Crayons or washable markers.<span style="text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2Cmjd21OTjB6SjNfYVU/view?usp=sharing" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2Cmjd21OTjB6SjNfYVU/view?usp=sharing" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Placemat with tableware characters</a> (free pdf for coloring and possible laminating).</li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Picnic food (homemade or prepackaged that would use all utensils, such as peanut butter, crackers, applesauce and cake).<span style="text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">Hand sanitizer or sanitizing wipes. <span style="text-transform: uppercase;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left;">Sink <a data-cke-saved-href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2CmjLTdMVXQzTVA1UkNqaFIwNmhJNEJNZGxXeXdj/view?usp=sharing" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2CmjLTdMVXQzTVA1UkNqaFIwNmhJNEJNZGxXeXdj/view?usp=sharing" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">hand-washing</a> sign and <a data-cke-saved-href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h5g6P5qV_PmdedbWRHjAsKuefifrkhP6/view?usp=sharing" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h5g6P5qV_PmdedbWRHjAsKuefifrkhP6/view?usp=sharing" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">tri-fold flyer</a> on CMV prevention to take home (found on blog post: <a href="https://congenitalcmv.blogspot.com/2018/05/free-cmv-prevention-tool-kit-for.html" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">https://congenitalcmv.blogspot.com/2018/05/free-cmv-prevention-tool-kit-for.html</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 12pt;">)</span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; text-align: left;">If funds are available, give a child their own bound copy of <a data-cke-saved-href="https://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Placemat-Table-Setting/dp/1540359921/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1526989465&sr=1-7" href="https://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Placemat-Table-Setting/dp/1540359921/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1526989465&sr=1-7" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Once Upon a Placemat: A Table Setting Tale</a> to color and share with their families so their parents can reinforce the table-setting lesson and learn how to prevent CMV, the #1 birth defects virus, as well as other diseases (book available on <a data-cke-saved-href="https://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Placemat-Table-Setting/dp/1540359921/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519220389&sr=1-11" href="https://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Placemat-Table-Setting/dp/1540359921/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519220389&sr=1-11" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Amazon for $5.38</a>). </li></ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: tahoma, "trebuchet ms", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; font-family: tahoma, "trebuchet ms", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;">*STEAM is a popular way to package and present the interconnectedness of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math in the regular curriculum. When you talk about germs, the coloring book, “Once Upon a Placemat” (Art and Literacy), introduces germs (science, biology) in a format that integrates the arts. Drawing and writing activities can be planned to further integrate those domains. Teachers can further bring in technology and engineering by designing activities that help the children to "invent" equipment or machines to help better wash hands, keep food fresh and germ free, etc. Math can enter into the plan by graphing how long children wash their hands, how often they wash their hands, keep track how many uses the classrooms get out of a single pump bottle of hand soap, etc. With a little more thought (and a few trips to Pinterest!) lots of germ-based activities can be created and integrated.</span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #222222; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-83036581783284544132022-03-26T06:20:00.075-07:002022-03-27T07:57:41.221-07:00How to Raise Awareness of CMV Within Child Care Centers and Help Child Care Centers Educate the Parents <div class="separator"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ48zq6ekzeCCL65mIu8WnaUVUygolZMbUwNIFh0fEfoVORYEcIx_wWedfbaJ2IdemKYfZFetU408Fp6qztEdh2Xv19g1FhjnD0eENCtYfYbgBUnAll0QZDV2pvWQuXrpMOB6fRa95grXeveoJ19oZWXVOb9HuI6ERgMhxWwTsJhT6fWu-RP4Qz8u4SA/s320/Miss%20Cup%20Talking%20Colored281.jpg" /></a></div><br /><br />IMMEDIATE RELEASE <br /><br />Lisa Saunders<br /><br /><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#">Facebook.com/NYStopCMV</a><br /><br />LisaSaunders42@gmail.com<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><u>How to Raise Awareness of Cytomegalovirus (CMV) Within Child Care Centers</u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u><br /></u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><u>and Help Child Care Centers Educate the Parents</u></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b>Pregnant childcare providers and mothers of toddlers in group care are at increased risk for CMV, the leading viral cause of birth defects.</b></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: red;">“When mothers and fathers sit across from me in my CMV clinic holding their little baby and ask, ‘Why weren't we warned about CMV,’ it's heart-breaking. All I can say is, ‘I don’t know, I’ve been trying for over 30 years to educate pregnant women about CMV’.”--<a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"> </a></span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span id="docs-internal-guid-6d42b0f3-7fff-03b6-1586-bccc22e245cd"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/114HY7HNOx5-JbGvXn6eptuE_NKTYHrsz/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gail J. Demmler-Harrison MD</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></span></div><br />Baldwinsville, New York–Lisa Saunders of<a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"> New York Stop CMV</a> learned about cytomegalovirus (CMV), the leading viral cause of birth defects, the hard way. Her daughter Elizabeth was born with a severely damaged brain from the virus in 1989. Saunders, like most pregnant mothers of toddlers, was at higher risk for contracting CMV: “When I was pregnant with Elizabeth, I ran a licensed child care center in my home, volunteered in our church nursery, and cared for a toddler of my own — all activities that put my pregnancy at risk for CMV — yet I never heard of it. I completed hours of training to get my in-home daycare license, but nowhere was I told of my occupational hazard for CMV until after Elizabeth was born. <br /><br />"Like me, many women caring for toddlers (their own or professionally) admit to using diaper wipes to clean up urine or saliva to save time. Diaper wipes do not effectively remove CMV from hands (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3911075/">Stowell et al., 2014</a>). Elizabeth had cerebral palsy, developmental delays, epilepsy, and vision and hearing loss. She died at Nyack Hospital after a seizure at the age of 16 (<a href="https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/lohud/name/elizabeth-saunders-obituary?pid=149413661">Lohud, 2006</a>)."<br /><br />According to the CDC, congenital CMV is acquired in utero and can result in serious birth defects in the baby. About 1 in every 200 babies is born with a congenital CMV infection. Of these babies, around 1 in 5 will have long-term health problems such as hearing and vision loss, microcephaly (small head), developmental and motor delays, and seizures.<br /><br /><span id="docs-internal-guid-859d74a0-7fff-91a8-547c-fbc7a4081517"><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) states the following about child care providers: “With regard to child-to-staff transmission, studies have shown increased rates of infection with CMV in caregivers/teachers ranging from 8% to 20% (</span><a href="https://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">AAP</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> et al., 2017). Recent surveys show that most child care providers do not know about CMV and many acknowledge using diaper wipes to clean hands instead of following proper protocols (</span><a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10566-015-9325-y" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Thackeray and Magnusson, 2016</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The following workers are at risk for CMV: "Childcare workers, early interventionists, early childhood providers (including daycare providers, pre-school teachers) and Healthcare workers (including nurses, therapists)"(</span><a href="https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/73040" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Occupational Exposure to Cytomegalovirus (CMV): Preventing Exposure in Child Care and Educational Settings, Including OSHA Advisories</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Cornell University, ILR School, Workplace Health and Safety Program, 2019, Nellie Brown, MS, CIH).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.9872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Three decades years after Elizabeth's birth, women are still largely unaware of CMV--until it’s too late for them to prevent it. ”Imagine giving birth to a seemingly healthy newborn baby, only to find out a few weeks down the road that your baby is deaf…That is what happened to a Western New York family and they have found that they are not alone…” </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Marielle Fitzgerald</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the baby’s mother, said, “‘Like most pregnant women, I did everything I could to ensure a healthy pregnancy…I followed all of my doctors recommendations to avoid certain foods. I didn't go on a vacation to Florida with our family to avoid Zika, right? But no one probably ever said I should avoid my own daughter's saliva. And if they had, I would have’”(</span><a href="https://www.wgrz.com/article/news/health/cmv-virus-causing-deafness-in-newborns-1/466924064#_=_" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CMV: Virus causing deafness in newborns</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, WGRZ-TV, 2017).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Throughout her medical career</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,</span><a href="http://www.bcm.edu/people-search/gail-harrison-demmler-22821" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gail J. Demmler-Harrison MD</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases at Texas Children's Hospital and pediatric infectious disease specialist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, has been advocating for CMV education, but progress has been slow. Featured in the</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> New York Times</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> article, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CMV Is a Greater Threat to Infants Than Zika, but Far Less Often Discusse</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">d</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">" (Saint Louis, 2016), Dr. Demmler-Harrison stated that not providing CMV counseling is "a missed opportunity to save a baby from the devastating effects of CMV, including death in the womb and permanent disabilities.'" Two studies proving education works were summarized in the article: "A study in a French hospital found five to 10 minutes of counseling about CMV prevention resulted in fewer women contracting the virus. In another study, pregnant mothers shown a video and offered hygiene tips were much less likely to get CMV (5.9 percent) than those not given information on prevention (41.7 percent).” </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Several prevention education studies discussed in the article, “The Role of Prenatal Counseling in Preventing Congenital CMV,” conclude: "There is a substantial amount of evidence that pregnant women can reduce their risk of transmission through simple behavioral changes... " (</span><a href="https://cmvmass.org/2020/12/05/the-role-of-prenatal-counseling-in-preventing-congenital-cmv" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Massachusetts Congenital CMV Coalition</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">According to the</span><a href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/overview/newborn-screening" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">National CMV Foundation</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, “Congenital CMV infection is arguably the most common preventable cause of neonatal disability in the United States. More children will have disabilities due to congenital CMV than other well-known infections and syndromes, including Down Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Spina Bifida, and Pediatric HIV/AIDS.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“This is a very common virus, but it remains somewhat under the radar. A woman can unknowingly acquire it during pregnancy, and pass the infection to the unborn baby,” states </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sunil K. Sood, M.D.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Chair of Pediatrics, South Shore University Hospital, Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases, Cohen Children's Medical Center and Professor, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. ”CMV is spread from person to person through body fluids. Day care workers, nurses, mothers of young children, and others who work with young children are at greatest risk of exposure to CMV. Since young children commonly carry CMV, pregnant women and women planning pregnancies should take extra care to avoid urine and saliva from young children” (</span><a href="https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/what-is-cytomegalovirus-and-how-can-it-be-treated" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">NYMetroParents, 2016</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saunders of Baldwinsville is thrilled there is now a New York bill aimed at educating women at high risk about CMV</span><a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Assembly Bill</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A7560</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, named “Elizabeth’s Law” in memory of Lisa and Jim Saunders’s daughter. In 2021, the Senate passed its equivalent bill, S6287A. In the article, </span><a href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"NY Senate passes bill, named for CNY couple's daughter, to boost CMV awareness</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">" (T</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">he Citizen, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2021), Senator John Mannion stated, "My legislation will provide for training and increased awareness so expecting moms have the information they need to make informed decisions to keep themselves and their babies safe. I thank and commend Lisa and Jim Saunders, who have turned their heartache into potentially life-saving action." </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gail J. Demmler-Harrison, MD</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">is delighted by New York's efforts at CMV education. She sent Assemblymember Rosenthal's office a letter of support for "Elizabeth's Law" stating, “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." Her letter concludes:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> "When mothers and fathers sit across from me in my CMV clinic holding their little baby and ask, 'Why weren't we warned about CMV,' it's heart-breaking. All I can say is, 'I don’t know, I’ve been trying for over 30 years to educate pregnant women about CMV.'”--</span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/114HY7HNOx5-JbGvXn6eptuE_NKTYHrsz/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gail J. Demmler-Harrison MD</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Watch</span><a href="https://youtu.be/S81IFexJvz4" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CMV Ends With Me - Dr. Demmler-Harrison</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CMV is </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"'a virus that has a PR problem. It's the most common congenital infection in every population...It's a virus we have recognized for over 60 years as the cause of birth defects and brain damage in infants...'"</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> states </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dr. Sallie Perma</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">r, Chair, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, and pediatrician-in-chief, New York-Presbyterian Komansky Children's Hospital, (</span><a href="https://news.weill.cornell.edu/news/2021/06/dr-sallie-permar%E2%80%99s-work-protecting-mothers-infants-from-hiv-cmv-lands-her-among-%E2%80%98giants#:~:text=Weill%20Cornell%20Medicine.-,Dr.,'t%20know%20about%20it.%E2%80%9D" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Weill Cornell Medicine, 2021</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saunders suggests five reasons why CMV has a PR (public relations) problem:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 6pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1) CMV education is not "part of standard prenatal care” (</span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid=IwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Washington Post</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 2021);</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 6pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2) Doctors don’t want to frighten, worry or “burden” patients (</span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New York Times</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 2016);</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3) CMV is a “silent virus”--"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.” (</span><a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2458-5-70#:~:text=In%20addition%2C%20more%20than%20100,an%20important%20vehicle%20for%20transmission." style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Washing our hands of the congenital cytomegalovirus disease epidemic</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cannon and Davis, 2005).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">4) Medical training downplays the dangers. Michigan pediatrician Megan Pesch, MD, was shocked when her third daughter was born with congenital CMV. Dr. Pesch states that "many health-care providers tend to minimize or ignore the risks. She says her own medical training downplayed the dangers...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...I waver between feeling guilty and feeling furious. I have spent — how many years of my life in developmental pediatrics? — how could I not have known?”(</span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid=IwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Washington Post</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 2021).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">5) Although OSHA lists CMV as a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><a href="http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/cmv/hazards.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Recognized Hazard</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">" and workers have the right to “receive information and training about hazards” (</span><a href="https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3021.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), there are no federal laws governing CMV education policies for child care workers. The</span><a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Department of Labor</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> states, "Education and training requirements vary by setting, state, and employer." </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 6pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">When Saunders urged one state’s child care policy maker to include CMV in its licensing training, she was told that the content of the health and safety training “is based on federal requirements” and that the agency had other “several key priorities.” When Saunders connected with a childcare center director willing to tell her employees about CMV, the director sent a memo to her staff according to the</span><a href="http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">American Academy of Pediatrics</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (AAP) guidelines that state, “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.” Several months later, however, a volunteer at that center told Saunders that none of the new staff were aware of CMV. Saunders says, “This is why having a policy in place is key. The AAP suggests that all staff (paid or volunteer) sign a form similar to its sample one in</span><a href="https://d3knp61p33sjvn.cloudfront.net/2015/01/AAP_Model_Child_Care_Health_Policies.pdf.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Model Child Care Health Policies</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, titled, ‘Acceptance of Occupational Risk by Staff Members’ (p. 116), which mentions ‘exposure to infectious diseases (including infections that can damage a fetus during pregnancy)’</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (Note: below this article is information on a court case involving a child care center that did not warn its employee about CMV).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although educating women about CMV is a little extra work for organizations, the CDC has created CMV fliers in</span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">English and Spanish</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> for distribution. There are now a few states that educate women about CMV. Utah passed a</span><a href="https://health.utah.gov/cshcn/programs/cmv.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CMV education and testing law</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in 2013, directing the Utah Department of Health to create a public education program, which inspired the creation of the flier, “</span><a href="https://health.utah.gov/cshcn/pdf/CMV/CMV%20What%20Childcare%20Providers%20Need%20to%20know.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What childcare providers need to know about CMV</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">” (available in English and Spanish). Those who work with children will also benefit from the</span><a href="https://youtu.be/k9MFAEYVuLs" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CMV Training Module</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> created by the</span><a href="https://aural.rehab.uconn.edu/cmv-training-module/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">University of Connecticut</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Fliers created as attractive as wall posters from the National CMV Foundation include, “</span><a href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/getattachment/Resources/educational-downloads/downloads/CMV-Awareness/CMV_Awareness-Flyer_11x17-2.pdf.aspx?ext=.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ARE YOU PREGNANT</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”. If child care centers hang those flyers in a central spot, then parents will also learn how to protect their pregnancies-- critical because they are also at increased risk for contracting CMV.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 2018, in an effort to combat CMV in New York, Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal sponsored</span><a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/s2816/amendment/original" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Senate Bill S2816</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Signed by the governor, it helps diagnose children with congenital CMV by requiring “testing for cytomegalovirus of newborns with hearing impairments."</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Although the 2018 CMV testing law includes mention of "public education," Lisa Saunders says the education isn’t reaching women of childbearing age or child care providers, who, though trained in infection control, are not educated about any particular childhood disease such as CMV–one that can be so devastating to their pregnancies. Saunders believes CMV information can be included in a child care provider's "Training Manual" in the "Safety" section where infection control is taught. Assuming they are taught how blood and bodily fluids are passed from </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">one person to another, under the "Direct Contact"; "Bloodborne"; or "Indirect Contact" category, cytomegalovirus (CMV) could be added as an example infection with a brief definition of what CMV is and what it can do to a pregnancy. And/or, the topic of CMV could be included in "Universal Precautions" which explains when and how to wear gloves and wash hands. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Mention of CMV should comply with instructions from the AAP's book,</span><a href="https://nrckids.org/CFOC" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Caring for Our Children</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, which states, “child care staff members should receive counseling in regard to the risks of acquiring CMV from their primary health care provider. However, 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” (AAP et al.,</span><a href="http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Staff Education and Policies on Cytomegalovirus</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Assemblymember Rosenthal</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> hopes to improve CMV education with “Elizabeth’s Law” (Assembly Bill</span><a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A7560</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">/Senate Bill S6287A), which requires child care providers be trained on the dangers of congenital cytomegalovirus infection and methods of prevention, and requires certain physicians to distribute informational materials concerning cytomegalovirus. Assemblymember Rosenthal also sponsored the</span><a href="https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?default_fld=%0D%0A&leg_video&bn=k346&term&Summary=Y&Text=Y&fbclid=IwAR26_cW9k6M2jfdelFm4MHXCfPloKP_eW4gKbvZthknGGxmiSlsOpEh4CyQ" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">June 2021 Cytomegalovirus Awareness Month Proclamation</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, which states, "It is difficult for mothers to protect themselves...especially if they are unaware of the virus itself ... less than half of obstetrician-gynecologists tell pregnant patients how to avoid CMV ... It is imperative that women are educated about the virus itself and simple preventative measures, such as not sharing food with toddlers, and washing one's hands after changing infants and toddlers diapers.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sara Menlove Doutre</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the special education policy expert behind the first CMV law passed in the U.S. (</span><a href="https://health.utah.gov/cshcn/programs/cmv.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Utah, 2013</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">), stated, "Policy and legislation, backed by accurate science, are viable tools to change behaviour to reduce congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections. Addressing CMV through public policy can provide increased awareness among public health officials, access to existing venues for disseminating information...", etc. (</span><a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/ma/pdf/MA15058" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Microbiology Australia, 2015</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). (To learn which states have or are working to have laws requiring CMV education and testing, visit:</span><a href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/about-us/advocacy" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.nationalcmv.org/about-us/advocacy</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New York's </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CMV Awareness Month 2021 Proclamation inspired an event in Lyons where 222 silver rocks were placed to honor the estimated number of babies born each year in New York disabled by congenital CMV (</span><a href="https://www.fltimes.com/news/trail-of-hope-celebration-in-lyons-marks-cmv-month-in-new-york/article_09c0f4b7-a777-5501-b346-f85ffa4cfd83.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finger Lakes Times</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, June 2021</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). Two moms in attendance likely contracted CMV through their caregiver/teaching occupations as neither had children of their own during their pregnancies. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Jessica Keukelaar</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of Macedon is the mother of Kyleigh, born with congenital CMV in 2018 and </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kristin Schuster</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of Canandaigua is the mother of Autumn, born with congenital CMV in 2015. Kristin told Saunders she had never heard of CMV or that she was at increased risk for the disease because of her occupation. She said, "I was teaching in a pre-kindergarten inclusion classroom while pregnant with Autumn and was unaware of the dangers of CMV exposure." Autumn can be seen helping her mom and Saunders placing the silver CMV rocks to the music video, “</span><a href="https://youtu.be/dUEQmKrG354" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Had I Known) (about CMV), Lyrics and Music by Debra Lynn Al</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">t”.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lisa Saunders continues to use several avenues to raise awareness of CMV in hopes her daughter Elizabeth’s life, suffering and death will not have been in vain. The author of several articles and books on the topic, and influential in helping Connecticut pass a CMV testing law (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cornell Alumni Magazine</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: "</span><a href="https://cornellalumnimagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2235&Itemid=1&ed=49" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Memory of Elizabeth</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”, 2015), Lisa and her husband Jim, a recently retired Pfizer scientist, are walking across the State of New York on the 360-mile Erie Canalway Trail, leaving behind #StopCMV rocks painted by </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tabitha Rodenhaus</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of Buffalo, the mother of </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kaia born with congenital CMV in 2016. Jim and Lisa</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> tell those they meet along the Trail the importance of New York legislators passing “Elizabeth’s Law”. </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spectrum News</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> filmed their journey: "</span><a href="https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2021/07/01/couple-pushes-for-law-in-memory-of-their-daughter" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Couple pushes for law in memory of their daughter</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">", which includes an interview with Dr. Sood. Saunders says, “We have now walked 139 miles so far--more than 1/3 of the way across upstate New York!” Always looking for ways to raise awareness, Saunders created a dramatic one-minute trailer of their trek:</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7eHTM27QL4" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Erie Canal Trail Challenge to Stop CMV Birth Defects. Pass "Elizabeth's Law" - A7560/ S6287A</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">###</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.638; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 4pt 0pt 10pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff2600; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Note:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.638; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: -6pt 0pt 10pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff2600; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Published legal cases involving CMV education include: </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.638; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: -6pt 0pt 10pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff2600; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1) </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff2600; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Connecticut: “</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff2600; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Center for Advanced Reproductive Services did not inform Monroe-Lynch and ‘knowledgeably obtain her consent’ about the risks associated with a CMV infection, according to the lawsuit” (</span><a href="https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-news-uconn-lawsuit-20210629-3i7e7jv56zcrzowtimbtqzllny-story.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hartford Courant, 2021</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff2600; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). Lawyers commented, “The devastating consequences of contracting congenital CMV infection early in pregnancy are well-known in the medical community. There are simple safeguards in place to protect prospective parents and their children from this horrible disease” (</span><a href="https://www.walshwoodard.com/blog/walsh-woodard-wins-record-setting-37-6-million-dollar-medical-malpractice-judgment/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Walsh Woodard LLC, 2021</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff2600; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Court notes embedded</span><a href="https://civilinquiry.jud.ct.gov/DocumentInquiry/DocumentInquiry.aspx?DocumentNo=20972296" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff2600; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">here</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff2600; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">); and</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.638; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: -6pt 0pt 10pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff2600; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2) </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff2600; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Australia: </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff2600; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">”</span><a href="https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/safety-and-prevention/hazards/hazardous-exposures/biological-hazards/cytomegalovirus-cmv-in-early-childhood-education-and-care-services" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A Court of Appeal ruled that the child's disabilities resulted from the woman being infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV) at work (Hughes v SDN Children's Services 2002</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff2600; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)” (</span><a href="https://www.worksafe.qld.gov.au/safety-and-prevention/hazards/hazardous-exposures/biological-hazards/cytomegalovirus-cmv-in-early-childhood-education-and-care-services" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">WorkSafe</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff2600; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff2600; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Lawyers commented,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff2600; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff2600; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“The allegations of negligence were that Sydney Day Nursery breached its duty of care to Linda ...by failing to warn her of the risks of CMV in circumstances where the centre knew or ought to have known of the risks of CMV to pregnant women…”(</span><a href="https://www.meridianlawyers.com.au/insights/infectious-diseases-child-care-what-about-staff-members/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Meridian Lawyers</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #ff2600; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Media Coverage in New York Regarding CMV Legislation</span></p><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eagle Newsroom</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, "</span><a href="https://eaglenewsonline.com/new/government/2021/12/14/baldwinsville-couple-advocates-for-elizabeths-law-to-stop-cytomegalovirus/?swcfpc=1" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #067638; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Baldwinsville couple advocates for 'Elizabeth's Law' to stop cytomegalovirus: Bill named in memory of their daughter</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">," Dec. 14, 2021.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spectrum News:</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> "</span><a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__spectrumlocalnews.com_nys_central-2Dny_news_2021_07_01_couple-2Dpushes-2Dfor-2Dlaw-2Din-2Dmemory-2Dof-2Dtheir-2Ddaughter&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=pkXq5tTqZ16kUqCiAkfDtxw4XPpjnlYO0qLoHC87C_g&m=-yDpIc0HZ0CNZh6J4hWCnqKorSWxwSVhDa5EKMHjVlo&s=bCY96TfzRArglBKba-Qxc81LdIrxcy40D0FMxrPkY-8&e=" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #067638; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Couple pushes for law in memory of their daughter</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">" by Jessica Houghtaling (Jul. 01, 2021). Includes interview with Dr. Sunil Sood.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finger Lakes Times,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> "</span><a href="https://www.fltimes.com/news/trail-of-hope-celebration-in-lyons-marks-cmv-month-in-new-york/article_09c0f4b7-a777-5501-b346-f85ffa4cfd83.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #067638; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trail of Hope celebration in Lyons marks CMV Month in New York</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">", Steve Buchiere (Jun 11, 2021).</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Music video: "</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUEQmKrG354&authuser=0" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #067638; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Had I Known [about CMV], Lyrics and Music by Debra Lynn Alt</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">," produced by Mark De Cracker (June 2021).</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finger Lakes Times</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: "</span><a href="https://www.fltimes.com/news/making-a-difference-couple-brings-awareness-to-threat-to-infant-health-cmv/article_37dac9f5-6991-5f9e-9e10-98de4f4ab216.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #067638; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Couple brings awareness to threat to infant health: CMV</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">", Steve Buchiere (June 4, 2021).</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Citizen:</span><a href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #111111; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #067638; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"NY Senate passes bill, named for CNY couple's daughter, to boost CMV awareness</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">", Robert Harding (June 2, 2121).</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Syracuse Woman</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> magazine, "</span><a href="https://issuu.com/eaglenewsonline/docs/swm-may-2021-web-pages/28" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #067638; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fighting CMV One Step at a Time (p.28)</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">", Emma Vallelunga (May 2021) (p.29 image of</span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ICRACl-Uo-bnh8PIQGc_iFb58Styit-F/view" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #067638; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Stop CMV hand, rock and shirt</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Citizen</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: "</span><a href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elizabeths-law-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-would-boost-cmv-awareness/article_20ae2419-1868-546c-b2c8-71a5de2f84f1.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #067638; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">'Elizabeth's law,' named for CNY couple's daughter, would boost CMV awareness</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">", Robert Harding (May 4,2021)</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Citizen</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, "</span><a href="https://auburnpub.com/challenge-for-change-auburn-native-walking-canal-trail-to-raise-virus-awareness/article_6840628a-968a-567e-a1bf-6b59f58dae3f.html?fbclid=IwAR1q7PErZwWZ6dRIbpmJ25HphGSkO5Tf2cn34fV2MiwpT1zAltbgTy7dbtM" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #067638; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Challenge for Change: Walking across NY to raise awareness of CMV</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">", David Wilcox (Mar 31, 2021)</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, serif; font-size: 13.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 2.592; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cornell Alumni Magazine: "</span><a href="http://cornellalumnimagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2235&Itemid=1&ed=49" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Memory of Elizabeth</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Her daughter's death from a preventable disability spurs Lisa Avazian Saunders '82 into action," Alexandra Bond (Sept/Oct 2015). </span></p></li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.48909; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt; text-align: center;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.48909; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.48909; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Materials produced by the "ChildCare Providers Fighting CMV" project</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.48909; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">1) Above-sink wall flyer on hand-washing, "Share a Meal Not the Germs" </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Colored in version of wall sign, "Share a Meal Not the Germs" :</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2CmjLTdMVXQzTVA1UkNqaFIwNmhJNEJNZGxXeXdj/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2CmjLTdMVXQzTVA1UkNqaFIwNmhJNEJNZGxXeXdj/view?usp=sharing</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Above-sink wall flyer for hand-washing, "Diaper Wipes Don't Kill CMV"</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wcGpHOfu3lLKl9vYR_KhI5LIqI_h1tvC/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1wcGpHOfu3lLKl9vYR_KhI5LIqI_h1tvC/view?usp=sharing</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For children to color in version: "Share a Meal Not the Germs":</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rHTADLykS58wRX7qBPRzYUwLDYnzFA_u/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rHTADLykS58wRX7qBPRzYUwLDYnzFA_u/view?usp=sharing</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.48909; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2) Wall Flyer For Women Who Care for Toddlers: </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2CmjVzdONUZVNVBhSVlNQS03b0kyWk9RaGJjbmMw/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2CmjVzdONUZVNVBhSVlNQS03b0kyWk9RaGJjbmMw/view?usp=sharing</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">3) Fun Teaching Tool Kit for Students and Families</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Fairytale tells how to “Share a Meal, Not the Germs.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Click here for free, two-pages of </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fZ_-1no6duqFU9byQaj08ageB69pLU7D/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">story and placema</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">t for coloring. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">a. An educational “coloring book, </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Placemat-Table-Setting/dp/1540359921?SubscriptionId=AKIAJ2F6RDUSIYCWQMFQ&tag=sa-sym-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=1540359921" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once Upon a Placemat: A Table Setting Tale</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by Lisa Saunders and Jackie Tortora. Free pdf version of </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/18FDPAmyB3cHZhwtuQE5mBkOnnGkr2xzp/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once Upon a Placemat: A Table Setting Tale</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (or the educational fairy tale can be purchased as a bound coloring book, visit </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Placemat-Table-Setting/dp/1540359921/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519220389&sr=1-11" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amazon for $5.38</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). Or, download the words only for a o</span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1fZ_-1no6duqFU9byQaj08ageB69pLU7D/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ne-page read a loud</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. OR, READ THE 2ND </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1KK4SVeX6CvfX8Cj0gsGvN4gfW8KHeeB4/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">EDITION IN COLOR</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Click here for </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nd8yL0_JON3S2QPofz5u-lCHY9s_4g4K/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">PowerPoint</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> or </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1o2Z1uBqICoEtgtu2X6UiINresHExKhhm/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">pdf</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">b. Placemats: Side one: </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2Cmjd21OTjB6SjNfYVU/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Placemat with tableware characters</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> with space for your coloring artist's name (perfect for laminating and using as a table-setting reminder): </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2Cmjd21OTjB6SjNfYVU/view" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2Cmjd21OTjB6SjNfYVU/view</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">c. Side two: </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2CmjcnZkNzlEOGRzX2NuTTg1T2ZZNWh3M3Zka184/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Germ prevention tips</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and hand-washing instructions.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">d. Video: </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/edit?video_id=_0jDOKPFg4M" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Short introduction of the tableware characters</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> by Lisa Saunders at: </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/edit?video_id=_0jDOKPFg4M" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.youtube.com/edit?video_id=_0jDOKPFg4M</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SUGGESTED LESSON PLAN FOR CHILDREN</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Staff can work into STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) theme*</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 10pt; margin-right: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt; margin: 0pt 10pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 240px; overflow: hidden; width: 320px;"><img height="240" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/vy9bXgqdhHqGAVB6A5tdAXBJp6NZuuNA_LwEF1z2KRVxbMGDiP-vfvvRqc9fyAwIey0gC-Q42OVWt76YJGQGq28V_YlGH8nntOTnXkj1Zl9PJtlqfX1E9UU-2TdFVuEXgz--pOT8" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /></span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Read aloud the fairytale, "Once Upon a Placemat: A Table-Setting Tale," then share a meal together. Help the children wash their hands and set their place setting by referring to the tableware characters. You can say things like, "remember, Mr. Knife is afraid the dish will run away with the spoon, so put his teeth toward Mr. Plate" and "Miss Cup hates it when people share her without giving her a bath first because of those naughty germs." </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If possible, give each child a "share a meal, not the germs" picnic kit with these suggested items: </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bag (paper or reusable insulated bag).</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Plate, cup, napkin, fork, spoon, knife.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Crayons or washable markers.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2Cmjd21OTjB6SjNfYVU/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Placemat with tableware characters</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (free pdf for coloring and possible laminating).</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Picnic food (homemade or prepackaged that would use all utensils, such as peanut butter, crackers, applesauce and cake).</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Hand sanitizer or sanitizing wipes. </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.872; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sink </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2CmjLTdMVXQzTVA1UkNqaFIwNmhJNEJNZGxXeXdj/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">hand-washing</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> sign and </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1h5g6P5qV_PmdedbWRHjAsKuefifrkhP6/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">tri-fold flyer</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> on CMV prevention to take home (found on blog post: </span><a href="https://congenitalcmv.blogspot.com/2018/05/free-cmv-prevention-tool-kit-for.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://congenitalcmv.blogspot.com/2018/05/free-cmv-prevention-tool-kit-for.html</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.872; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If funds are available, give a child their own bound copy of </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Placemat-Table-Setting/dp/1540359921/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1526989465&sr=1-7" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Once Upon a Placemat: A Table Setting Tale</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to color and share with their families so their parents can reinforce the table-setting lesson and learn how to prevent CMV, the #1 birth defects virus, as well as other diseases (book available on </span><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Placemat-Table-Setting/dp/1540359921/ref=sr_1_11?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1519220389&sr=1-11" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amazon for $5.38</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). </span></p></li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">*STEAM is a popular way to package and present the interconnectedness of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math in the regular curriculum. When you talk about germs, the coloring book, “Once Upon a Placemat” (Art and Literacy), introduces germs (science, biology) in a format that integrates the arts. Drawing and writing activities can be planned to further integrate those domains. Teachers can further bring in technology and engineering by designing activities that help the children to "invent" equipment or machines to help better wash hands, keep food fresh and germ free, etc. Math can enter into the plan by graphing how long children wash their hands, how often they wash their hands, keep track how many uses the classrooms get out of a single pump bottle of hand soap, etc. With a little more thought (and a few trips to Pinterest!) lots of germ-based activities can be created and integrated.</span></p><div><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></div></span><br /><b>Others trying to make a difference:</b><div><b><br /></b><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-f3797de5-7fff-31db-8614-7fe3bc98ee69"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New York Times</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> also published an article by mother</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="http://www.megannix.com" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Megan Nix</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, a non-fiction writer committed to seeing the eradication of congenital CMV. Titled, “</span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/well/family/my-daughters-silent-virus-congenital-cmv.html?comments#permid=21592230" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1155cc; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">My Daughter’s Silent Virus: Congenital CMV</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,” she stated, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“To protect your baby from a disabling disease, first you have to know that it exists” (2017). Regarding her soon to be published book, “</span><a href="https://www.megannix.com/from-z-to-a/2019/4/30/i-wont-be-here-for-a-while" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Remedies for Sorrow</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,” (Doubleday, February 2023), Nix states, “‘Remedies for Sorrow’ begins with our second daughter’s diagnosis with congenital CMV on a small, foggy island in Southeast Alaska and becomes an investigation of the American prenatal system today: Why aren’t our obstetricians discussing the number one cause of birth defects in an age of widespread vaccinations and advanced neonatal medicine? How is the American facade of having a perfect pregnancy putting us at greater risk of bearing children with lifelong disabilities?” (</span><a href="https://www.megannix.com/from-z-to-a/2019/4/30/i-wont-be-here-for-a-while" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MeganNix.com</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.656; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brenda K. Balch, MD</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Connecticut's American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) Chapter Champion, was instrumental in the passage of Connecticut’s House Bill 5525: "An Act Concerning Cytomegalovirus”. She testified in Hartford, “Studies confirm that when pregnant women adopt preventive good hygiene behaviors, especially when they are interacting with toddlers, it minimizes the transmission of CMV. Some of these simple preventive behaviors are good hand washing, not sharing food, drink or utensils, and avoiding kissing children on the mouth” (</span><a href="https://www.cga.ct.gov/2015/PHdata/Tmy/2015HB-05525-R000220-Brenda%20Kinsella%20Balch,%20MD.%20AAP%20Connecticut%20Chapter%20Champion%20for%20the%20Early%20Hearing%20Detection%20and%20Intervention-TMY.PDF" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">letter to Public Health Committee</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 2015). </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">According to the </span><a href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/overview/newborn-screening" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">National CMV Foundation</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, “Congenital CMV infection is arguably the most common preventable cause of neonatal disability in the United States. More children will have disabilities due to congenital CMV than other well-known infections and syndromes, including Down Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Spina Bifida, and Pediatric HIV/AIDS.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Not all countries neglect CMV prevention education. Italy is fortunate to have </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dr. Sara Ornaghi</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> who spent time studying at the </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Yale University School of Medicine in 2017</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Now back in her home country, she wrote to Lisa Saunders in March 2022, "As a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, I've been working really hard to promote awareness and improve knowledge of congenital CMV in pregnant women as well as my colleagues. All mothers have the right to be informed by their caring obstetricians about the risk of acquiring CMV infection during pregnancy and how to possibly prevent itI promoted the implementation of a cCVM screening program at my hospital (Foundation MBBM at San gerardo Hospital, University of Milan-Bicocca, Monza, Italy), targeting the newborns who fail the hearing screening as well as those who are born too small for their gestational age (birthweight or head circumference <10th percentile according to population based curves). This program is now up and running and has helped us in diagnosing some neonates with cCMV who otherwise would have been missed, since healthy-looking."--Sara Ornaghi, MD, PhD, Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology, MBBM Foundation at San Gerardo Hospital, University of Milan-Bicocca, Monza, Italy.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kristen Hutchinson Spyte</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">k, President and a co-founder of National CMV Foundation with her husband John, was inspired to raise awareness of CMV when their daughter Evelyn Grace was born with congenital CMV in </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10.5pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2013 (she passed away in 2014)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. John stated, “‘You can't prevent colds, but they warn people to do that. And this [virus] has disastrous effects…and no one is doing anything about it. So we decided from the start, we can't sit around and do nothing.’...The primary goal [of the Foundation] is to inform people about CMV and to get obstetricians, gynecologists and pediatricians to talk about the virus and develop routine screenings for it. (</span><a href="https://www.tampabay.com/sports/football/bucs/family-of-bucs-executive-raises-awareness-of-cmv-birth-defect/2274047/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Tampa Bay Times, 2016</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Brandi Hurtubise</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> of Buffalo told the </span><a href="https://www.facebook.com/nationalcmv/photos/a.467850520035640/1980799172074093/?type=3" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">National CMV Foundation</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> about her second child Samantha,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">born in </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> 2016</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> with congenital CMV. "No one told me I shouldn't share drinks or food with my toddler while I was pregnant with [Samantha]. Or that I needed to wash my hands after every single diaper change. That I needed to be cautious of his saliva and urine because it could be carrying a virus that would harm my unborn baby. I didn't know because CMV isn't commonly talked about or educated on; even though it is incredibly common." </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Saunders says, “Women have the right to know how to protect their pregnancies from CMV, a known cause of preventable birth defects. Without legislation aimed at battling CMV, there are too many obstacles women face to protect their pregnancies from CMV." </span><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Congenital CMV affects certain populations more than others. Watch this </span><a href="https://www.powtoon.com/ws/cYmIurA4TBj/1/m" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">short video</span></a><span style="color: #050505; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> to learn more: </span><a href="https://fb.watch/bv3Zot2M17/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://fb.watch/bv3Zot2M17/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> or read the following studies indicating that racial and ethnic minorities are at higher risk: 1)</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29784513/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Prevalence of Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 2018; and 2) </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"</span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28201739/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Geographic Disparities in Cytomegalovirus Infection During Pregnancy</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, 2017).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Arizona’s </span><a href="https://www.midwestern.edu/academics/our-faculty/kathleen-muldoon-phd" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kathleen M. Muldoon, PhD</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Associate Professor of Anatomy, was herself blindsided by CMV with the birth of her son, Gideon. “</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">CMV can cause hearing loss three to five years after the initial infection, and Gideon's starting to show some hearing loss in his left ear. Muldoon says she can't believe she never heard of CMV, especially since she teaches anatomy to medical students…’Even before Gideon was born, for close to a decade, I had been teaching about embryology and all the different factors that can go into creating a congenital birth defect. And yet, I'd never heard of this virus’.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(</span><a href="https://www.npr.org/transcripts/520966988" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">NPR, 2017</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 6pt 0pt 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In 2018, in an effort to combat CMV, Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal sponsored </span><a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/s2816/amendment/original" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Senate Bill S2816</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. Signed by the governor, it helps diagnose children with congenital CMV by requiring “testing for cytomegalovirus of newborns with hearing impairments."</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Angela Cote of Buffalo</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> appreciates the 2018 CMV law because it led to the quick diagnosis of why Elise, born in 2019, failed her newborn hearing test (giving her access to early intervention), but Angela wishes she had known about CMV </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">before</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> her pregnancy. She told Lisa Saunders in a TV interview how shocked she was by the diagnosis. She couldn’t believe she had never heard of CMV, especially since she was surrounded by young children as a nanny and the mother of a toddler (</span><a href="https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">PAC-B TV, 2021</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Kelly Smolar Gerne</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, a mechanical engineer from Brooklyn told Lisa Saunders, "My daughter Alexis was born in August 2020 with congenital CMV. With the help of Northwell, Dr. Sood and Nurse Stellato, Alexis is thriving because she was diagnosed and treated early following a failed newborn hearing test. While I am angry about the lack of CMV education prior and during my pregnancy, the CMV testing law passed in 2018 meant our family was the recipient of those who had fought before us. I want to continue that forward so </span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">all</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> babies in the State of New York will have the option for early intervention."</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dr. Demmler-Harrison, who spearheads the</span><a href="https://www.bcm.edu/departments/pediatrics/sections-divisions-centers/cmvregistry/" style="background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">National Congenital CMV Disease Research Clinic and Registr</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">y, will do almost anything to raise CMV awareness–from sporting a CMV license plate on her car to answering questions for mainstream media. When Katie Hou of “The Hou to Guide,” a podcast that focuses on special-needs parenting, asked Dr. Demmler-Harrison why she chose to focus on CMV, she responded, “I was drawn to CMV, not because it’s easy, but because it’s hard. When I was a postdoctoral fellow, my mentor, Dr. Martha Yaw, approached me. She had a grant, studying congenital CMV. And, she put her arm around me and said, ‘I’d like you to be my post-doctoral fellow. And work on this project, looking at congenital CMV in pregnant women, and the long-term outcomes in their babies.’…So I slept on it. And thought about it for 24 hours. And said, ‘Yes. I like viruses. I like solving problems. This is going to be hard. And yes, I’ll do it.’ And that’s sort of the door that was opened for me. That I walked through, and I never left” (</span><a href="https://www.thehoutoguide.com/interview-with-ccmv-expert-gail-demmler-harrison" style="background-color: transparent; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Interview with cCMV expert, Dr. Gail Demmler-Harrison</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,The Hou to Guide, 2020).</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In addition to</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/114HY7HNOx5-JbGvXn6eptuE_NKTYHrsz/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Gail J. Demmler-Harrison MD</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, the National CMV Foundation and Group B Strep International also provided letters of support for Elizabeth’s Law (</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A7560</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">/S6287A). Excerpts: </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/18PnrKrJuqnVhoigbpAqtlmaDrNiZKDet/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Amanda Devereaux RN, BSN</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Program Director at </span><a href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/default.aspx" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">National CMV Foundation</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, stated, "By establishing both an education program and helping to facilitate the conversation between women and health care providers, families in New York will have the information they need to prevent [congenital] CMV from impacting their family." (Amanda of Iowa was shocked when her daughter Pippa, born in </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">2015,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> was diagnosed at 21 weeks gestation with congenital CMV. “Even as a public health nurse, I was unaware of the impact of cCMV and the fact that I was at increased risk during my second pregnancy… All families deserve to know about cCMV and how it can be prevented and all children affected deserve early diagnosis so they can reach their full potential!” (</span><a href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/resources/blog/july-2019/volunteer-spotlight-amanda-devereaux" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">National CMV Foundation Volunteer Spotlight</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.38; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> </p><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AsyHl4_VAt8qvhLyXg5i3zx4eGdRv3Wz/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Marti Perhach</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">,</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> co-founder of Group B Strep International (GBSI) and instrumental in successfully campaigning for universal screening for GBS (guidelines adopted within the U.S. in 2002), understands the importance of established protocols and health information. Her letter states that that Elizabeth’s Law is a "crucial piece of legislation that give childcare workers and women at their first prenatal visit the information needed to help protect their babies and families from the devastating yet largely preventable effects of congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV).”</span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></span></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div><br /></div></div>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-74938173784833618242022-01-08T10:42:00.043-08:002022-02-03T14:04:29.776-08:00Supporters of CMV Prevention Education to Stop Birth Defects. Has your organization written Memo of Support for “Elizabeth’s Law”,A7560 / S6287A? <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqTA3F-zymxIp0mFiIF-UaPr6opDXnzcrCbR8oxhfe6VZWntLBASuLVGEeGjgWR7SmFxSBCYPZlzzkD9okKnFjU-Sq2_B2IanFNzqga3scdqknQ6gFmq-N5ewuer_UArxp22agxiI_1tTOHte_ylv7OVCZUqRi0OstbinTrDQjSz46kWcVuc0ce6sqbQ=s610" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="566" data-original-width="610" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhqTA3F-zymxIp0mFiIF-UaPr6opDXnzcrCbR8oxhfe6VZWntLBASuLVGEeGjgWR7SmFxSBCYPZlzzkD9okKnFjU-Sq2_B2IanFNzqga3scdqknQ6gFmq-N5ewuer_UArxp22agxiI_1tTOHte_ylv7OVCZUqRi0OstbinTrDQjSz46kWcVuc0ce6sqbQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span><span>Does your organization help mothers have healthy newborns? Do they want prevent the deafness, blindness and brain damage caused by cytomegalovirus (CMV), the leading viral cause of birth defects? </span></span></span><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span><br /></span></span></span></div><div><div style="background-color: white;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Sample "Letters of Support" for “Elizabeth’s Law”,<b> </b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560&source=gmail&ust=1642173568337000&usg=AOvVaw0NmSQCSoc5wAuVC6v7sOrO" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><u>A7560</u></a><u>/ </u><u>S6287A:</u></span></div><div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><u><b><br /></b></u></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1) <span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Demmler-Harrison MD, Gail J. (2022) </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/114HY7HNOx5-JbGvXn6eptuE_NKTYHrsz/view?usp=sharing" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Letter to Members of NY Assembly and Senate</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, February 2. (Dr. Demmler Harrison was </span><br /><span style="font-size: small;">featured in the</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">New York Times </span><span style="font-size: small;">article,</span><span style="font-size: small;"> "</span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">CMV Is a Greater Threat to Infants Than Zika, but Far Less Often Discusse</a><span style="font-size: small;">d" </span><span style="font-size: small;"> (Saint Louis, 2016). Her letter </span><span style="font-size: small;">illustrates why cytomegalovirus (CMV) is more dangerous to a child care provider's pregnancy than other childhood diseases in childcare centers and why it should be discussed with all pregnant women. Click on </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://drive.google.com/file/d/114HY7HNOx5-JbGvXn6eptuE_NKTYHrsz/view?usp%3Dsharing&source=gmail&ust=1643996381768000&usg=AOvVaw2khDeBoR3mZR6WtrJq6FOJ" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/114HY7HNOx5-JbGvXn6eptuE_NKTYHrsz/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">CMV Law Support Gail J. Demmler-Harrison MD</a><span style="font-size: small;">, and note Dr. Demmler-Harrison's heartbreaking last sentence: "</span><span style="font-size: small; font-weight: 700; white-space: pre-wrap;">When mothers and fathers sit across from me in my CMV clinic holding their little baby and ask, 'Why weren't we warned about CMV,' it's heart-breaking. All I can say is, 'I don’t know, I’ve been trying for over 30 years to educate pregnant women about CMV.'”</span><br /><span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b><br /></b></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b>2) National CMV Foundatio</b>n (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://drive.google.com/file/d/18PnrKrJuqnVhoigbpAqtlmaDrNiZKDet/view?usp%3Dsharing&source=gmail&ust=1642173568337000&usg=AOvVaw3ngnv5KASjX17Zwccuw8e-" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/18PnrKrJuqnVhoigbpAqtlmaDrNiZKDet/view?usp=sharing" style="background: transparent; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">click for letter</a><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://drive.google.com/file/d/18PnrKrJuqnVhoigbpAqtlmaDrNiZKDet/view?usp%3Dsharing&source=gmail&ust=1642173568337000&usg=AOvVaw3ngnv5KASjX17Zwccuw8e-" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/18PnrKrJuqnVhoigbpAqtlmaDrNiZKDet/view?usp=sharing" style="background: transparent; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"> </a><span style="font-size: small;">by Amanda Devereaux RN, BSN)</span><br /><span><br /></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b>3)New York Stop CMV </b>(</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Mm6VAh5BMFciWKcnxJ43zfpler1gSavx/view?usp%3Dsharing&source=gmail&ust=1642173568337000&usg=AOvVaw3fo23KeBQNBuDde8orrmV5" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Mm6VAh5BMFciWKcnxJ43zfpler1gSavx/view?usp=sharing" style="background: transparent; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">click for letter</a><span style="font-size: small;"> by Lisa Saunders, mother of child born with congenital CMV)</span><br /><span><br /></span><span style="font-size: small;"><b>4)Group B Strep International </b>by </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1AsyHl4_VAt8qvhLyXg5i3zx4eGdRv3Wz/view?usp=sharing"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Marti Perhach, </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">GBSI CEO/Cofounder</span></a></span></div><div><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><br /></span></div></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Are you willing to write a letter, or add your name to a group letter, in support </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">of “</span><b style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Elizabeth’s Law”: </b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560&source=gmail&ust=1642173568337000&usg=AOvVaw0NmSQCSoc5wAuVC6v7sOrO" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><u>A7560</u></a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">/ </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">S6287A? </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">The bill is named </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">in memory of my daughter born with a severely damaged brain. "Elizabeth's Law" requires that child care providers and pregnant women be educated about CMV and the precautions to take around the </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">saliva and urine of young children</span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">. </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face=""source sans pro", sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black;">According to the </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/awareness-month.html&source=gmail&ust=1642173568337000&usg=AOvVaw1eNpi5_iM_aGdUxqMe81qH" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/awareness-month.html" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention </a><span style="color: black;">(CDC)</span><span face=""source sans pro", sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black;">,</span><span style="color: black;"> "CMV is the most common infectious cause of birth defects in the United States. About 1 out of 5 babies with congenital CMV infection will have birth defects or other long-term health problems, such as hearing loss."</span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">"Congenital CMV infection is arguably the most common preventable cause of neonatal disability in the United States. More children will have disabilities due to congenital CMV than other well-known infections and syndromes, including Down Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Spina Bifida, and Pediatric HIV/AIDS." (National CMV Foundation, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.nationalcmv.org/overview/newborn-screening&source=gmail&ust=1642173568337000&usg=AOvVaw3RStoGfwg8ndI6P1-hKGO6" href="http://www.nationalcmv.org/overview/newborn-screening" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.nationalcmv.<wbr></wbr>org/overview/newborn-screening</a><wbr></wbr>)<br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">"CMV is spread from person to person through body fluids. Day care workers, nurses, mothers of young children, and others who work with young children are at greatest risk of exposure to CMV. Since young children commonly carry CMV, pregnant women and women planning pregnancies should take extra care to avoid urine and saliva from young children." </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black;">(Sunil K. Sood, M.D., Chair of Pediatrics, South Shore University Hospital, Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases, Cohen Children's Medical Center and Professor, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/what-is-cytomegalovirus-and-how-can-it-be-treated&source=gmail&ust=1642173568337000&usg=AOvVaw0LlVVGHWz0rsV12M-bBndQ" href="https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/what-is-cytomegalovirus-and-how-can-it-be-treated" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">NYMetroPare<wbr></wbr>nts, 2016</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black;">).</span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black;"> </span><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div dir="ltr"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><b>Racial and ethnic minorities are at higher risk for CMV. (Two studies: </b></span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">"<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29784513/">Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Prevalence of Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infection</a>" and </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">"<a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28201739/">Geographic Disparities in Cytomegalovirus Infection During Pregnancy</a>" </span></div><div dir="ltr"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></div></div></div></div><div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">If you are willing to write a letter of support for CMV prevention education on behalf of your organization to New York legislators, please let me know at <a href="mailto:LisaSaunders42@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">LisaSaunders42@gmail.com</a> <wbr></wbr>and I will help get your letters or memos to elected officials.</span></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Right now, this January 2022, we need to get the bill out of the New York <b style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nyassembly.gov/comm/?id%3D5&source=gmail&ust=1642173568337000&usg=AOvVaw3JCah0PxBjq0JM9VRScF8t" href="https://nyassembly.gov/comm/?id=5" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Assembly Children and Families Committee</a></b> so it can be voted on by the NY Assembly (the NY Senate passed the bill last year-- (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html&source=gmail&ust=1642173568337000&usg=AOvVaw01Y9F_-bhFF6qHoWiISbMF" href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">"</a><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html&source=gmail&ust=1642173568337000&usg=AOvVaw01Y9F_-bhFF6qHoWiISbMF" href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">NY Senate passes bill, named for CNY couple's daughter, to boost CMV awareness</a>").</span></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">When I left New York to move to Connecticut with my husband Jim, a Pfizer scientist, we helped Connecticut get a CMV law passed (see attached photo and caption below my signature). Having since moved back to New York, I am continuing my work to help children avoid the suffering our daughter endured until her death at age 16 during a seizure. Elizabeth had brain damage, hearing and vision loss, epilepsy and cerebral palsy. </span></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">I hope you can help me prevent this from happening to others by giving women a chance to protect their pregnancies from CMV by sharing the CDC's CMV prevention tips: </span> “You may be able to lessen your risk of getting CMV by reducing contact with saliva and urine from babies and young children. The saliva and urine of children with CMV have high amounts of the virus. You can avoid getting a child’s saliva in your mouth by, for example, not sharing food, utensils, or cups with a child. Also, you should wash your hands after changing diapers” </div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">While we wait for laws to ensure women are told about the leading viral cause of birth defects, please consider sharing these CDC flyers in English and Spanish found at: </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html&source=gmail&ust=1642173568337000&usg=AOvVaw2YhmwTAiAWB2HsOap0q-AT" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/<wbr></wbr>resources/pregnant-women-<wbr></wbr>parents.html</a></span></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Thank you in advance for your help or advice.<br /></span></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Sincerely,</span></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Lisa Saunders</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">216 Peakwood Lane</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Baldwinsville, NY 13027<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://facebook.com/NYStopCMV&source=gmail&ust=1642173568337000&usg=AOvVaw0CcxsYBsJggA8RCqPCsi5W" href="http://facebook.com/NYStopCMV" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Facebook.com/NYStopCMV</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Music Video "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/dUEQmKrG354&source=gmail&ust=1642173568337000&usg=AOvVaw3hl6zdrmaclF9IterggmoI" href="https://youtu.be/dUEQmKrG354" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Had I known (about CMV)</a>"</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></p><div><div class="gmail_quote" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Education, Elizabeth’s Law- Assembly Bill A7560</span></b><br /><br /></div><div class="gmail_quote" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">GOAL / STATUS: BILL CURRENTLY IN YOUR COMMITTEE (already passed by the Senate in 2021)<br /><ul><li>Requires childcare providers to be trained on the impacts and dangers of congenital cytomegalovirus infection and the treatments and methods of prevention of cytomegalovirus infection</li><li>The commissioner shall distribute such cytomegalovirus informational materials to licensed physicians who practice obstetric and/or gynecology in this state. Such physicians shall provide such informational material to each pregnant patient during such patient's first appointment with such physician. Such physician shall also discuss the risks associated with and the transmission of cytomegalovirus with such patient.<br /></li></ul><div class="gmail_quote"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;">NINE BENEFITS OF CMV PREVENTION EDUCATION - </div></div><div class="gmail_quote" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Compliance with proclamations and healthier babies </div><div class="gmail_quote"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="gmail_quote"><ol><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>New York State Assembly proclaimed <a href="https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?default_fld=%0D%0A&leg_video&bn=k346&term&Summary=Y&Text=Y&fbclid=IwAR26_cW9k6M2jfdelFm4MHXCfPloKP_eW4gKbvZthknGGxmiSlsOpEh4CyQ" style="background: transparent; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">June 2021 Cytomegalovirus Awareness Month</a></b>, stating, " It is difficult for mothers to protect themselves from a virus carried by the children they care for, especially if they are unaware of the virus itself... less than half of obstetrician-gynecologists tell pregnant patients how to avoid CMV;...". CMV prevention education is not "part of standard prenatal care” (<i>Washington Post,</i> "<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid=IwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How a common, often harmless virus called cytomegalovirus can damage a fetus,</a>" May 15, 2021.) </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>CMV education has been proven to help prevent women from contracting CMV.</b> According to the<i> New York Times</i>, "A study in a French hospital found five to 10 minutes of counseling about CMV prevention resulted in fewer women contracting the virus. In another study, pregnant mothers shown a video and offered hygiene tips were much less likely to get CMV (5.9 percent) than those not given information on prevention (41.7 percent).(<i>New York Times,</i> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html" target="_blank">"CMV Is a Greater Threat to Infants Than Zika, but Far Less Often Discussed</a>", Catherine Saint Louis, 2016). </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><b>New York Commissioner of Health said CMV education was "Imperative": </b></span><span style="background-color: transparent;">H</span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><i>oward A. Zucker, </i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;">M.D., J.D , stated in 2018: “</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent;">it is imperative that we give women of reproductive age the information they need to make informed decisions for themselves and their families...According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), female workers of reproductive age in child care centers should be educated on CMV and its potential risks, and should have access to appropriate hygiene measures to minimize occupationally-acquired infection..." </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><span style="color: #555544;">Compliance with OSHA, which recognizes CMV as a <a href="https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/hazards" target="_blank">“hazard” for childcare workers</a>. </span><span style="color: #555544;">New York's</span><span style="color: #500050;"> current childcare worker training law does not require specific education on CMV. </span></b>Recent surveys show that most child care providers do not know about CMV and many acknowledge using diaper wipes to clean hands instead of following proper protocols <span style="color: black; text-align: justify;">(</span>Thackeray and Magnusson, 2016<span style="color: black; text-align: justify;">)</span>. Diaper wipes do not effectively remove CMV from hands (<a href="https://url.emailprotection.link/?bVRldvZD80sA4OK5oabCqi17Qk808gTpt7wAyaCA_QJHKT-h9jYm65eD8W-XDzQF3T9cGeINS6YHuPRJ_hVOrcSRy2DZoflMlweFN3Nc2KHTwKocIVTFX5hhTCUXECXjN" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Stowell et al., 2014</a>). <br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Prevention education should save tax dollars on educating and treating children disabled by CMV</b>. <span style="color: #500050;">L</span><span style="color: #500050; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: #555544;">icensed child care providers are typically trained in first aid and CPR, etc., to ensure the health of the children in their care. CMV prevention can easily be included in their training on infectious diseases by distributing the </span></span>CDC's flyers on CMV in English and Spanish: <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html" target="_blank">https://www.cdc.gov/<wbr></wbr>cmv/resources/pregnant-women-<wbr></wbr>parents.html</a>. They flyers can also be distributed at a patient's first prenatal appointment. (The medical costs of <span style="color: black;">cCMV are high. </span><span style="color: #555544; text-align: center;">(</span><a href="https://cmv.usu.edu/Uploads/pdfs/17739_9664Scott%20D.Grosse.pdf" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-align: center; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">https://cmv.usu.<wbr></wbr>edu/Uploads/pdfs/17739_<wbr></wbr>9664Scott%20D.Grosse.pdf</a><span style="color: #555544; text-align: center;">). </span><span style="color: #555544;">The median cost of healthcare for a child with a symptomatic case of cCMV is 25.2 times higher than that of a child without cCMV over the course of the first four years. </span><span style="color: #555544;">In the general population, the median out-of-pocket expenditures throughout the first four years of a child’s life is $1,508. Among children with symptomatic cCMV, that cost is almost four times as high, at $6,766 per child. Among children with neurological complications resulting from cCMV, the median out-of-pocket cost increased to $8,511.)</span><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #555544;"><b>Educating child care providers about CMV can reach mothers who use group care</b>--hopefully before they become pregnant with their next child. Women who have young children in group child care are at an increased risk for CMV. </span><span style="color: black;">"</span><span style="color: #555544;">Parents of children in day-care centers are also at increased risk for contracting CMV" (</span><a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM198605293142204" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Pass et al, 1986).</a><span style="color: #555544;"> One pediatrician in Canada stated, “Almost all the babies that I see who have congenital CMV, there is an older toddler at home who is in daycare,” said Dr. Jason Brophy, a pediatric infectious disease specialist (</span><i style="color: #555544;">Ottawa Citizen, </i><a href="https://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/we-have-so-much-to-be-thankful-for-screening-program-treatment-help-baby-hear-for-the-first-time" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Payne, 2018</a><span style="color: #555544;">). </span><br /></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>United States Congress</b><b> "Recommends that more effort be taken to counsel women of childbearing age of the effect this virus can have on their children" - </b><a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-resolution/215" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr></wbr>congress.gov/bill/112th-<wbr></wbr>congress/senate-resolution/215</a>. <span style="color: #555544;">Utah and Idaho passed legislation to ensure those who work with children know about their occupational risk for CMV. </span></span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Respects Women's Rights: </b><span style="color: #555544;">According to </span><span style="color: #555544;">Amnesty International, w</span><span style="color: #555544;">omen have the right "to enjoy the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health". </span>We believe women have the right to protect their pregnancies from infections and all other known causes of preventable birth defects. </span></li><li><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #555544;"><b>Compliance with the American Academy of Pediatrics</b></span><span style="color: #500050; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: #555544;"><b> </b>(AAP): “Staff of childbearing age who care for infants and children should be provided the following information...The availability of counseling and testing for serum antibody to CMV to determine the caregiver/teacher’s immune status...child care staff members should receive counseling in regard to the risks of acquiring CMV from their primary health care provider. However, 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” (AAP et al., 2017, https://</span></span><a href="http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: navy; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">nrckids.org/CFOC/<wbr></wbr>Database/7.7.1.1</span></u></span></span></a><span style="color: #500050; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: #555544;">). </span></span></span></li></ol></div></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"></span></p><div></div><p></p><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></p><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjH6Fab_DNp8z1rgh8zhE6EDChpVXQdvs88jwFVqq6Up_lm6jp6tcG0RjHErDuXcsa94-tFTSujo-jjk3Zfj3hDhFY9F6Na_spgCyxLOsvcZxdfFEMOF2TkQ7tlRnxNIbK2O1dB1vXNGqOiIqm9Yp2dwDZXJRl2XB1NILjXU8_M7XPfTRdHyhl8ccSugA=s3000" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="3000" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjH6Fab_DNp8z1rgh8zhE6EDChpVXQdvs88jwFVqq6Up_lm6jp6tcG0RjHErDuXcsa94-tFTSujo-jjk3Zfj3hDhFY9F6Na_spgCyxLOsvcZxdfFEMOF2TkQ7tlRnxNIbK2O1dB1vXNGqOiIqm9Yp2dwDZXJRl2XB1NILjXU8_M7XPfTRdHyhl8ccSugA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Photo Caption:</span></div><div style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Ceremonial bill signing for Public Act 15-10: An Act Concerning Cytomegalovirus at the Office of the Governor in Hartford, Conn., on July 28. Left to right:<b> </b>Jane Baird, Government Relations, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center; Dr. Wallis Molchen, Chief Resident, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center; Jane Brancifort, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Public Health; State Representative John Hampton; Dr. Brenda K. Balch, American Academy of Pediatrics Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Chapter Champion; Nancy Wyman, Lt. Governor; Lisa Saunders, parent representative, Congenital Cytomegalovirus <wbr></wbr>Foundation, holding a picture of her deceased daughter, Elizabeth (Lizzie); State Representative Kevin Ryan; Governor Dannel P. Malloy; Senator Cathy Osten; Ken Hiscoe, Pfizer, Government Relations; Jarred and his mother, <span face=""arial" , sans-serif">Melvette Ruffin</span><span face=""arial" , sans-serif">; DeVaughn Ward, Liaison, Department of Public Health; and <span face=""arial" , sans-serif">Kinson Perry</span>, lobbyist at Rome, Smith and Lutz.</span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span style="color: #222222;">Right now, this January 2022, we need to get the bill out of the New York </span></span><b style="color: #555544; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nyassembly.gov/comm/?id%3D5&source=gmail&ust=1642074760900000&usg=AOvVaw2gzupFaG4l6_r1lZlpMu2Y" href="https://nyassembly.gov/comm/?id=5" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Assembly Children and Families Committee</a></b><span style="color: #222222;"> so it can be voted on by the NY Assembly (the NY Senate passed the bill last year-- (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html&source=gmail&ust=1642074760900000&usg=AOvVaw0QPiV0pQo1vmN8sutGTj_7" href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">"</a><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html&source=gmail&ust=1642074760900000&usg=AOvVaw0QPiV0pQo1vmN8sutGTj_7" href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">NY Senate passes bill, named for CNY couple's daughter, to boost CMV awareness</a><span style="color: #500050;">").</span></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #500050;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #500050;">TO GET THE CMV EDUCATION LAW PASSED IN NEW YORK:</span></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #500050;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #500050;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: black;">Right now, this January 2022, we need to get the bill out of the New York </span><b style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nyassembly.gov/comm/?id%3D5&source=gmail&ust=1642173568337000&usg=AOvVaw3JCah0PxBjq0JM9VRScF8t" href="https://nyassembly.gov/comm/?id=5" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Assembly Children and Families Committee</a></b><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: black;"> so it can be voted on by the NY Assembly (the NY Senate passed the bill last year-- (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html&source=gmail&ust=1642173568337000&usg=AOvVaw01Y9F_-bhFF6qHoWiISbMF" href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">"</a><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html&source=gmail&ust=1642173568337000&usg=AOvVaw01Y9F_-bhFF6qHoWiISbMF" href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html" rel="nofollow" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; box-sizing: border-box; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">NY Senate passes bill, named for CNY couple's daughter, to boost CMV awareness</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: black;">").</span></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #500050;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: black;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;">So please email these folks:</div></span><a href="mailto:arecchia@nyassembly.gov">ad28.schedule@gmail.com, arecchia@nyassembly.gov</a>, <a href="mailto:andersonk@nyassembly.gov">andersonk@nyassembly.gov</a>, <a href="mailto:byrnesm@nyassembly.gov">byrnesm@nyassembly.gov</a>, <a href="mailto:clarks@nyassembly.gov">clarks@nyassembly.gov</a>, <a href="mailto:cruzc@nyassembly.gov">cruzc@nyassembly.gov</a>, <a href="mailto:darlingt@nyassembly.gov">darlingt@nyassembly.gov</a>, <a href="mailto:DavilaM@nyassembly.gov">DavilaM@nyassembly.gov</a>, <a href="mailto:FrontusM@nyassembly.gov">FrontusM@nyassembly.gov</a>, <a href="mailto:gallahanj@nyassembly.gov">gallahanj@nyassembly.gov</a>, <a href="mailto:gonzalezrojasj@nyassembly.gov">gonzalezrojasj@nyassembly.gov</a>, <a href="mailto:jeanpierrek@nyassembly.gov">jeanpierrek@nyassembly.gov</a>, <a href="mailto:lunsfordj@nyassembly.gov">lunsfordj@nyassembly.gov</a>, <a href="mailto:meeksd@nyassembly.gov">meeksd@nyassembly.gov</a>, <a href="mailto:MillerML@nyassembly.gov">MillerML@nyassembly.gov</a>, <a href="mailto:mitaynesm@nyassembly.gov">mitaynesm@nyassembly.gov</a>, <a href="mailto:salkaj@nyassembly.gov">salkaj@nyassembly.gov</a>, <a href="mailto:vanelc@nyassembly.gov">vanelc@nyassembly.gov</a>,<span style="font-family: arial;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px;"><u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px;"><u></u> <u></u></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px;">Subject and content could be something like:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; margin: 0px;"><b>Subject: </b>Children and Families Committee: Vote for "Elizabeth's Law" (A7560 / S6287A) to prevent cytomegalovirus (CMV), a leading cause of brain damage, hearing loss</p><div style="background-color: white;"><div data-smartmail="gmail_signature" dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: black;">Dear </span>Assembly Children and Families Committee:</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: red;">My name is ____ from [organization if you are part of one]. I would like you co-sponsor "Elizabeth's Law" (A7560 / S6287A), named in memory of a girl who died from complications of congenital CMV (a seizure) in New York. "Elizabeth's Law" would ensure pregnant women and child care providers are educated on how to protect their pregnancies from the leading viral cause of birth defects, cytomegalovirus or CMV. Many new mothers are stunned to learn their child's brain damage, vision or hearing loss might have been prevented had they known the precautions to take around the toddlers in their care just prior to or during her pregnancy. As you may be aware, the New York Assembly and Senate proclaimed June 2021 as Cytomegalovirus Awareness Month, stating, that "It is imperative that women are educated about the virus itself and simple preventative measures, such as not sharing food with toddlers, and washing one's hands after changing infants and toddlers diapers..." The CDC has a lot of information about this preventable disease at: cdc.gov/cmv.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><span style="color: red;">"Elizabeth's Law" (A7560 / S6287A) was passed by the New York Senate in 2021.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;">Sincerely,</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px 0px 0.0001pt;">[Name/address]</p><div style="color: #222222;"><i><span style="color: red;"><br /></span></i></div></div></div></div></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><span><span face=""source sans pro", sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent;">ABOUT CMV</span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><span><span face=""source sans pro", sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><span face=""source sans pro", sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent;">According to the </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/awareness-month.html&source=gmail&ust=1642173568337000&usg=AOvVaw1eNpi5_iM_aGdUxqMe81qH" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/awareness-month.html" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention </a>(CDC)<span face=""source sans pro", sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent;">,</span> "CMV is the most common infectious cause of birth defects in the United States. About 1 out of 5 babies with congenital CMV infection will have birth defects or other long-term health problems, such as hearing loss."<br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">"Congenital CMV infection is arguably the most common preventable cause of neonatal disability in the United States. More children will have disabilities due to congenital CMV than other well-known infections and syndromes, including Down Syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, Spina Bifida, and Pediatric HIV/AIDS." (National CMV Foundation, <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.nationalcmv.org/overview/newborn-screening&source=gmail&ust=1642173568337000&usg=AOvVaw3RStoGfwg8ndI6P1-hKGO6" href="http://www.nationalcmv.org/overview/newborn-screening" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">www.nationalcmv.<wbr></wbr>org/overview/newborn-screening</a><wbr></wbr>)<br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><div><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">"CMV is spread from person to person through body fluids. Day care workers, nurses, mothers of young children, and others who work with young children are at greatest risk of exposure to CMV. Since young children commonly carry CMV, pregnant women and women planning pregnancies should take extra care to avoid urine and saliva from young children." </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black;">(Sunil K. Sood, M.D., Chair of Pediatrics, South Shore University Hospital, Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases, Cohen Children's Medical Center and Professor, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/what-is-cytomegalovirus-and-how-can-it-be-treated&source=gmail&ust=1642173568337000&usg=AOvVaw0LlVVGHWz0rsV12M-bBndQ" href="https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/what-is-cytomegalovirus-and-how-can-it-be-treated" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">NYMetroPare<wbr></wbr>nts, 2016</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black;">).</span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black;"> </span></div><div><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: black;"><br /></span></div></div></div><div style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span><span><div style="text-align: left;"><div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, serif; font-size: 18px;">"Perhaps no single cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities in the United States currently provides greater opportunity for improved outcomes in more children than congenital CMV." (</span></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18px;">BMC Public Health, 2005, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-5-70">https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-5-70</a>)</span></span></div></div></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #500050;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #500050;"><b>PROBLEM</b></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #500050;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1) CMV prevention education is not "part of standard prenatal care” (Washington Post, "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid%3DIwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA&source=gmail&ust=1641755745464000&usg=AOvVaw1NBMp0Y0cWYfvWOyQ4m4h5" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid=IwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How a common, often harmless virus called cytomegalovirus can damage a fetus,</a>" May 15, 2021.). </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>Solution:</i> Women can better protect their pregnancy if given CMV information at first prenatal visit. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #500050;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span><span style="color: #500050;">2) </span></span><span><span style="color: #500050;">T</span></span><span style="color: #500050;">he current law in New York for the education of childcare providers does not require specific education on any particular illnesses. </span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: #500050; font-family: arial;"><i><br /></i></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="color: #500050; font-family: arial;"><i>Solution:</i> L</span><span style="color: #500050; font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: #555544;"><span><span><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">icensed child care providers are typically trained in first aid, CPR, etc., to ensure the health of the children in their care. CMV prevention can easily be included in their training on infectious diseases. </span></span></span></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><br /></div><div style="background-color: white;"><div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>SOLUTION</b></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Make women CMV aware</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div dir="ltr"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">"Pregnant women may face certain challenges to practicing prevention strategies but, overall, are motivated make changes to increase their chances of having a healthy baby." (<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5729419/">Using theory-based messages to motivate U.S. pregnant women to prevent cytomegalovirus infection</a>, Levis, BMC Womens Health, 2017)</span></div><div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div dir="ltr" style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;">D</span><span style="font-family: arial;">istribute CDC's flyers on CMV in English and Spanish at: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html&source=gmail&ust=1641750907567000&usg=AOvVaw1jW3oYtyupUQJBsJp7XP4e" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/resources/pregnant-women-parents.html" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial;" target="_blank">https://www.cdc.gov/<wbr></wbr>cmv/resources/pregnant-women-<wbr></wbr>parents.html</a></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;">and support CMV prevention education. </span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>Supporters of CMV prevention education include:</span><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><ol><li style="color: #222222; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>New York State Assembly</b>--they proclaimed <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?default_fld%3D%250D%250A%26leg_video%26bn%3Dk346%26term%26Summary%3DY%26Text%3DY%26fbclid%3DIwAR26_cW9k6M2jfdelFm4MHXCfPloKP_eW4gKbvZthknGGxmiSlsOpEh4CyQ&source=gmail&ust=1641750907567000&usg=AOvVaw3S_gF0v99oW-lLHMkwM05l" href="https://nyassembly.gov/leg/?default_fld=%0D%0A&leg_video&bn=k346&term&Summary=Y&Text=Y&fbclid=IwAR26_cW9k6M2jfdelFm4MHXCfPloKP_eW4gKbvZthknGGxmiSlsOpEh4CyQ" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">June 2021 Cytomegalovirus Awareness Month</a>: " It is difficult for mothers to protect themselves from a virus carried by the children they care for, <b>especially if they are unaware of the virus itself;</b> less than one in five pregnant women are aware of cytomegalovirus...Few women are warned about this infection, and according to a federal survey, less than half of obstetrician-gynecologists tell pregnant patients how to avoid CMV;..."</span></li><li style="color: #222222; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>New York State Senate</b> - They unanimously passed "Elizabeth's Law" in 2021 (<span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html&source=gmail&ust=1641750907567000&usg=AOvVaw0-4eX9vR3xmCYMfZWyi69x" href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html" style="background: transparent; color: #88bb22; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">"NY Senate passes bill, named for CNY couple's daughter, to boost CMV awareness</span></a><span style="color: #555544; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">",<i> The Citizen,</i> Robert Harding (June 2, 2121).</span></span></li><li style="color: #222222; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><b>New York Commissioner of Health</b> (Dr. Zucker). </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">In 2018, </span><span style="background-color: transparent;">H</span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><i>oward A. Zucker, </i></span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">M.D., J.D , stated: “</span></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent;">it is imperative that we give women of reproductive age the information they need to make informed decisions for themselves and their families...According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), female workers of reproductive age in child care centers should be educated on CMV and its potential risks, and should have access to appropriate hygiene measures to minimize occupationally-acquired infection..." </span></span></li><li style="color: #222222; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><b>New York Department of Health: </b></span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><b>"</b></span><span style="color: black;">The risk of CMV infection in hospital workers is not greater than it is in others in the community and is probably low because of careful hand washing practices. In daycare centers, where hand washing practices may not be as good, there may be a greater risk of infection. In both settings, good hygiene and careful hand washing are the most important control measures. Pregnant women working in child care facilities should minimize direct exposure to saliva and avoid kissing babies or young children on the mouth. Hugging is fine and is not a risk factor." (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/cytomegalovirus/fact_sheet.htm&source=gmail&ust=1641750907567000&usg=AOvVaw0YzB0tHhHhRtK-26W9fZfj" href="https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/cytomegalovirus/fact_sheet.htm" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.health.ny.gov/<wbr></wbr>diseases/communicable/<wbr></wbr>cytomegalovirus/fact_sheet.htm</a><wbr></wbr>)</span></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #222222;"><b>National CMV Foundation </b>wrote to the New York <b style="color: #555544; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nyassembly.gov/comm/?id%3D5&source=gmail&ust=1642071495409000&usg=AOvVaw02X6uZ6QUKzdoqHr5WcujW" href="https://nyassembly.gov/comm/?id=5" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Assembly Children and Families Committee</a></b> stating, "</span><span style="color: #222222;">We enthusiastically support this bill and its goals of including congenital CMV as part of a public health education </span><span style="color: #222222;">program for childcare providers and women seeking prenatal care." <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/18PnrKrJuqnVhoigbpAqtlmaDrNiZKDet/view?usp=sharing">Click for letter</a>. </span></span></li><li style="color: #222222; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><div><b>Sallie Permar, M.D., Ph.D.</b><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">, Chair, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, and pediatrician-in-chief, New York-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"> </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">Dr. Permar stated that CMV is “'a virus that has a PR problem...</span></span></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">It’s a virus we have recognized for over 60 years as the cause of birth defects and brain damage in infants...'" (</span></span></span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://news.weill.cornell.edu/news/2021/06/dr-sallie-permar%25E2%2580%2599s-work-protecting-mothers-infants-from-hiv-cmv-lands-her-among-%25E2%2580%2598giants&source=gmail&ust=1641750907683000&usg=AOvVaw1C60CtSAbxvZ8DugmnAlRs" href="https://news.weill.cornell.edu/news/2021/06/dr-sallie-permar%E2%80%99s-work-protecting-mothers-infants-from-hiv-cmv-lands-her-among-%E2%80%98giants" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Dr. Sallie Permar’s Work Protecting Mothers, Infants from HIV, CMV Lands Her Among ‘Giants</a>’, <span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Weill Cornell Medicine, 2021). </span></div></span></li><li style="color: #222222; margin-left: 15px;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent;"><b>Sunil K. Sood, M.D.</b>, Chair of Pediatrics, South Shore University Hospital, Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases, Cohen Children's Medical Center and Professor, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. He stated, "Since young children commonly carry CMV, pregnant women and women planning pregnancies should take extra care to avoid urine and saliva from young children” (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/what-is-cytomegalovirus-and-how-can-it-be-treated&source=gmail&ust=1641750907683000&usg=AOvVaw29f3ok6KAik859T2grsZwB" href="https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/what-is-cytomegalovirus-and-how-can-it-be-treated" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">NYMetroParents, 2016</a><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent;">).</span></span></div></li></ol><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span style="color: #222222;">NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS</span><br /></span><ul><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><b>U.S. Congress: </b>"</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">Recommends that more effort be taken to counsel women of childbearing age of the effect this virus can have on their children"</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">(</span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-resolution/215">https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/senate-resolution/215</a>).</span></li><li style="color: #222222; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent;"><b>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention </b>(CDC) -<b> "</b></span><span style="color: black;">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.</span><span style="color: black;"> " (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/congenital-infection.html&source=gmail&ust=1641750907567000&usg=AOvVaw2SoVApwVitT38ZbXrYefF_" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/congenital-infection.html" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/<wbr></wbr>congenital-infection.html</a>)</span></li><li style="color: #222222; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Occupational Safety and Health Administration</b> (OSHA) recognizes CMV as a “hazard” for childcare workers (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/hazards&source=gmail&ust=1641750907567000&usg=AOvVaw0DsSIHhD9t0Lk1F6-t2Gsw" href="https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/hazards" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.osha.gov/<wbr></wbr>cytomegalovirus/hazards</a>).</span></li><span style="color: #500050;"><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: #555544;"><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><b>American Academy of Pediatrics </b>(AAP): “Staff of childbearing age who care for infants and children should be provided the following information...The availability of counseling and testing for serum antibody to CMV to determine the caregiver/teacher’s immune status...child care staff members should receive counseling in regard to the risks of acquiring CMV from their primary health care provider. However, 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” (AAP et al., 2017, https://</span></span></span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1&source=gmail&ust=1641750907567000&usg=AOvVaw0CT3sq0K1W1Lx0TjCldSWZ" href="http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="color: navy;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">nrckids.org/CFOC/<wbr></wbr>Database/7.7.1.1</span></u></span></span></a><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal;"><span style="color: #555544;"><span style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">). </span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://d3knp61p33sjvn.cloudfront.net/2015/01/AAP_Model_Child_Care_Health_Policies.pdf.pdf" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Model Child Care Health Policies</a> includes a <span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: transparent; color: #555544;">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).</span></span></li></span><li style="color: #222222; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists </b><span face="arial, sans-serif">(ACOG) - </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">“</span><span face="arial, sans-serif">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...(<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/reducing-risks-of-birth-defects&source=gmail&ust=1641750907567000&usg=AOvVaw1iXV-Fk2Pd74NCPLEBdBxV" href="https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/reducing-risks-of-birth-defects" style="color: navy;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><u>https://www.acog.<wbr></wbr>org/womens-health/faqs/<wbr></wbr>reducing-risks-of-birth-<wbr></wbr>defects</u></span></a> ).</span><br /></span></li><li style="color: #222222; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>March of Dimes</b> - "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." (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/cytomegalovirus-and-pregnancy.aspx&source=gmail&ust=1641750907567000&usg=AOvVaw0uLiAPpngSvpFPwwzYtqZY" href="https://www.marchofdimes.org/complications/cytomegalovirus-and-pregnancy.aspx" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr></wbr>marchofdimes.org/<wbr></wbr>complications/cytomegalovirus-<wbr></wbr>and-pregnancy.aspx</a>)</span></li><li style="color: #222222; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b>National CMV Foundation </b>- "</span>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." <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationalcmv.org/about-us/advocacy&source=gmail&ust=1641750907567000&usg=AOvVaw3pGB9eHC_PSZlRnXneENn-" href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/about-us/advocacy" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr></wbr>nationalcmv.org/about-us/<wbr></wbr>advocacy</a> </span>Wall Poster “Are You Pregnant?”:<br style="color: black; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;" /><a href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/NCMVF/media/ncmvf/download-content/CMV_Awareness-Flyer_11x17.pdf?ext=.pdf" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.nationalcmv.org/NCMVF/media/ncmvf/download-content/CMV_Awareness-Flyer_11x17.pdf?ext=.pdf</a></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="color: #222222;"><b>Congenital CMV Disease Research Clinic & Registry - </b>"Our mission is to provide continuous research on the biology, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, methods to diagnose treatment and prevention of congenital CMV disease as well as to raise public awareness of the life-long impact it may have. We also strive to improve the quality of life of children through prevention of disease by providing community resources and a parent support worldwide network." Dr. Gail J. Demmler Harrison</span></li><li style="color: #222222; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;"><b>National Association for the Education of Young Children</b> and its document, “</span><a href="https://url.emailprotection.link/?btQZGdFI9IaRmmbtTohIW-BJ5VXDQDRGvHlpGVQsEepUtjDlljr41HWww4pryO58AZSnhM4QrqaLSJ_hV4afcf3bswEgQGAelA1irPctyw3DjyvRIvBSD5bHQ91LwR-AkAzS0ufVQPlzZrWNNuuodWhEx51WqiqFXk93pEjnWQd7xkeBpm02tEzivcdmSI6fxk0_bgaO88zwxu3MHG46gMQ~~" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and Accreditation Criteria & Guidance for Assessment</a><span style="color: black;">,” acknowledges the need to "reduce occupational hazards such as infectious diseases (e.g., exposure of pregnant staff to CMV…)”p.90.</span></span></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><b>ChildCare Aware of America: </b></span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">"i</span><span><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;">f you are a childcare worker, a nursery volunteer, or have a toddler in child care, you need to know about cytomegalovirus (CMV)." (</span></span><a href="https://info.childcareaware.org/blog/the-danger-of-spreading-cmv-how-we-we-can-protect-our-children" style="background: transparent; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre;"><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Danger of Spreading CMV: How We Can Protect Our Children</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> (June 2017).</span></span></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://www.groupbstrepinternational.org/how-can-i-help-protect-my-baby-from-cmv.html">Group B Strep International</a>: "Are you pregnant or plan to be and have a toddler in group care or work/volunteer in early childhood education or daycare? If you don’t know about your increased exposure to cytomegalovirus (CMV), you should."</span></span></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: arial; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/viewer.html?pdfurl=https%3A%2F%2Fmothertobaby.org%2Ffact-sheets%2Fcytomegalovirus-cmv-pregnancy%2Fpdf%2F%23%3A~%3Atext%3DWhat%2520is%2520cytomegalovirus%2520(CMV)%253F%2Cwhen%2520they%2520are%2520first%2520infected.&clen=87495&chunk=true">MotherToBaby</a>.org: "Close contact with children less than three years old, such as in daycare settings, is a common way to become infected with CMV."</span></span></li><li style="margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="white-space: pre-wrap;"><a href="https://nowiknowcmv.com/?fbclid=IwAR34nKxp2O7HBTVog-vLC3fjiHE2EsoTrA2ht1jkKEdE1p7aHrRUZmi3OJ0">Moderna</a>: "Moms-to-be should talk to their doctors about CMV and take precautions." </span></span></li></ul></div><p><span face="Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">For more information about CMV as an occupational hazard, contact: </span></p><p><b style="font-family: arial;">Nellie Brown, MS, CIH</b><span style="font-family: arial;">, Director of Workplace Health & Safety Programs, Lead Programs Manager, Certified Industrial Hygienist, ILR Outreach Statewide, ILR School, Cornell University. She </span><span style="color: #1f497d; font-family: arial;">authored and presented: </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">"</span>Occupational Exposure to Cytomegalovirus (CMV): Preventing Exposure in Child Care and Educational Settings, Including OSHA Advisories<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">" (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/73040&source=gmail&ust=1641750907717000&usg=AOvVaw1fyzi8FnVngllLoD3bL-h2" href="https://ecommons.cornell.edu/handle/1813/73040" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial;" target="_blank">https://ecommons.cornell.edu/<wbr></wbr>handle/1813/73040</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">). </span></p><p><span face="Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;">The following is my "Letter of Support," which you are welcome to revise:</span></p><p><span face="Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.17in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>Memo
of Support</b></span></span><br />
</p><p align="center" style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.17in;">
“<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><b>Elizabeth’s
Law”</b></span></span></p><p align="center" style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.17in;">
<a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560"><span style="color: navy;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><u>A7560</u></span></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><u>
(Rosenthal. L.) / </u></span></span><span style="color: navy;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><u>S6287A</u></span></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><u>
(Mannion, J.)</u></span></span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.17in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><i>Named in memory of Elizabeth Saunders, born with a severely damaged brain to a licensed child care provider and mother of a toddler uneducated about her risk for cytomegalovirus (CMV). "Elizabeth's Law" requires the education of pregnant women and child care providers about CMV prevention. <br /></i></span></span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.17in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>TITLE:
</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">AN
ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to requiring child
care providers to be trained on the impacts and dangers of congenital
cytomegalovirus infection and the treatments and methods of
prevention of cytomegalovirus infection; and to amend the public
health law, in relation to requiring certain physicians to distribute
informational materials concerning cytomegalovirus.</span></span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.17in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>PROBLEM:
</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Congenital
Cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is acquired </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i>in
utero</i></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
and can result in serious birth defects in the baby. cCMV is the most
common congenital (present from birth) infection in the U.S. About 1
in every 200 babies is born with a cCMV infection. Of these babies,
around 1 in 5 will have long-term health problems</span></span><sup><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">i</span></span></sup><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
such as hearing and vision loss, microcephaly (small head),
developmental and motor delays, and seizures (CDC).</span></span><sup><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">ii</span></span></sup></p><ul>
<li><p align="left" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">In
New York, every year an estimated 222 babies are born permanently
disabled by cCMV </span></span><sup><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">iii</span></span></sup></p>
</li><li><p align="left" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">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...(American College of Obstetricians and
Gynecologists (ACOG)).</span></span></p>
</li><li><p align="left" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Pregnant
women with young children at home also are at risk and should take
these steps”(ACOG)).</span></span><sup><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">iv</span></span></sup></p>
</li><li><p align="left" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Nearly
half of women have been infected with CMV before their first
pregnancy. Of women who have never had a CMV infection, it is
estimated that 1 to 4% of them will be infected during pregnancy.”</span></span><sup><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">v</span></span></sup></p>
</li><li><p align="left" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">OSHA
recognizes CMV as a “hazard” for childcare workers</span></span><a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#m_8346946043903610120_m_7428650466241024211_sdendnote6sym"><span style="color: navy;"><sup><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><u>vi</u></span></span></sup></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) states, “With regard
to child-to-staff transmission, studies have shown increased rates
of infection with CMV in caregivers/teachers ranging from 8% to
20%.”</span></span><sup><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">vii</span></span></sup></p>
</li><li><p align="left" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Women
who have young children in group child care are at an increased risk
for CMV.</span></span><sup><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">viii</span></span></sup><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
</span></span>
</p>
</li><li><p align="left" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Racial
and ethnic minorities are at higher risk for CMV.</span></span><sup><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">ix</span></span></sup></p>
</li><li><p align="left" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
“<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">The
risk of CMV infection in hospital workers is not greater than it is
in others in the community and is probably low because of careful
hand washing practices. In daycare centers, where hand washing
practices may not be as good, there may be a greater risk of
infection.”</span></span><sup><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">x</span></span></sup></p>
</li><li><p align="left" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0.14in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>cCMV
is largely preventable, but 91% of women do not know about the
disease or prevention.</b></span></span><sup><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>xi</b></span></span></sup><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>
</b></span></span>
</p>
</li></ul><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-top: 0.06in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>SOLUTION</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">:
“You may be able to lessen your risk of getting CMV by reducing
contact with saliva and urine from babies and young children. The
saliva and urine of children with CMV have high amounts of the virus.
You can avoid getting a child’s saliva in your mouth by, for
example, not sharing food, utensils, or cups with a child. Also, you
should wash your hands after changing diapers.”</span></span><sup><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">xii</span></span></sup></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-top: 0.06in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>SUPPORT</b></span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
</span></span><a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><u>A7560</u></span></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">
/ S6287A, “Elizabeth’s Law” </span></span>
</p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-top: 0.06in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">Dr.
Howard A. Zuckers, New York State Commissioner of Health, stated, "</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><i>it
is imperative that we give women of reproductive age the information
they need to make informed decisions for themselves and their
families.”</i></span></span><sup><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">xiii </span></span></sup></p><p align="center" style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.17in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><b>Supporters
of cCMV prevention: CDC, OSHA, AAP, ACOG and NY Commissioner of
Health. The NY Senate/Assembly proclaimed June 2021 Cytomegalovirus
Awareness Month. Utah and Idaho have cCMV legislation accompanied by
ongoing funding. The NY Senate passed “Elizabeth’s Law” in
2021</b></span></span><span style="font-size: 10pt;">.</span></p><p align="center" style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.17in;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif; text-align: -webkit-left;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">To learn more, contact me, Lisa Saunders of NY Stop CMV, at </span></span><span style="color: #1155cc; text-align: -webkit-left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">LisaSaunders42@gmail.com.</span></span></span></p><p align="center" style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.17in;"><b style="font-family: Arial, serif; font-size: 9pt; text-align: left;">REFERENCES</b></p><p align="center" style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.17in;">
<br />
</p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">i
</span></span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/awareness-month.html"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><u>https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/awareness-month.html</u></span></span></span></a></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">ii
</span></span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/congenital-infection.html"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><u>https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/congenital-infection.html</u></span></span></span></a></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">iii
In 2019, 221,539 babies were born in NY, with an estimated 1,108 born
with cCMV. Using CDC’s averages, 222 of those babies were born
permanently disabled from cCMV.</span></span></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">iv
</span></span><a href="https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/reducing-risks-of-birth-defects"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><u>https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/reducing-risks-of-birth-defects</u></span></span></span></a></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">v
</span></span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/clinical/overview.html"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><u>https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/clinical/overview.html</u></span></span></span></a></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">vi
</span></span><a href="https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/hazards"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><u>https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/hazards</u></span></span></span></a></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">vii
https://</span></span><a href="http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><u>nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1</u></span></span></span></a></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">viii
</span></span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3046747/"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><u>https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3046747/</u></span></span></span></a></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">ix
</span></span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29784513/"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><u>https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29784513/</u></span></span></span></a></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">x
</span></span><a href="https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/cytomegalovirus/fact_sheet.htm"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><u>https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/cytomegalovirus/fact_sheet.htm</u></span></span></span></a></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">xi
</span></span><a href="https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/jehdi/vol1/iss2/6/"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><u>https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/jehdi/vol1/iss2/6/</u></span></span></span></a></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">xii
</span></span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/fact-sheets/parents-pregnant-women.html"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><u>https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/fact-sheets/parents-pregnant-women.html</u></span></span></span></a></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">xiii
</span></span><a href="https://health.ny.gov/commissioner/letters/docs/2018-08.pdf"><span style="color: #1155cc;"><span style="font-family: Arial, serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><u>https://health.ny.gov/commissioner/letters/docs/2018-08.pdf</u></span></span></span></a></p><p align="left" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</p><p>
</p><p align="center" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">If you are an individual living in New York who would like your legislator to vote in favor if the bill, you may revise this statement: </p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><i><span style="font-family: arial;">My name is ____and I live in your district on ______ St/Rd/Ln in the Town of _____. I would like you co-sponsor Assembly Bill A7560, named "Elizabeth's Law", in memory of a girl who died in New York, to ensure pregnant women and child care providers are educated on how to protect their pregnancies from the leading viral cause of birth defects, cytomegalovirus or CMV. Many new mothers are stunned to learn their child's brain damage, vision or hearing loss might have been prevented had they known the precautions to take around the toddlers in their care just prior to or during her pregnancy. As you may be aware, the New York Assembly and Senate proclaimed June 2021 as Cytomegalovirus Awareness Month, stating, that "It is imperative that women are educated about the virus itself and simple preventative measures, such as not sharing food with toddlers, and washing one's hands after changing infants and toddlers diapers..." The CDC has a lot of information about this preventable disease at: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://cdc.gov/cmv&source=gmail&ust=1641750905776000&usg=AOvVaw0ouWtKBM223sTYQarKeaHH" href="http://cdc.gov/cmv" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">cdc.gov/cmv</a>.</span></i></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;">ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE BILL:</span><div style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><i><span style="font-family: arial;"><span>Assembly Bill A7560 states that it is </span><span style="color: black;">"</span><span>AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to requiring child care providers to be trained on the impacts and dangers of congenital cytomegalovirus infection and the treatments and methods of prevention of cytomegalovirus infection; and to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring certain physicians to distribute informational materials concerning cytomegalovirus</span> ...<span>The </span><span>commiss<wbr></wbr>ioner shall distribute such cytomegalovirus informational materials to licensed physicians who practice obstetric and/or gynecology in this state. Such physicians shall provide such informational material to each pregnant patient during such patient's first appointment with such physician. Such physician shall also discuss the risks associated with and the transmission of cytomegalovirus with such patient."</span></span></i></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /><span>Thank you in advance for your help.</span><br /></span></div></div><div style="background-color: white; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span><span style="font-family: arial;">[name, address, phone number]</span></span></div><p align="center" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p align="center" style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b>Never heard of CMV? You are not alone. Here are six possible reasons why:</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1) CMV prevention education is not "part of standard prenatal care” (Washington Post, "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid%3DIwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA&source=gmail&ust=1641755745464000&usg=AOvVaw1NBMp0Y0cWYfvWOyQ4m4h5" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid=IwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How a common, often harmless virus called cytomegalovirus can damage a fetus,</a>" May 15, 2021.)</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2) Doctors don’t want to frighten, worry or “burden” patients. New York <wbr></wbr>Times: "The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists [ACOG] used to encourage counseling for pregnant women on how to avoid CMV. But [ in 2015], the college reversed course...Guidelines from ACOG suggest that pregnant women will find CMV prevention 'impractical and burdensome,' especially if they are told not to kiss their toddlers on the mouth — a possible route of transmission.” (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html&source=gmail&ust=1641755745464000&usg=AOvVaw0mvEWEeOnGD1cOxeDCX59-" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Saint Louis, 2016</a>). </span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3)"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” (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/5/70&source=gmail&ust=1641755745464000&usg=AOvVaw1RBpMIoIpq31NYqNkacv5D" href="http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/5/70" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Cannon and Davis, 2005</a>).</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4) Medical training downplays the dangers. Pediatrician Megan Pesch, M.D., of the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, whose third daughter was born with congenital CMV and a progressive hearing loss, 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...I waver between feeling guilty and feeling furious. I have spent — how many years of my life in developmental pediatrics? — how could I not have known?”(Washington Post, "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid%3DIwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA&source=gmail&ust=1641755745464000&usg=AOvVaw1NBMp0Y0cWYfvWOyQ4m4h5" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid=IwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How a common, often harmless virus called cytomegalovirus can damage a fetus,</a>" May 15, 2021.) </span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5) Low media coverage. In the HealthNewsReview.org article, "Why does CMV get so much less news coverage than Zika — despite causing far more birth defects?" the author states, “Researchers we spoke with identified the same factors – fear and the epidemic/endemic nature of the diseases – as driving the media disparity” (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.healthnewsreview.org/2018/02/cmv-get-much-less-news-coverage-zika-despite-causing-far-birth-defects/&source=gmail&ust=1641755745464000&usg=AOvVaw0hqAKgKOGQ-9IwUJFgd5_Z" href="https://www.healthnewsreview.org/2018/02/cmv-get-much-less-news-coverage-zika-despite-causing-far-birth-defects/" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Shipman, 2018</a>). </span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6) Although U.S. workers have the right to “receive information and training about hazards” (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3021.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1641755745464000&usg=AOvVaw2dXV5sD45dZBUecyDp_bN3" href="https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3021.pdf" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970</a>), there are no federal laws governing CMV education policies for child care workers. The <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm&source=gmail&ust=1641755745464000&usg=AOvVaw2oknPa1PWJAKQW5lyAcqJb" href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Department of Labor</a> states, "Education and training requirements vary by setting, state, and employer." The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) lists CMV as a "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/cmv/hazards.html&source=gmail&ust=1641755745464000&usg=AOvVaw08x1-V6j7Fud2DtEL7KZIF" href="http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/cmv/hazards.html" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Recognized Hazard</a>," yet recent surveys show that most child care providers do not know about CMV and many acknowledge using diaper wipes to clean hands instead of following proper protocols <span style="color: black; text-align: justify;">(</span>Thackeray and Magnusson, 2016<span style="color: black; text-align: justify;">)</span>. Diaper wipes do not effectively remove CMV from hands (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://url.emailprotection.link/?bVRldvZD80sA4OK5oabCqi17Qk808gTpt7wAyaCA_QJHKT-h9jYm65eD8W-XDzQF3T9cGeINS6YHuPRJ_hVOrcSRy2DZoflMlweFN3Nc2KHTwKocIVTFX5hhTCUXECXjN&source=gmail&ust=1641755745464000&usg=AOvVaw2Q39Pjk6IAZ0WeEs4WxA7I" href="https://url.emailprotection.link/?bVRldvZD80sA4OK5oabCqi17Qk808gTpt7wAyaCA_QJHKT-h9jYm65eD8W-XDzQF3T9cGeINS6YHuPRJ_hVOrcSRy2DZoflMlweFN3Nc2KHTwKocIVTFX5hhTCUXECXjN" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Stowell et al., 2014</a>). </span></p><p><span face="Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p><p><span face="Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p><p align="center" style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0in;">Relevant Media Coverage</p><p align="center" style="line-height: 16px; margin-bottom: 0in;"><br /></p><p><span face="Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #555544;"><div style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px; padding-left: 70px; padding-right: 70px; word-break: break-word;"><ul><li><em style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;">Eagle Newsroom</em>, "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://eaglenewsonline.com/new/government/2021/12/14/baldwinsville-couple-advocates-for-elizabeths-law-to-stop-cytomegalovirus/?swcfpc%3D1&source=gmail&ust=1641750907683000&usg=AOvVaw2wHl1Gjwps-mCk34gmirJf" href="https://eaglenewsonline.com/new/government/2021/12/14/baldwinsville-couple-advocates-for-elizabeths-law-to-stop-cytomegalovirus/?swcfpc=1" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Baldwinsville couple advocates for 'Elizabeth's Law' to stop cytomegalovirus:Bill named in memory of their daughter</a>," Dec. 14, 2021.</li><li><em style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;">Spectrum News:</em> "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u%3Dhttps-3A__spectrumlocalnews.com_nys_central-2Dny_news_2021_07_01_couple-2Dpushes-2Dfor-2Dlaw-2Din-2Dmemory-2Dof-2Dtheir-2Ddaughter%26d%3DDwMFaQ%26c%3Dlb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s%26r%3DpkXq5tTqZ16kUqCiAkfDtxw4XPpjnlYO0qLoHC87C_g%26m%3D-yDpIc0HZ0CNZh6J4hWCnqKorSWxwSVhDa5EKMHjVlo%26s%3DbCY96TfzRArglBKba-Qxc81LdIrxcy40D0FMxrPkY-8%26e%3D&source=gmail&ust=1641750907683000&usg=AOvVaw0TYeyHxCjoGFhgZJ5TS8f6" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__spectrumlocalnews.com_nys_central-2Dny_news_2021_07_01_couple-2Dpushes-2Dfor-2Dlaw-2Din-2Dmemory-2Dof-2Dtheir-2Ddaughter&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=pkXq5tTqZ16kUqCiAkfDtxw4XPpjnlYO0qLoHC87C_g&m=-yDpIc0HZ0CNZh6J4hWCnqKorSWxwSVhDa5EKMHjVlo&s=bCY96TfzRArglBKba-Qxc81LdIrxcy40D0FMxrPkY-8&e=" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Couple pushes for law in memory of their daughter</a>" by Jessica Houghtaling (Jul. 01, 2021). Includes interview with Dr. Sunil Sood.)</li><li>Finger Lakes Times, "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.fltimes.com/news/trail-of-hope-celebration-in-lyons-marks-cmv-month-in-new-york/article_09c0f4b7-a777-5501-b346-f85ffa4cfd83.html&source=gmail&ust=1641750907684000&usg=AOvVaw1fePn0mooCRdcH7vNANZZm" href="https://www.fltimes.com/news/trail-of-hope-celebration-in-lyons-marks-cmv-month-in-new-york/article_09c0f4b7-a777-5501-b346-f85ffa4cfd83.html" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Trail of Hope celebration in Lyons marks CMV Month in New York</a>", Steve Buchiere (Jun 11, 2021).</li><li>Music video: "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DdUEQmKrG354%26authuser%3D0&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNGxpxqJZdMAe0ifV6hdLnqMPJEaMw" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUEQmKrG354&authuser=0" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; font-family: arial; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Had I Known [about CMV], Lyrics and Music by Debra Lynn Alt</a><span style="font-family: arial;">," produced by Mark De Cracker (June 2021).</span></li><li>Finger Lakes Times: "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.fltimes.com/news/making-a-difference-couple-brings-awareness-to-threat-to-infant-health-cmv/article_37dac9f5-6991-5f9e-9e10-98de4f4ab216.htm&source=gmail&ust=1641750907684000&usg=AOvVaw3NBHEVnejiGONO4d0zFaCx" href="https://www.fltimes.com/news/making-a-difference-couple-brings-awareness-to-threat-to-infant-health-cmv/article_37dac9f5-6991-5f9e-9e10-98de4f4ab216.htm" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Couple brings awareness to threat to infant health: CMV</a>", Steve Buchiere (June 4, 2021).</li><li><span style="color: #500050;">The Citizen: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html&source=gmail&ust=1641750907684000&usg=AOvVaw0rZEdiFe15DXe42ddhto_4" href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">"</a><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html&source=gmail&ust=1641750907684000&usg=AOvVaw0rZEdiFe15DXe42ddhto_4" href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">NY Senate passes bill, named for CNY couple's daughter, to boost CMV awareness</a><span style="color: #500050;">", Robert Harding (June 2, 2121).</span></li><li>Syracuse Woman magazine, "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://issuu.com/eaglenewsonline/docs/swm-may-2021-web-pages/28&source=gmail&ust=1641750907684000&usg=AOvVaw2POCyieTRVIMeAuuMB_20Z" href="https://issuu.com/eaglenewsonline/docs/swm-may-2021-web-pages/28" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Fighting CMV One Step at a Time (p.28)</a>", Emma Vallelunga (May 2021) (p.29 image of<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ICRACl-Uo-bnh8PIQGc_iFb58Styit-F/view&source=gmail&ust=1641750907684000&usg=AOvVaw1RtOrWmxTDpiDSi694Ib1w" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ICRACl-Uo-bnh8PIQGc_iFb58Styit-F/view" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank"> Stop CMV hand, rock and shirt</a>)</li><li>The Citizen: "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elizabeths-law-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-would-boost-cmv-awareness/article_20ae2419-1868-546c-b2c8-71a5de2f84f1.html&source=gmail&ust=1641750907684000&usg=AOvVaw0J_gTbl6ZRi16pauQ4TnoL" href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elizabeths-law-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-would-boost-cmv-awareness/article_20ae2419-1868-546c-b2c8-71a5de2f84f1.html" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">'Elizabeth's law,' named for CNY couple's daughter, would boost CMV awareness</a>", Robert Harding (May 4,2021)</li><li>The Citizen, "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/challenge-for-change-auburn-native-walking-canal-trail-to-raise-virus-awareness/article_6840628a-968a-567e-a1bf-6b59f58dae3f.html?fbclid%3DIwAR1q7PErZwWZ6dRIbpmJ25HphGSkO5Tf2cn34fV2MiwpT1zAltbgTy7dbtM&source=gmail&ust=1641750907684000&usg=AOvVaw3PBAe36JeUMJxIpIsh83PE" href="https://auburnpub.com/challenge-for-change-auburn-native-walking-canal-trail-to-raise-virus-awareness/article_6840628a-968a-567e-a1bf-6b59f58dae3f.html?fbclid=IwAR1q7PErZwWZ6dRIbpmJ25HphGSkO5Tf2cn34fV2MiwpT1zAltbgTy7dbtM" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Challenge for Change: Walking across NY to raise awareness of CMV</a>", David Wilcox (Mar 31, 2021)</li><li>PAC-B TV: "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA&source=gmail&ust=1641750907684000&usg=AOvVaw1H-vjx38mtI2qNk9zCaRZb" href="https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Did You Know? - CytoMegaloVirus (CMV) - What Moms Wished They Knew</a>" (Lisa Saunders interviews moms Angela and Brandi, May 7, 2021).</li><li>New York Times, "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html&source=gmail&ust=1641750907684000&usg=AOvVaw2swaNBRZBy0R03Qv24G6kA" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">CMV Is a Greater Threat to Infants Than Zika, but Far Less Often Discusse</a>d" By Catherine Saint Louis (Oct. 24, 2016).</li><li>NYMetroParents, "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/what-is-cytomegalovirus-and-how-can-it-be-treated&source=gmail&ust=1641750907684000&usg=AOvVaw3EW34gG7r82WR-oJF05Rsn" href="https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/what-is-cytomegalovirus-and-how-can-it-be-treated" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Could CMV Be the Cause of My Baby's Failed Hearing Test?</a>"(Sunil K. Sood, M.D., Chair of Pediatrics, South Shore University Hospital, Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases, Cohen Children's Medical Center and Professor, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, March 21, 2016).</li><li>Times Herald Record: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.recordonline.com/article/20090121/HEALTH/901210313&source=gmail&ust=1641750907684000&usg=AOvVaw3nBHVvbLMie3uxatwUSM7j" href="https://www.recordonline.com/article/20090121/HEALTH/901210313" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">What every pregnant woman needs to know</a>, Deborah J. Botti (2009)</li><li>CMV LAW PASSED IN CT </li><li>Cornell Alumni Magazine: "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://cornellalumnimagazine.com/index.php?option%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26id%3D2235%26Itemid%3D1%26ed%3D49&source=gmail&ust=1641750907684000&usg=AOvVaw3VHNbOiClfbka1rU7CpYcS" href="https://cornellalumnimagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2235&Itemid=1&ed=49" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">In Memory of Elizabeth</a>: Her daughter's death from a preventable disability spurs Lisa Avazian Saunders '82 into action," Alexandra Bond (Sept/Oct 2015).</li></ul></div></span></div><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0.1in; margin-top: 5px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0.1in; margin-top: 5px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0.1in; margin-top: 5px;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Ten Reasons Why Caregivers/Teachers Must be Educated About CMV</span></b></span></p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 15.86px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.06in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial;">1) According to OSHA, CMV is a "Recognized Hazard". OSHA states that all workers have the right to “receive information and training on job hazards, including all hazardous substances in your workplace.” OSHA and CMV: "Childcare jobs may involve contact with children infected with CMV or their saliva, nasal secretions, or excrement. CMV is spread through exposure to infected body fluids. Since a person with CMV may show no symptoms, childcare workers should utilize proper handwashing and sanitization procedures. Childcare workers should also use personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves, to help prevent exposure to body fluids” (<a href="https://url.emailprotection.link/?bV1lOLmqMB1OIwir6MopC6SqWeKVq9PMUb3Spg8fqBzlJC5-ro1ruvrfXQB18LX0rqosldkaHz1B5NBlBV8eKvhvXr7oCR8bUOGDJxa1uv_gxK35jBwOwn9KIseUneYII" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">www.osha.gov/SLTC/cmv/hazards.html</a>).</span></span></p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 15.86px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.06in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 15.86px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.06in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2) CMV is a viral infection that is common in children. Up to 70% of children ages 1-3 years in group care settings excrete CMV. The New York Health Department website states, "In daycare centers, where hand washing practices may not be as good, there may be a greater risk of infection...Pregnant women working in child care facilities should minimize direct exposure to saliva and avoid kissing babies or young children on the mouth. Hugging is fine and is not a risk factor...." Information is provided in English and Spanish at: <a href="https://url.emailprotection.link/?b2Z3garGy2-92sUSBGeDDH9h-toMhMHrLxK5Zyv0oJ-e8G3sIg8-aX-7a5WyxI6QNKw6PB4lk1j_laZyl0Vg6j7VgMz-hLme1I064W6397bSKAjMugmK6MRJs4nXj2qar" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/cytomegalovirus/fact_sheet.htm</a></span></span></span></p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 15.86px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.06in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 15.86px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.06in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"></span></span></p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 15.86px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.06in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial;">3) <a href="https://url.emailprotection.link/?bKvW1M5IYIvWn0DZNbLskronCBsz2KbqJGvi2xRfOw414hgLUPncg3drMk0zAf0JaZPjkahy97g717LKlWCAQj-DpbEdx0frv3H3-1TfBPrOSBv_p1fThI-P7lCAOQra-" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">HOWARD A. ZUCKER, M.D., J.D</a> ,Commissioner of Health for New York, stated: "According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), female workers of reproductive age in child care centers should be educated on CMV and its potential risks, and should have access to appropriate hygiene measures to minimize occupationally-acquired infection " (<a href="https://url.emailprotection.link/?bGzuWnRAZEUKsPJ94gBfGkF_7hBde-P2cpzrLooMkXypu0YqsXRhIItL1hBAPqdeDgxt3y-RcAdeeaQ42OeIKnrI3LeaKBOMgn3cyERdW83gOFekGVLgTN6VINchO1QXf" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">August 2018</a>).</span></span></p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 15.86px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.06in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 15.86px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.06in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">4) American Academy of Pediatrics states: “Child care staff members should receive counseling in regard to the risks of acquiring CMV from their primary health care provider. However, 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” (<a href="https://url.emailprotection.link/?b3c7gvCq_tH7tjvX7OKPumcb2D_xQ2l0Jx3Lm0tV-n6s-DBJEeQdiBrcEhe9pLX0oavmnRnI11J3xUuPhbUdcocZbklWFGnmrOx_iuDDK1IWzVu5Qplr8Q1Pak_0BnzZU" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Staff Education and Policies on Cytomegalovirus (CMV)</a>, "</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><i>Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards; Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs", </i></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">American Academy of Pediatrics et al.</span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><i>).</i></span></span></p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 15.86px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.06in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 15.86px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.06in;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial;">5) Approximately 1 in 200 children are born in the U.S. with congenital CMV. The impact on the fetus may include deafness, blindness, cerebral palsy, developmental disabilities, seizures and even death (<a href="https://url.emailprotection.link/?b7UxFZtbXSguJEOzMZLLWSoG899MlDYNFBHz98edyW_mH6nXT9m4Bi9gWTqS5xAgHa1GrNW464G5zYq1lm9cvMA~~" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">www.cdc.gov/cmv</a>). Congenital cytomegalovirus is a more common cause of disabilities than Zika, Down syndrome and fetal alcohol syndrome. CMV is the <a href="https://url.emailprotection.link/?bNidaHtdYwDMYkpbeQeR2A64IPUnVDtBaYzzPkVe5Rc5RrITfjzNM29toRFuiYyGRPOPF7SIqsS0R0JGtEGjB8mVRUP-CxcM8kZWCPLghBczKVU_aEiFrdvsVFfc_Q3Ck" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">leading viral cause of birth defects</a> ("Cytomegalovirus Infection in Pregnancy: Should All Women Be Screened?", Carlson et al., 2010).</span></span></p><p align="justify" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 15.86px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.06in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 15.86px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.06in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">6) Free CMV educational tools available: </span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/index.html" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><u><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">CDC</span></u></span></span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> has flyers in English and Spanish.<a href="https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/conference/45/" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Cornell University</a></span></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><u><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> </span></u></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">and the<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9MFAEYVuLs&feature=emb_logo" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></span></span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9MFAEYVuLs&feature=emb_logo" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><u><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">University of Connecticut</span></u></span></span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"> provide training videos. (A great Link to CMV resources:<a href="https://cmvmass.org/workplace-prevention-for-employers/" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;"> </a></span></span><a href="https://cmvmass.org/workplace-prevention-for-employers/" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><u><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">https://cmvmass.org/workplace-prevention-for-employers/</span></u></span></span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif">)</span></span></p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 15.86px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.06in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p align="justify" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 15.86px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.06in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">7) Recent surveys show that most child care providers do not know about CMV and many acknowledge using diaper wipes to clean hands instead of following proper protocols (Thackeray and Magnusson, 2016). Diaper wipes do not effectively remove CMV from hands (<a href="https://url.emailprotection.link/?bVRldvZD80sA4OK5oabCqi17Qk808gTpt7wAyaCA_QJHKT-h9jYm65eD8W-XDzQF3T9cGeINS6YHuPRJ_hVOrcSRy2DZoflMlweFN3Nc2KHTwKocIVTFX5hhTCUXECXjN" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Stowell et al., 2014</a>). </span><span face="Arial, sans-serif">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).</span></span></p><p align="justify" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 15.86px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.06in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 15.86px; margin-bottom: 0.17in; margin-top: 0.06in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial;">8) Child care providers serving children receiving assistance through the Child Care and Development Fund program must receive training on topics covered by the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014. “Caregivers and teachers are required to be educated regarding Standard Precautions [developed by CDC] before beginning to work in the program and annually thereafter. For center-based care, training should comply with requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)” (<a href="https://url.emailprotection.link/?bdBKq4YyOl2me67pU67H45eyhaJMjQUN9B3LwHG2NrOqb3RWu2YUEpimOGdIHX0SLMCGiJEUE5YUYncTLnbWas3DKDBklm16HJ_3iwvpZWwuxNIZSsicTlYU5C6B-pfe64teaiMdsfslEK7-H7kLyY9uLkTKJg_ZyRaJTNA71ln8~" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Caring for Our Children Basics</a>).</span></span></span></p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 15.86px; margin-bottom: 0.17in; margin-top: 0.06in;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><span style="font-family: arial;">9) Child care providers accredited by National Association for the Education of Young Children should already be familiar with the document, “<a href="https://url.emailprotection.link/?btQZGdFI9IaRmmbtTohIW-BJ5VXDQDRGvHlpGVQsEepUtjDlljr41HWww4pryO58AZSnhM4QrqaLSJ_hV4afcf3bswEgQGAelA1irPctyw3DjyvRIvBSD5bHQ91LwR-AkAzS0ufVQPlzZrWNNuuodWhEx51WqiqFXk93pEjnWQd7xkeBpm02tEzivcdmSI6fxk0_bgaO88zwxu3MHG46gMQ~~" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and Accreditation Criteria & Guidance for Assessment</a>,” which acknowledges the need to "reduce occupational hazards such as infectious diseases (e.g., exposure of pregnant staff to CMV…)”</span></span></span></p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 15.86px; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-top: 0.06in;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif">10) Potential Cost of Not Warning Workers about CMV: In New South Wales, “a childcare worker and her severely disabled son were awarded $4.65 million. A Court of Appeal ruled that the child's disabilities resulted from the woman being infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV) at work (Hughes v SDN Children's services 2002)” (<a href="https://url.emailprotection.link/?bbwPeADzs7SHPtQESYGW6yr5gNXeBPrHx3WwyMOp09jos1J-K5Jkrl_cEpj9eluUQtj2T02fwxVfit5MeYSdu5eWT4jSob3te7aN2ZLqiD0KDj1ATfOtmeEO8YBVukYJkl9s39ngYngkMNX3qaox6Mnl-YOX1h7-ndncdO5ksb1FdvVcrLwaZJRCQybx8sQqAq7rhDRKwvSCEM7iCrkf06w~~" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Queensland Government, Australia, 2017</a>). Meridian Lawyers stated: "The allegations of negligence were that Sydney Day Nursery breached its duty of care to Linda ...by failing to warn her of the risks of CMV in circumstances where the centre </span><a href="http://www.meridianlawyers.com.au/insights/infectious-diseases-child-care-what-about-staff-members/" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif"><u><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial;">knew or ought to have known of the risks of CMV to pregnant women</span></u></span></span></a><span face="Arial, sans-serif">…"</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: arial;"></span></p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0.1in; margin-top: 5px; text-align: center;"><span class="im" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #500050; font-size: small;"><b>###</b></span></p><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0.1in; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="im" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #500050; font-size: small;"><b>Education, Elizabeth’s Law Assembly Bill A7560</b><br /><br /></span></p><ul style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><span class="im" style="color: #500050;"><li style="margin-left: 15px;">Requires child care providers to be trained on the impacts and dangers of congenital cytomegalovirus infection and the treatments and methods of prevention of cytomegalovirus infection</li><li style="margin-left: 15px;">Requires certain physicians to distribute informational materials concerning cytomegalovirus</li></span></ul><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0.1in; margin-top: 5px;"><br style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /><b style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Why We Need a CMV Education Law</b><br style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /></p><ul style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><li style="margin-left: 15px;">NY State Assembly proclaimed June CMV Awareness Month, stating, "CMV is also transmitted by contact with saliva and urine, often from diaper-wearing children to adults...It is difficult for mothers to protect themselves...especially if they are unaware of the virus itself..less than half of obstetrician-gynecologists tell pregnant patients how to avoid CMV...It is imperative that women are educated about the virus itself and simple preventative measures, such as not sharing food with toddlers, and washing one's hands after changing infants and toddlers diapers…”</li><li style="margin-left: 15px;">Education helps prevent CMV: Pregnant mothers “offered hygiene tips were much less likely to get CMV (5.9 percent) than those not given information on prevention (41.7 percent)” (New York Times).</li><li style="margin-left: 15px;">United States Congress: "Recommends that more effort be taken to counsel women of childbearing age of the effect this virus can have on their children"</li><li style="margin-left: 15px;">American Academy of Pediatrics: “child care staff members should receive counseling in regard to the risks of acquiring CMV from their primary health care provider. However, 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).</li><li style="margin-left: 15px;">Child Care Providers Unaware of CMV: Surveys show that most caregivers do not know about CMV and many acknowledge using diaper wipes to clean hands instead of following proper protocols (Thackeray and Magnusson, 2016). Diaper wipes do not effectively remove CMV from hands.</li><li style="margin-left: 15px;">OSHA: CMV is a "Recognized Hazard" for child care providers. Workers have the right to “receive information and training on job hazards...”</li><li style="margin-left: 15px;">New York Child Care Training: NY’s law for the training of childcare providers does not require education on CMV (or any particular illnesses). Yet because CMV can be so devastating to a pregnancy, NY Health Commissioner Dr. Zucker stated "female workers of reproductive age in child care centers should be educated on CMV and its potential risks..." ( 2018). Training already includes infection control, so CMV can be included there. CMV infections are often “silent,” meaning the person infected has no signs or symptoms. The AAP states, "Because this virus is so common in child care settings, exclusion of a CMV-infected child to reduce disease transmission has no benefit.”</li></ul><p style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 14.95px; margin-bottom: 0.1in; margin-top: 5px;">Additional notes for those in child care industry:</p><div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;">Child care providers would not need to identify or “recognize CMV”--especially since "Most infections with CMV are 'silent,' meaning the person infected has no signs or symptoms" (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u%3Dhttps-3A__www.bcm.edu_sites_default_files_2014_38_cmv-2Dinformational-2Dbrochure-2Denglish.pdf%26d%3DDwMFaQ%26c%3Dlb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s%26r%3DFrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4%26m%3Dolb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ%26s%3DOurPXEbXpcBFQmaWCDVqokN34sQOVHli7rKZRP3yEAM%26e%3D&source=gmail&ust=1643395494203000&usg=AOvVaw1eOLP4wfG2ooj2HfC6c7s3" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.bcm.edu_sites_default_files_2014_38_cmv-2Dinformational-2Dbrochure-2Denglish.pdf&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=FrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4&m=olb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ&s=OurPXEbXpcBFQmaWCDVqokN34sQOVHli7rKZRP3yEAM&e=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">National Congenital CMV Disease Registry</a>). Also, the American Academy of Pediatrics states that it is inappropriate to remove a child with known congenital CMV from the child care group--especially since so many are excreting it - "Because this virus is so common in child care settings, exclusion of a CMV-infected child to reduce disease transmission has no benefit: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u%3Dhttps-3A__www.pediatricandadolescentmedicine.net_Cytomegalovirus-2DCMV-2DInfection%26d%3DDwMFaQ%26c%3Dlb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s%26r%3DFrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4%26m%3Dolb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ%26s%3DAn8ihvLaBH6tVmp7kvjWKfmaMXtLlIUW5mntYh5kJX4%26e%3D&source=gmail&ust=1643395494203000&usg=AOvVaw2W1uJeUWoEIDGHHDCoLYN3" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.pediatricandadolescentmedicine.net_Cytomegalovirus-2DCMV-2DInfection&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=FrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4&m=olb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ&s=An8ihvLaBH6tVmp7kvjWKfmaMXtLlIUW5mntYh5kJX4&e=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.<wbr></wbr>pediatricandadolescentmedicine<wbr></wbr>.net/Cytomegalovirus-CMV-<wbr></wbr>Infection</a></p></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"> </p></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;">Assembly Bill <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u%3Dhttps-3A__www.nysenate.gov_legislation_bills_2021_a7560%26d%3DDwMFaQ%26c%3Dlb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s%26r%3DFrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4%26m%3Dolb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ%26s%3DTliNac5W1f0tgchrLJDgfCG9uMjuopPOTE6Y5niWS0g%26e%3D&source=gmail&ust=1643395494203000&usg=AOvVaw0ZRuEMEtQjv8NsqHaozh1X" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.nysenate.gov_legislation_bills_2021_a7560&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=FrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4&m=olb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ&s=TliNac5W1f0tgchrLJDgfCG9uMjuopPOTE6Y5niWS0g&e=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">A7560</a> is meant to inspire child care workers to diligently follow the infection control measures they are already given. </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><br /></p></div><div style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><span face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #500050;">The </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">current New York law for child care provider training does not require specific education on any other particular illnesses. It is important to note, however, that CMV is different--it is much more dangerous to the child care provider's pregnancy than the common cold. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">Perhaps some of the following points will help explain why states like</span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;"> </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u%3Dhttps-3A__health.utah.gov_cshcn_pdf_CMV_CMV-2520What-2520Childcare-2520Providers-2520Need-2520to-2520know.pdf%26d%3DDwMFaQ%26c%3Dlb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s%26r%3DFrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4%26m%3Dolb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ%26s%3DGsPCEBlsp3OWyCgUIXT0b30dUwFHZyB9VRUf6EJGg54%26e%3D&source=gmail&ust=1643395494203000&usg=AOvVaw3lhiFtMvz9Kc-du6eGf4dX" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__health.utah.gov_cshcn_pdf_CMV_CMV-2520What-2520Childcare-2520Providers-2520Need-2520to-2520know.pdf&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=FrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4&m=olb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ&s=GsPCEBlsp3OWyCgUIXT0b30dUwFHZyB9VRUf6EJGg54&e=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: arial, sans-serif;" target="_blank">Utah </a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">and Idaho follow recommendations from the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics to educate caregivers/teachers about CMV:</span></p></div><div style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px;"> </p><div><div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px;"><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><b><i><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">Why is CMV more dangerous than other common illnesses transmitted by children?</span></i></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0px;"><b><i><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></i></b></p></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 47.25pt;">1.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;">The current New York law for the education of childcare providers does not require specific education on any particular illnesses, despite Dr. Zucker’s statement that "According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), female workers of reproductive age in child care centers should be educated on CMV and its potential risks, and should have access to appropriate hygiene measures to minimize occupationally-acquired infection..." (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u%3Dhttps-3A__www.health.ny.gov_commissioner_letters_docs_2018-2D08.pdf%26d%3DDwMFaQ%26c%3Dlb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s%26r%3DFrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4%26m%3Dolb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ%26s%3DOPlzP1iLifJmV1dEDByxS73TMIgViQ_g2qv8FYXubg4%26e%3D&source=gmail&ust=1643395494203000&usg=AOvVaw06O8DH3DN-qUzPDgH13LO2" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.health.ny.gov_commissioner_letters_docs_2018-2D08.pdf&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=FrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4&m=olb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ&s=OPlzP1iLifJmV1dEDByxS73TMIgViQ_g2qv8FYXubg4&e=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Newsletter, August 2018</a>).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 47.25pt;">2.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; font-size: 10pt;">According to OSHA, CMV is a "Recognized Hazard". OSHA states that all workers have the right to “receive information and training on job hazards, including all hazardous substances in your workplace.” OSHA and CMV: "Childcare jobs may involve contact with children infected with CMV or their saliva, nasal secretions, or excrement. CMV is spread through exposure to infected body fluids. Since a person with CMV may show no symptoms, childcare workers should utilize proper handwashing and sanitization procedures. Childcare workers should also use personal protective equipment (PPE), such as gloves, to help prevent exposure to body fluids” (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u%3Dhttps-3A__url.emailprotection.link_-3FbV1lOLmqMB1OIwir6MopC6SqWeKVq9PMUb3Spg8fqBzlJC5-2Dro1ruvrfXQB18LX0rqosldkaHz1B5NBlBV8eKvhvXr7oCR8bUOGDJxa1uv-5FgxK35jBwOwn9KIseUneYII%26d%3DDwMFaQ%26c%3Dlb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s%26r%3DFrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4%26m%3Dolb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ%26s%3Ds8itTbJ7YpHs7kXfBGopxWl0vu_Sx7KgeYAj8uj_u94%26e%3D&source=gmail&ust=1643395494203000&usg=AOvVaw2PPuxH-fiSYVSxTUj0JBpE" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__url.emailprotection.link_-3FbV1lOLmqMB1OIwir6MopC6SqWeKVq9PMUb3Spg8fqBzlJC5-2Dro1ruvrfXQB18LX0rqosldkaHz1B5NBlBV8eKvhvXr7oCR8bUOGDJxa1uv-5FgxK35jBwOwn9KIseUneYII&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=FrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4&m=olb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ&s=s8itTbJ7YpHs7kXfBGopxWl0vu_Sx7KgeYAj8uj_u94&e=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><b><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #669922; font-size: 10pt;">www.osha.gov/SLTC/cmv/<wbr></wbr>hazards.html</span></b></a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; font-size: 10pt;">).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 47.25pt;">3.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 10pt;"> American Academy of Pediatrics:<span style="color: #555544;"> “Staff of childbearing age who care for infants and children should be provided the following information...The availability of counseling and testing for serum antibody to CMV to determine the caregiver/teacher’s immune status...child care staff members should receive counseling in regard to the risks of acquiring CMV from their primary health care provider. However, 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” (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u%3Dhttps-3A__url.emailprotection.link_-3Fb3c7gvCq-5FtH7tjvX7OKPumcb2D-5FxQ2l0Jx3Lm0tV-2Dn6s-2DDBJEeQdiBrcEhe9pLX0oavmnRnI11J3xUuPhbUdcocZbklWFGnmrOx-5FiuDDK1IWzVu5Qplr8Q1Pak-5F0BnzZU%26d%3DDwMFaQ%26c%3Dlb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s%26r%3DFrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4%26m%3Dolb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ%26s%3DBgrqd4-2DB-G4jvmRnnndh2CyLHorBGPLOOMwBz7fhk%26e%3D&source=gmail&ust=1643395494203000&usg=AOvVaw2scvJmYwBHE2_rDv3ESrhe" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__url.emailprotection.link_-3Fb3c7gvCq-5FtH7tjvX7OKPumcb2D-5FxQ2l0Jx3Lm0tV-2Dn6s-2DDBJEeQdiBrcEhe9pLX0oavmnRnI11J3xUuPhbUdcocZbklWFGnmrOx-5FiuDDK1IWzVu5Qplr8Q1Pak-5F0BnzZU&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=FrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4&m=olb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ&s=Bgrqd4-2DB-G4jvmRnnndh2CyLHorBGPLOOMwBz7fhk&e=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #669922;">Staff Education and Policies on Cytomegalovirus (CMV)</span></b></a>, "<i>Caring for Our Children: National Health and Safety Performance Standards; Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs", </i>American Academy of Pediatrics et al.<i>).</i></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 47.25pt;">4.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">Recent surveys show that most child care providers do not know about CMV and many acknowledge using diaper wipes to clean hands instead of following proper protocols (Thackeray and Magnusson, 2016). Diaper wipes do not effectively remove CMV from hands (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u%3Dhttps-3A__url.emailprotection.link_-3FbVRldvZD80sA4OK5oabCqi17Qk808gTpt7wAyaCA-5FQJHKT-2Dh9jYm65eD8W-2DXDzQF3T9cGeINS6YHuPRJ-5FhVOrcSRy2DZoflMlweFN3Nc2KHTwKocIVTFX5hhTCUXECXjN%26d%3DDwMFaQ%26c%3Dlb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s%26r%3DFrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4%26m%3Dolb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ%26s%3DbAF9ErToWaOs8LJ63oFCIPE18hOe_S4gxISvmEw5ZV8%26e%3D&source=gmail&ust=1643395494203000&usg=AOvVaw1CzVX89JqlWHux72g-JL8A" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__url.emailprotection.link_-3FbVRldvZD80sA4OK5oabCqi17Qk808gTpt7wAyaCA-5FQJHKT-2Dh9jYm65eD8W-2DXDzQF3T9cGeINS6YHuPRJ-5FhVOrcSRy2DZoflMlweFN3Nc2KHTwKocIVTFX5hhTCUXECXjN&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=FrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4&m=olb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ&s=bAF9ErToWaOs8LJ63oFCIPE18hOe_S4gxISvmEw5ZV8&e=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: #669922;">Stowell et al., 2014</span></b></a>). 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).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 47.25pt;">5.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">Child care providers serving children receiving assistance through the Child Care and Development Fund program must receive training on topics covered by the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014. “Caregivers and teachers are required to be educated regarding Standard Precautions [developed by CDC] before beginning to work in the program and annually thereafter. For center-based care, training should comply with requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)” (</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u%3Dhttps-3A__url.emailprotection.link_-3FbdBKq4YyOl2me67pU67H45eyhaJMjQUN9B3LwHG2NrOqb3RWu2YUEpimOGdIHX0SLMCGiJEUE5YUYncTLnbWas3DKDBklm16HJ-5F3iwvpZWwuxNIZSsicTlYU5C6B-2Dpfe64teaiMdsfslEK7-2DH7kLyY9uLkTKJg-5FZyRaJTNA71ln8-7E%26d%3DDwMFaQ%26c%3Dlb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s%26r%3DFrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4%26m%3Dolb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ%26s%3DitAS7lc8RSSaW1uySNQVwTtrCFDhAH_lM4fIGhalGWo%26e%3D&source=gmail&ust=1643395494203000&usg=AOvVaw2Ni1Fsy7G2HuXf5ey6Mgi-" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__url.emailprotection.link_-3FbdBKq4YyOl2me67pU67H45eyhaJMjQUN9B3LwHG2NrOqb3RWu2YUEpimOGdIHX0SLMCGiJEUE5YUYncTLnbWas3DKDBklm16HJ-5F3iwvpZWwuxNIZSsicTlYU5C6B-2Dpfe64teaiMdsfslEK7-2DH7kLyY9uLkTKJg-5FZyRaJTNA71ln8-7E&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=FrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4&m=olb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ&s=itAS7lc8RSSaW1uySNQVwTtrCFDhAH_lM4fIGhalGWo&e=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><b><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #669922;">Caring for Our Children Basics</span></b></a><span face="arial, sans-serif">).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 47.25pt;">6.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">Child care providers accredited by National Association for the Education of Young Children should already be familiar with the document, “</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u%3Dhttps-3A__url.emailprotection.link_-3FbtQZGdFI9IaRmmbtTohIW-2DBJ5VXDQDRGvHlpGVQsEepUtjDlljr41HWww4pryO58AZSnhM4QrqaLSJ-5FhV4afcf3bswEgQGAelA1irPctyw3DjyvRIvBSD5bHQ91LwR-2DAkAzS0ufVQPlzZrWNNuuodWhEx51WqiqFXk93pEjnWQd7xkeBpm02tEzivcdmSI6fxk0-5FbgaO88zwxu3MHG46gMQ-7E-7E%26d%3DDwMFaQ%26c%3Dlb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s%26r%3DFrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4%26m%3Dolb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ%26s%3DIHvSZ-oZ-caNz-EYciavnKI-1ywZdhtj-pnzYtXVyeE%26e%3D&source=gmail&ust=1643395494203000&usg=AOvVaw3gJF9kMKZOBlxWekQNA7kx" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__url.emailprotection.link_-3FbtQZGdFI9IaRmmbtTohIW-2DBJ5VXDQDRGvHlpGVQsEepUtjDlljr41HWww4pryO58AZSnhM4QrqaLSJ-5FhV4afcf3bswEgQGAelA1irPctyw3DjyvRIvBSD5bHQ91LwR-2DAkAzS0ufVQPlzZrWNNuuodWhEx51WqiqFXk93pEjnWQd7xkeBpm02tEzivcdmSI6fxk0-5FbgaO88zwxu3MHG46gMQ-7E-7E&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=FrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4&m=olb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ&s=IHvSZ-oZ-caNz-EYciavnKI-1ywZdhtj-pnzYtXVyeE&e=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><b><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #669922;">NAEYC Early Childhood Program Standards and Accreditation Criteria & Guidance for Assessment</span></b></a><span face="arial, sans-serif">,” which acknowledges the need to "reduce occupational hazards such as infectious diseases (e.g., exposure of pregnant staff to CMV…)”</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 47.25pt;">7.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span face="tahoma, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; font-size: 10pt;">About 8 - 20% of child care providers contract CMV every year (</span><span face="arial, sans-serif"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u%3Dhttps-3A__redbook.solutions.aap.org_DocumentLibrary_Red-2520Book-25202015-25201.pdf%26d%3DDwMFaQ%26c%3Dlb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s%26r%3DFrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4%26m%3Dolb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ%26s%3D254RSXBK1HGE0Ky5AIbQ0USW0Hixwmnd_9seJaRDwgQ%26e%3D&source=gmail&ust=1643395494203000&usg=AOvVaw3o2G0Hn7rG3g97dtee8DsB" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__redbook.solutions.aap.org_DocumentLibrary_Red-2520Book-25202015-25201.pdf&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=FrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4&m=olb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ&s=254RSXBK1HGE0Ky5AIbQ0USW0Hixwmnd_9seJaRDwgQ&e=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><b><span face="tahoma, sans-serif" style="color: #669922; font-size: 10pt;">Red Book, AAP, 2015</span></b></a></span><span face="tahoma, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; font-size: 10pt;">) as compared to 1-4% of women (who have never had CMV) in the general population (</span><span face="arial, sans-serif"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u%3Dhttps-3A__www.cdc.gov_cmv_clinical_features.html%26d%3DDwMFaQ%26c%3Dlb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s%26r%3DFrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4%26m%3Dolb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ%26s%3Dt_XZCTSQspH2XJoMwalSqywf3qJ6hOkdQFj_CuNiz3w%26e%3D&source=gmail&ust=1643395494203000&usg=AOvVaw3i2Y9L3Hxx0ilFxoTHTtqO" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.cdc.gov_cmv_clinical_features.html&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=FrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4&m=olb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ&s=t_XZCTSQspH2XJoMwalSqywf3qJ6hOkdQFj_CuNiz3w&e=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><b><span face="tahoma, sans-serif" style="color: #669922; font-size: 10pt;">CDC, 2018</span></b></a></span><span face="tahoma, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; font-size: 10pt;">).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 47.25pt;">8.<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span><span face="arial, sans-serif">Several resources have been created for child care providers:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 83.25pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 10pt;">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>CDC flyers in English and Spanish:<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u%3Dhttps-3A__www.cdc.gov_cmv_resources_pregnant-2Dwomen-2Dparents.html%26d%3DDwMFaQ%26c%3Dlb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s%26r%3DFrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4%26m%3Dolb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ%26s%3DloSYby_GYVQd2S3y2kCJm8drAuVwS5pgDLQxfp2JvQA%26e%3D&source=gmail&ust=1643395494203000&usg=AOvVaw1_59_ELjg7WchSQ1GKPLS0" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.cdc.gov_cmv_resources_pregnant-2Dwomen-2Dparents.html&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=FrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4&m=olb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ&s=loSYby_GYVQd2S3y2kCJm8drAuVwS5pgDLQxfp2JvQA&e=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://www.cdc.gov/<wbr></wbr>cmv/resources/pregnant-women-<wbr></wbr>parents.html</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 83.25pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 10pt;">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span>CMV Training Module (University of Connecticut):<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u%3Dhttps-3A__youtu.be_k9MFAEYVuLs%26d%3DDwMFaQ%26c%3Dlb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s%26r%3DFrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4%26m%3Dolb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ%26s%3DXXkqQ8r--5fEMHhn34tDJkOO5jaEJyayHyKYuCo9TWA%26e%3D&source=gmail&ust=1643395494203000&usg=AOvVaw3CgEy-mIfiRYdGwpScOXtd" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__youtu.be_k9MFAEYVuLs&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=FrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4&m=olb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ&s=XXkqQ8r--5fEMHhn34tDJkOO5jaEJyayHyKYuCo9TWA&e=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/<wbr></wbr>k9MFAEYVuLs</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 83.25pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 10pt;">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span face="tahoma, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; font-size: 10pt;">For Employers: Publication: Brown, N. J. (2019, November). "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/conference/45/&source=gmail&ust=1643395494203000&usg=AOvVaw31l-Nzx-axY7LtsZU6nxub" href="https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/conference/45/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Occupational exposure to cytomegalovirus (CMV): Preventing exposure in child care and educational settings, including OSHA advisories</a>." Ithaca, NY: Cornell University, ILR School. </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u%3Dhttps-3A__vimeo.com_user43999427_download_450219803_e5b7be27db%26d%3DDwMFaQ%26c%3Dlb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s%26r%3DFrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4%26m%3Dolb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ%26s%3DWED-ZvqG3WmKRxdOjZGbtee4vSAzlkCnCn7XCYayJXU%26e%3D&source=gmail&ust=1643395494203000&usg=AOvVaw3U9n0zOJahEsaWnfSGLfYx" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__vimeo.com_user43999427_download_450219803_e5b7be27db&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=FrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4&m=olb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ&s=WED-ZvqG3WmKRxdOjZGbtee4vSAzlkCnCn7XCYayJXU&e=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><b><span face="tahoma, sans-serif" style="color: #669922; font-size: 10pt;">Download video workshop</span></b></a>. <span face="tahoma, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; font-size: 10pt;">This publication/presentation is by Nellie Brown, MS, CIH, Certified Industrial Hygienist, and Director, Workplace Health and Safety Program, Worker Institute, Cornell University – ILR School. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 83.25pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 10pt;">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span face="tahoma, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; font-size: 10pt;">See Utah's flier for child care providers: </span> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u%3Dhttps-3A__health.utah.gov_cshcn_pdf_CMV_CMV-2520What-2520Childcare-2520Providers-2520Need-2520to-2520know.pdf%26d%3DDwMFaQ%26c%3Dlb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s%26r%3DFrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4%26m%3Dolb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ%26s%3DGsPCEBlsp3OWyCgUIXT0b30dUwFHZyB9VRUf6EJGg54%26e%3D&source=gmail&ust=1643395494203000&usg=AOvVaw3lhiFtMvz9Kc-du6eGf4dX" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__health.utah.gov_cshcn_pdf_CMV_CMV-2520What-2520Childcare-2520Providers-2520Need-2520to-2520know.pdf&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=FrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4&m=olb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ&s=GsPCEBlsp3OWyCgUIXT0b30dUwFHZyB9VRUf6EJGg54&e=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">https://health.<wbr></wbr>utah.gov/cshcn/pdf/CMV/CMV%<wbr></wbr>20What%20Childcare%<wbr></wbr>20Providers%20Need%20to%<wbr></wbr>20know.pdf</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 83.25pt;"><span style="font-family: "courier new"; font-size: 10pt;">o<span style="font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span face="tahoma, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; font-size: 10pt;">The book, </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u%3Dhttps-3A__d3knp61p33sjvn.cloudfront.net_2015_01_AAP-5FModel-5FChild-5FCare-5FHealth-5FPolicies.pdf.pdf%26d%3DDwMFaQ%26c%3Dlb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s%26r%3DFrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4%26m%3Dolb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ%26s%3DNiD7XGDyf0glcDF4wd0Q_qevlYXcXZGR8bUwONoK3eE%26e%3D&source=gmail&ust=1643395494203000&usg=AOvVaw15U7hZGD1HnQnbwOmtuDjU" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__d3knp61p33sjvn.cloudfront.net_2015_01_AAP-5FModel-5FChild-5FCare-5FHealth-5FPolicies.pdf.pdf&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=FrRf19BrblOCB5mLfOKmiDUFP2ZVAv2sEOSi4nglzd4&m=olb6XtiNnPPibvOeKWb_-3B0Sw21-NE5UNNJcIcDisqVh3Njo_SzyVymZnPGW0kZ&s=NiD7XGDyf0glcDF4wd0Q_qevlYXcXZGR8bUwONoK3eE&e=" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><b><span face="tahoma, sans-serif" style="color: #669922; font-size: 10pt;">Model Child Care Health Policies</span></b></a><span face="tahoma, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; font-size: 10pt;">, 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).</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 83.25pt;"><span face="tahoma, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 83.25pt;"><span face="tahoma, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 83.25pt;"><span face="tahoma, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 83.25pt; text-align: left;"><span face="tahoma, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; font-size: 10pt;">MOTHERS IN NEW YORK</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 83.25pt; text-align: left;"><span face="tahoma, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; font-size: 10pt;"><br /></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: #111111;"><b>Angela Cote of Buffalo</b> appreciates the current New York CMV testing law because it diagnosed why her daughter Elise failed her hearing test, giving her options for early intervention, but she wishes she had known about CMV </span><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; margin: 0px;">before</em><span style="color: #111111;"> her pregnancy with Elise--especially since Angela had an occupational risk for it. "Not once have I ever heard of CMV or was told about CMV. I was a nanny so I was around children a lot as well as having my daughter, who was a toddler at the time I became pregnant with Elise. Not my OB or any other doctor mentioned or screened me for CMV to see if I had been exposed in the past."</span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #111111;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="color: #111111;"><b>Brandi Hurtubise</b>, also from Buffalo, supports "Elizabeth's Law." Her second child Samantha was born with congenital CMV. Brandi told her story to the National CMV Foundation: "No one told me I shouldn't share drinks or food with my toddler while I was pregnant with [Samantha]. Or that I needed to wash my hands after every single diaper change. That I needed to be cautious of his saliva and urine because it could be carrying a virus that would harm my unborn baby. I didn't know because CMV isn't commonly talked about or educated on; even though it is incredibly common." </span><span style="color: #111111;">Lisa interviewed both Angela and Brandi on PAC-B TV: "</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA&source=gmail&ust=1643994755983000&usg=AOvVaw2ExOVk9Fi6n5NKUSUB6hjq" href="https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Did You Know? - CytoMegaloVirus (CMV) - What Moms Wished They Knew</a><span style="color: #111111;">" (May 7, 2021). </span></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px;"><b style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Tabitha Rodenhaus </b><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: black;">of Kenmore (near Buffalo), the mother of Kaia born with congenital CMV, paints #StopCMV rocks for the Saunders to leave along the Trail to help raise awareness. (See: </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #111111;">Spectrum News, "</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2021/07/01/couple-pushes-for-law-in-memory-of-their-daughter&source=gmail&ust=1643994755983000&usg=AOvVaw0TNViB-lUpdixShahQN9IW" href="https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2021/07/01/couple-pushes-for-law-in-memory-of-their-daughter" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; font-family: arial, sans-serif; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Couple pushes for law in memory of their daughter</a><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #111111;">". Includes interview with Dr. Sunil Sood.)</span><br /></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></div><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><b style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;">Edel Law </b><span face="arial, sans-serif">of Tappan said, "Assembly Bill </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560&source=gmail&ust=1643994755983000&usg=AOvVaw28OpnD7F2VzF-xvOWIKARH" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">A7560</a><span face="arial, sans-serif"> or Elizabeth's Law" is important to me because my three-year-old daughter has congenital CMV. It came as a total shock when at 31 weeks pregnant, I found out she had abnormal brain development. Upon further testing, we found out I had contracted and passed CMV onto my daughter. After learning about CMV, it was not shocking that I contracted the virus since I had a toddler in preschool and was an early childhood educator. My daughter has developmental delays, single sided deafness, wears a cochlear implant, and has a form of heart failure."</span><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b style="color: black;">Kristin Schuster</b><span style="color: black;"> of Canandaigua said her first child, Autumn, was born with congenital CMV in 2015. Like Lisa Saunders, Kristin never heard of CMV or that she was at increased risk for the disease because of her occupation. She said, "I was teaching in a pre-kindergarten inclusion classroom while pregnant with Autumn and was unaware of the dangers of CMV exposure." </span><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><b>Jessica Keukelaar </b>of Macedon, a child care provider while pregnant with Kyleigh, born with congenital CMV, was also unaware of her occupational risk for CMV. </span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"><b>Mother Kelly Smolar Gerne</b>, a mechanical engineer from<span> Brooklyn, NY, </span>wants to expand the CMV testing requirements in New York so more babies can receive early intervention during the critical first three weeks of life. She said, "</span><span face="arial, sans-serif"><span style="background-color: white;">My daughter Alexis was born in August</span><span style="background-color: white;"> 2020 </span><span style="background-color: white;">with congenital CMV. With the help of Northwell, Dr. Sood and Nurse Stellato, Alexis is thriving because she was diagnosed and treated early</span></span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"> following a failed newborn hearing test</span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">. Thankfully, the </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">sole impact of congenital CMV is the loss of hearing in Alexis's left ear. </span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">While I am angry about the lack of CMV education prior and during my pregnancy, the CMV testing law passed in 2018 meant our family was the recipient of those who had fought before us to get Alexi</span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">s</span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"> tested and treated early. I want to continue that forward so <i>all</i> babies in the State of New York will have the option for early intervention. </span></p><div class="yj6qo ajU" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; cursor: pointer; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 2px 0px 0px; outline: none; padding: 10px 0px; width: 22px;"></div><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span face="arial, sans-serif"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #500050; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 0px 83.25pt; text-align: left;"><span face="tahoma, sans-serif" style="color: #555544; font-size: 10pt;"><span style="color: #500050;"></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-size: 16px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><br style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;" /></p></div></div></div></div></div>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-46685088796559359302021-11-10T05:08:00.008-08:002022-02-04T06:03:12.685-08:00Japan Launches Children's Book by NY Author to Stop CMV Birth Defects<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha5oCkq-hra72tuRU2bPQcNkvbMd8f9EsMu0czEEJ_cRve3EuLUgwKVpigCvNsKfbn9xhCqNaEPsv18CnzH9PWxCLJaDUsB_Fiwsp3Du44Anl1InrGwxt1NsCrVQX5MEYTCEAgHgWYE56l/s640/Japanese+book+cover+of+Riley+and+Elizabeth+CMV.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="640" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha5oCkq-hra72tuRU2bPQcNkvbMd8f9EsMu0czEEJ_cRve3EuLUgwKVpigCvNsKfbn9xhCqNaEPsv18CnzH9PWxCLJaDUsB_Fiwsp3Du44Anl1InrGwxt1NsCrVQX5MEYTCEAgHgWYE56l/s320/Japanese+book+cover+of+Riley+and+Elizabeth+CMV.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p><i><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;"> </span><span face="proxima-nova, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #848484; font-size: 16px;">"Riley and Elizabeth" by Lisa Saunders. Illustrated by Uyo Takayama. English -Japanese book translator, Sayaka Nakai. (Book cover image provided by Thousands of Books, Inc.)</span></i></p><div style="background-color: white;"><div class="gmail-styles_CardDetail__Header__2IqrB" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: proxima-nova, "Open Sans", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; margin: 16px 0px 12px; padding-left: 16px; padding-right: 16px;"><h1 class="gmail-Title_CardDetail__Title__1wx4U" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; line-height: 1.2; margin: 10px 0px; width: 634.266px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></h1><h1 class="gmail-Title_CardDetail__Title__1wx4U" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; line-height: 1.2; margin: 10px 0px; width: 634.266px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Japan Launches Children's Book by NY Author to Stop Birth Defects</span></h1><h2 class="gmail-styles_CardDetail__Description__255i_" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #848484; font-size: 1.125rem; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.4; margin: 10px 0px;">"Riley and Elizabeth," about an old rescue dog and his quadriplegic girl, raises awareness of disabilities caused by cytomegalovirus (CMV)</h2><h2 class="gmail-styles_CardDetail__Description__255i_" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #848484; font-size: 1.125rem; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.4; margin: 10px 0px;"><br /></h2><h2 class="gmail-styles_CardDetail__Description__255i_" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.4; margin: 10px 0px;">Baldwinsville, New York--Author Lisa Saunders collaborated with <a href="https://toxo-cmv.org/" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: arial; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">TORCH Association Japan</a><span style="font-family: arial;"> to create the family-frien</span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: arial;">dly picture book, "</span><span class="gmail-redactor-unlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: arial; margin: 0px;">Riley and Elizabeth</span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: arial;">" (Thousands of Books, Inc., November 2021). </span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: arial; font-size: 1.125rem;">The book is based </span><span style="font-size: 1.125rem;">on the true story of Lisa's daughter, Elizabeth, and her dog, first published in a newspaper more than 20 years ago, "</span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/151aS2ryS_8C3XMMomwKa3nhU-4rrryDl/view?usp=sharing" style="font-size: 1.125rem;">A tale of two dogs and a shelter</a><span style="font-size: 1.125rem;">" (J</span><i style="font-size: 1.125rem;">ournal News</i><span style="font-size: 1.125rem;">, 2001).</span></h2><h2 class="gmail-styles_CardDetail__Description__255i_" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-size: 1.125rem; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.4; margin: 10px 0px;">The goal of TORCH Association Japan is to place the book, <span style="color: #111111; font-family: arial; font-size: 1.125rem;">"</span><span class="gmail-redactor-unlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: arial; font-size: 1.125rem; margin: 0px;">Riley and Elizabeth</span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: arial; font-size: 1.125rem;">",</span> in doctor's offices and hospitals so the public can learn how to prevent birth defects caused by TORCH infections (TORCH stands for: Toxoplasmosis, Other infections, Rubella, Cytomegalovirus, and Herpes simplex virus). Japanese citizens and a number of practicing doctors raised funds to produce and distribute the book.</h2><h2 class="gmail-styles_CardDetail__Description__255i_" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #848484; font-size: 1.125rem; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.4; margin: 10px 0px;">Tomomi Watanabe, founder of TORCH Association Japan, thought that an appealing, illustrated book about a girl and her dog would make it easier for the general public to pick up while waiting to be seen by doctors. Tomomi wants everyone to know how to prevent infections that cause birth defects. She stated, "All Japanese people know that tobacco and alcohol have an adverse effect on the fetus. In order to bring mother-to-child infection transmission to the same level, I think it is necessary to educate the public long before they become pregnant so prevention becomes a life-long habit."</h2><h2 class="gmail-styles_CardDetail__Description__255i_" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #848484; font-size: 1.125rem; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.4; margin: 10px 0px;">Wanting to sow seeds of interest in birth defect prevention in a creative way, Tomomi thinks the artwork in "<span class="gmail-redactor-unlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: arial; margin: 0px;">Riley and Elizabeth</span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: arial;">" will attract people who like animals and to read to children. The dog in the story doesn't tell the reader why the little girl is in a wheelchair, can't move her limbs, can't speak and goes to special education school. Tomomi wants people to wonder why the little girl is the way she is and hopes they will read the educational portion of the book.</span></h2><h2 class="gmail-styles_CardDetail__Description__255i_" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #848484; font-size: 1.125rem; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.4; margin: 10px 0px;">Sayaka Nakai of Tokyo, the English -Japanese book translator with Thousand Books Project Team, edited Lisa Saunders's adult book, "<span class="gmail-redactor-unlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: arial; margin: 0px;">Elizabeth and the Miracle Dog Riley</span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: arial;">" in a way to create a captivating tale for children, choosing to write it from the dog's perspective. Having spent her junior and high school days in New York City, Sayaka understands the heart of this American story and was able to relate it to a new audience--Japanese children and their families. Sayaka said, "I wanted the story of Elizabeth and Riley to live on, so I wrote the picture book."</span></h2><h2 class="gmail-styles_CardDetail__Description__255i_" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #848484; font-size: 1.125rem; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.4; margin: 10px 0px;">Lisa Saunders said, "My grandchildren are big fans of Japanese stories, and my granddaughter Elizabeth (named in memory of my daughter), is the one who named my fish after a Japanese character, so I am thrilled to share our story with a Japanese audience. I thought it was so clever of Sayaka Nakai to tell the story of my daughter Elizabeth from her dog's perspective. She started it with: 'I'm Riley. This is my favorite Elizabeth. This is the story of me, Elizabeth, and my dad, mom, and Jackie.'"</h2><h2 class="gmail-styles_CardDetail__Description__255i_" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #848484; font-size: 1.125rem; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.4; margin: 10px 0px;">Lisa hopes the Japanese publisher will create an English version of "<span class="gmail-redactor-unlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: arial; margin: 0px;">Riley and Elizabeth</span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: arial;">" so the English-speaking public will learn more about cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Toxoplasmosis from Elizabeth's old rescue dog. She says, "The charming illustrations truly capture the spirit of Elizabeth and Riley--and the rest of our family!"</span></h2><h2 class="gmail-styles_CardDetail__Description__255i_" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #848484; font-size: 1.125rem; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.4; margin: 10px 0px;">Illustrator Uyo Takayama, born in Tokyo, has won several awards, including the Best of Best Award at the 2021 Brightness Illustration Competition. "While I was drawing '<span class="gmail-redactor-unlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: arial; margin: 0px;">Riley and Elizabeth</span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: arial;">,' I felt like Riley was there for me. I wanted to make this picture book something that people can enjoy for a long time."</span></h2><h2 class="gmail-styles_CardDetail__Description__255i_" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #848484; font-size: 1.125rem; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.4; margin: 10px 0px;">Lisa is currently asking New York residents to write to their assembly members asking them to support "Elizabeth's Law," named in memory of her daughter, so that women will be educated on how to prevent CMV. Click to read the <a href="https://congenitalcmv.blogspot.com/2021/10/memo-of-support-elizabeths-law-a7560.html" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; font-family: arial; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Memo of Support: "Elizabeth's Law"--A7560 (Rosenthal. L.) / S6287A (Mannion, J.)</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: arial;">.</span></h2><h2 class="gmail-styles_CardDetail__Description__255i_" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #848484; font-size: 1.125rem; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.4; margin: 10px 0px;">To learn more about CMV, Toxoplasmosis, and other infections, visit: <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/pregnancy/infections.html" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; font-family: arial; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">https://www.cdc.gov/pregnancy/infections.html</a></h2><h2 class="gmail-styles_CardDetail__Description__255i_" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #848484; font-size: 1.125rem; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.4; margin: 10px 0px;">To learn more about <span class="gmail-redactor-unlink" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: arial; margin: 0px;">Riley and Elizabeth</span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: arial;">, visit: </span><a href="https://thousandsofbooks.jp/project/elizabeth/" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; font-family: arial; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">http://thousandsofbooks.jp/project/elizabeth/</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: arial;">. To see the first few pages of the picture book: </span><a href="https://hanmoto9.tameshiyo.me/9784909125323" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; font-family: arial; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">https://hanmoto9.tameshiyo.me/9784909125323</a><span style="color: #111111; font-family: arial;">.</span></h2><div><span style="color: #111111; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #111111; font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">Saunders shared her thoughts with the creators of </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://thousandsofbooks.jp/project/elizabeth/&source=gmail&ust=1637932597328000&usg=AOvVaw0ppMdUeXfRkxXfixWcAdba" href="http://thousandsofbooks.jp/project/elizabeth/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><i><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">Riley and Elizabeth</span></i></a></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;"> for the publisher’s book launch party in November 2021 in the following video: </span><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JR9_Xwvte8jB9MM5YNOeod05HpL4DhF4/view?usp%3Dsharing&source=gmail&ust=1637932597328000&usg=AOvVaw2eNnpquY1lVJ7Hn7UcqgES" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JR9_Xwvte8jB9MM5YNOeod05HpL4DhF4/view?usp=sharing" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank"><span face="Arial, sans-serif" style="font-size: 11pt;">https://drive.google.com/file/<wbr></wbr>d/1JR9_<wbr></wbr>Xwvte8jB9MM5YNOeod05HpL4DhF4/<wbr></wbr>view?usp=sharing</span></a></span><span face="Arial, sans-serif" lang="EN-US" style="color: #222222; font-size: 10pt;">”</span></span></div><h2 class="gmail-styles_CardDetail__Description__255i_" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #848484; font-size: 1.125rem; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.4; margin: 10px 0px;">If you do not speak Japanese and want to reach the Japanese publisher about the book, contact:</h2><h2 class="gmail-styles_CardDetail__Description__255i_" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #848484; font-size: 1.125rem; font-weight: 300; line-height: 1.4; margin: 10px 0px;">Atsushi Hori, The English Agency (Japan) Ltd., JAPAN, <a href="mailto:atsushi.hori@eaj.co.jp" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; font-family: arial; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">atsushi.hori@eaj.co.jp</a></h2></div></div>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-11687226464365722742021-10-14T05:17:00.007-07:002021-12-17T06:00:56.907-08:00Memo of Support: “Elizabeth’s Law”--A7560 (Rosenthal. L.) / S6287A (Mannion, J.)<div><br /></div><div><span id="docs-internal-guid-98c1ff72-7fff-24f8-c82c-9d42ce61a23e"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.30909; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p></span><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.30909; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/p7eHTM27QL4" width="320" youtube-src-id="p7eHTM27QL4"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;">My husband and I are walking 360 miles across the State of New York to raise awareness of the little-known, yet leading viral cause of birth defects, </span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/congenital-infection.html" style="text-align: left;">congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV)</a><span style="text-align: left;">. You can watch the one-minute video of our Erie Canalway Challenge quest by </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/15y2H283-73fUNWG8e9dGH9LdHTMP5SEL/view?usp=sharing" style="text-align: left;">clicking here</a><span style="text-align: left;">.</span></div><br />If you feel inspired to protect unborn children from CMV, please contact your <a href="https://nyassembly.gov/mem/search/">Assembly member</a> and share my following "Memo of Support" (<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/15tObX8Vkj-fVUY56Tv-cOJbtSftLw2UK8FgsmkTViZM/edit?usp=sharing">click here</a> to download), or create your own.<br /><br /><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.30909; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 147px; overflow: hidden; width: 143px;"><img height="147" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/tPZuschlezGtlddasCZnnPWHMEWTKUYrgScFpIpbj6oSlikythVl94X1KrY3FIvWTdzyFof7Yt89PL2jng20eCIlwmQLV5W8FYZUOxT5oFLgf1x1_LfT1CztyI2TbKfb8Utxw9jO=s0" style="margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" width="143" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.30909; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.30909; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="border: none; display: inline-block; height: 147px; overflow: hidden; width: 123px;"><img height="281.01523825889456" src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/5NK9S0WxQdfco2UJQXNDwFZ92Y652JPhWbhY9J8m89ji_nKe_gTFgpMrzYbzci1mo2TAmFzFzKEUQewhcyF5pFR47tNNRwKijuyRZR3T4t4MM5pje0u1-KrYMgBZvXchXZIEGpYj=s0" style="margin-left: -121.24px; margin-top: -60.7159px;" width="383.2452597280888" /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.30909; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p></span><div class="styles_HTMLContent__6IqYK" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; box-sizing: border-box; line-height: 1.8; margin: 0px; padding-left: 70px; padding-right: 70px; text-size-adjust: 100%; word-break: break-word;"><p class="text-center" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Memo of Support</span></b></div><b><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">"Elizabeth's Law"</span></b></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">A7560</a> (Rosenthal. L.) / <a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/s6287/amendment/a" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">S6287A</a> (Mannion, J.)</span></b></div></span></b><div style="text-align: center;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; text-align: left;"><br /></em></div><div style="text-align: center;"><em style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px; text-align: left;">"Named in memory of our daughter, Elizabeth Saunders, the bill requires education to prevent the #1 birth defects virus" says Lisa Saunders of Baldwinsville, New York.</em></div><p></p></div><span><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.30909; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">TITLE: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to requiring child care providers to be trained on the impacts and dangers of congenital cytomegalovirus infection and the treatments and methods of prevention of cytomegalovirus infection; and to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring certain physicians to distribute informational materials concerning cytomegalovirus.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.30909; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">PROBLEM: </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is acquired </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">in utero</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and can result in serious birth defects in the baby. cCMV is the most common congenital (present from birth) infection in the U.S. About 1 in every 200 babies is born with a cCMV infection. Of these babies, around 1 in 5 will have long-term health problems </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">i</span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> such as hearing and vision loss, microcephaly (small head), developmental and motor delays, and seizures (CDC).</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">ii</span></span></p><ul style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 10pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In New York, every year an estimated 222 babies are born permanently disabled by cCMV </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">iii</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“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...(American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG)).</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Pregnant women with young children at home also are at risk and should take these steps”(ACOG)).</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">iv</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“Nearly half of women have been infected with CMV before their first pregnancy. Of women who have never had a CMV infection, it is estimated that 1 to 4% of them will be infected during pregnancy.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">v</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">OSHA recognizes CMV as a “hazard” for childcare workers</span><a href="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#m_8346946043903610120_m_7428650466241024211_sdendnote6sym" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: navy; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">vi</span></span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) states, “With regard to child-to-staff transmission, studies have shown increased rates of infection with CMV in caregivers/teachers ranging from 8% to 20%.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">vii</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Women who have young children in group child care are at an increased risk for CMV.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">viii</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Racial and ethnic minorities are at higher risk for CMV.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">ix</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">“The risk of CMV infection in hospital workers is not greater than it is in others in the community and is probably low because of careful hand washing practices. In daycare centers, where hand washing practices may not be as good, there may be a greater risk of infection.”</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">x</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: disc; margin-left: 11pt; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 10pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">cCMV is largely preventable, but 91% of women do not know about the disease or prevention.</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">xi</span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p></li></ul><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 7pt; margin-top: 4pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SOLUTION</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: “You may be able to lessen your risk of getting CMV by reducing contact with saliva and urine from babies and young children. The saliva and urine of children with CMV have high amounts of the virus. You can avoid getting a child’s saliva in your mouth by, for example, not sharing food, utensils, or cups with a child. Also, you should wash your hands after changing diapers.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">xii</span></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 7pt; margin-top: 4pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">SUPPORT</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A7560</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> / S6287A, “Elizabeth’s Law” </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 7pt; margin-top: 4pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Dr. Howard A. Zuckers, New York State Commissioner of Health, stated, "</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">it is imperative that we give women of reproductive age the information they need to make informed decisions for themselves and their families.”</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="font-size: 0.6em; vertical-align: super;">xiii </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To learn more, contact me, Lisa Saunders of NY Stop CMV, at </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LisaSaunders42@gmail.com.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.30909; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Supporters of cCMV prevention: CDC, OSHA, AAP, ACOG and NY Commissioner of Health. The NY Senate/Assembly proclaimed June 2021 Cytomegalovirus Awareness Month. Utah and Idaho have cCMV legislation accompanied by ongoing funding. The NY Senate passed “Elizabeth’s Law” in 2021</span><span style="font-family: "Liberation Serif"; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.30909; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.30909; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 13pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 9pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">REFERENCES</span></p><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">i </span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/awareness-month.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/awareness-month.html</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ii </span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/congenital-infection.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/congenital-infection.html</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">iii In 2019, 221,539 babies were born in NY, with an estimated 1,108 born with cCMV. Using CDC’s averages, 222 of those babies were born permanently disabled from cCMV.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">iv </span><a href="https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/reducing-risks-of-birth-defects" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/reducing-risks-of-birth-defects</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">v </span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/clinical/overview.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/clinical/overview.html</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">vi </span><a href="https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/hazards" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.osha.gov/cytomegalovirus/hazards</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">vii https://</span><a href="http://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">viii </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3046747/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3046747/</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">ix </span><a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29784513/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29784513/</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">x </span><a href="https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/cytomegalovirus/fact_sheet.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/cytomegalovirus/fact_sheet.htm</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">xi </span><a href="https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/jehdi/vol1/iss2/6/" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/jehdi/vol1/iss2/6/</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">xii </span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/fact-sheets/parents-pregnant-women.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/fact-sheets/parents-pregnant-women.html</span></a></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">xiii </span><a href="https://health.ny.gov/commissioner/letters/docs/2018-08.pdf" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">https://health.ny.gov/commissioner/letters/docs/2018-08.pdf</span></a></p><br /> Link to Memo of Support by Lisa Saunders of NY Stop CMV:<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/15tObX8Vkj-fVUY56Tv-cOJbtSftLw2UK8FgsmkTViZM/edit?usp=sharing">https://docs.google.com/document/d/15tObX8Vkj-fVUY56Tv-cOJbtSftLw2UK8FgsmkTViZM/edit?usp=sharing</a></span></div><div><span><br /><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">###</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-weight: 700; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">New York Media Coverage</span></p><br /><br /><ol style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-inline-start: 48px;"><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 6pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; white-space: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre;"> Eagle Newsroom,</span><span style="background-color: transparent; font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; white-space: normal;">"</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://eaglenewsonline.com/new/government/2021/12/14/baldwinsville-couple-advocates-for-elizabeths-law-to-stop-cytomegalovirus/?swcfpc%3D1&source=gmail&ust=1639835428207000&usg=AOvVaw3CD1r1QO7gYRm1AZfjk9Zz" href="https://eaglenewsonline.com/new/government/2021/12/14/baldwinsville-couple-advocates-for-elizabeths-law-to-stop-cytomegalovirus/?swcfpc=1" style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; white-space: normal;" target="_blank">Baldwinsville couple advocates for ‘Elizabeth’s Law’ to stop cytomegalovirus:Bill named in memory of their daughter</a><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal; white-space: normal;">," Dec. 14, 2021.</span></span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 6pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Spectrum News</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, "</span><a href="https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/central-ny/news/2021/07/01/couple-pushes-for-law-in-memory-of-their-daughter" style="font-size: 10pt; text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Couple pushes for law in memory of their daughter</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">" Jessica Houghtaling, Jul. 01, 2021. Includes interview with Dr. Sunil Sood.</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finger Lakes Times</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, "</span><a href="https://www.fltimes.com/news/trail-of-hope-celebration-in-lyons-marks-cmv-month-in-new-york/article_09c0f4b7-a777-5501-b346-f85ffa4cfd83.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trail of Hope celebration in Lyons marks CMV Month in New York</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">", Steve Buchiere (Jun 11, 2021).</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finger Lakes Time</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">s: "</span><a href="https://www.fltimes.com/news/making-a-difference-couple-brings-awareness-to-threat-to-infant-health-cmv/article_37dac9f5-6991-5f9e-9e10-98de4f4ab216.htm" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Couple brings awareness to threat to infant health: CMV</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">", Steve Buchiere (June 4, 2021).</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Citizen</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span><a href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"NY Senate passes bill, named for CNY couple's daughter, to boost CMV awareness</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">", Robert Harding (June 2, 2121).</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Syracuse Woman</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> magazine, "</span><a href="https://issuu.com/eaglenewsonline/docs/swm-may-2021-web-pages/28" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Fighting CMV One Step at a Time (p.28)</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">", Emma Vallelunga (May 2021) (p.29 image of</span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ICRACl-Uo-bnh8PIQGc_iFb58Styit-F/view" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> Stop CMV hand, rock and shirt</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">)</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Citizen</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: "</span><a href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elizabeths-law-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-would-boost-cmv-awareness/article_20ae2419-1868-546c-b2c8-71a5de2f84f1.html" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">'Elizabeth's law,' named for CNY couple's daughter, would boost CMV awareness</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">", Robert Harding (May 4,2021)</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The Citizen</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, "</span><a href="https://auburnpub.com/challenge-for-change-auburn-native-walking-canal-trail-to-raise-virus-awareness/article_6840628a-968a-567e-a1bf-6b59f58dae3f.html?fbclid=IwAR1q7PErZwWZ6dRIbpmJ25HphGSkO5Tf2cn34fV2MiwpT1zAltbgTy7dbtM" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Challenge for Change: Walking across NY to raise awareness of CMV</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">", David Wilcox (Mar 31, 2021)</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cornell Alumni Magazine</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: "</span><a href="https://cornellalumnimagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2235&Itemid=1&ed=49" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In Memory of Elizabeth</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Her daughter's death from a preventable disability spurs Lisa Avazian Saunders '82 into action," Alexandra Bond (Sept/Oct 2015).</span></p></li><li aria-level="1" dir="ltr" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; list-style-type: decimal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre;"><p dir="ltr" role="presentation" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 36pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Times Herald Record</span><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span><a href="https://www.recordonline.com/article/20090121/HEALTH/901210313" style="text-decoration-line: none;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">What every pregnant woman needs to know</span></a><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, Deborah J. Botti</span></p></li></ol></span></div><div>ABOUT LISA SAUNDERS</div><div><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #555544;">Lisa Saunders resides in Baldwinsville, New York, with her husband James P. Saunders, a recently retired Pfizer scientist. Lisa is a founding member of the New York Stop CMV Project and volunteers with the National CMV Foundation. In 2015, she was instrumental in helping Connecticut become the second state in the U.S. to enact a law requiring the testing of newborns for CMV if they fail their hearing screen. A graduate of Cornell University, Lisa is a public speaker, an award-winning writer and the author of several books--some with a CMV prevention message.</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #555544;">Lisa was the mother of Elizabeth born severely disabled by congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV), the leading viral cause of birth defects, in 1989. Just prior to her pregnancy with Elizabeth, Lisa had a miscarriage but was not tested for CMV or other prenatal infections. Until Elizabeth's birth, Lisa was unaware of CMV and although she was a licensed, in-home child care provider, a church nursery volunteer and the mother of a toddler--all activities that put her at high risk for CMV--she was not educated about the disease and how to reduce her chances of contracting it.</span></div><br style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif;" /><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #555544;">To download her CMV resume, </span><a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9Klfxar2CmjbXBvMEdIQ1JyeGc/view?usp=sharing" style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); color: #669922; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">click here</a><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #555544;">. </span>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-6735497834404175212021-09-14T08:35:00.008-07:002021-09-25T07:04:14.085-07:00NY Moms/Doctors/Legislators Help Stop CMV, #1 birth defects virus. Want to join us?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ofRWu3B7DQrNldbhZWAqF1i9n0PPRrtBgcwuusdNFeHDnGEpCOly4rFN_WeloToNAUsz8v-yNnW144ns9LITXHViiQcedUWTNXRWC_2HSuXzM9dNYbJFRCFWAVTxs4qQSzSRGbBbvWrI/s2048/Lisa+Stop+CMV+Empire+State+Canalway+Trail+N+Poolsbrook+Kirkville+%25282%2529.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1492" data-original-width="2048" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7ofRWu3B7DQrNldbhZWAqF1i9n0PPRrtBgcwuusdNFeHDnGEpCOly4rFN_WeloToNAUsz8v-yNnW144ns9LITXHViiQcedUWTNXRWC_2HSuXzM9dNYbJFRCFWAVTxs4qQSzSRGbBbvWrI/s320/Lisa+Stop+CMV+Empire+State+Canalway+Trail+N+Poolsbrook+Kirkville+%25282%2529.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">Lisa Saunders on the 360-mile Erie Canalway Trail in Kirkville, NY, in 2021. Lisa and Jim Saunders plan to walk the entire Trail across upstate New York, leaving #Stop CMV rocks along the way to help prevent #1 birth defects virus. 77 miles walked so far (Photo by Jim Saunders).</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">Moms and doctors work to ensure women know how to prevent the leading viral cause of birth defects, cytomegalovirus (CMV). </span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Want to join us?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Baldwinsville, NY--<span style="color: #222222;">I was the mother of Elizabeth Saunders, born with a severely damaged brain from congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) in 1989. She had cerebral palsy, developmental delays, epilepsy, and vision and hearing loss. She died in 2006 during a seizure. When I was pregnant with Elizabeth, I ran a licensed child care center in my home, volunteered in our church nursery, and cared for a toddler of my own--all activities that put my pregnancy at risk for cytomegalovirus (CMV), the leading viral cause of birth defects (</span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/awareness-month.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;">cdc.gov</a><span style="color: #222222;">). </span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Women who have or work with young children are at greater risk for CMV because the otherwise healthy toddlers in their care are often excreting the virus--especially those in group care. When my husband Jim, now a retired Pfizer scientist, and I were living in Connecticut, we helped the state become the second, after Utah, to pass a CMV testing law in 2015. Having moved back to New York in 2019, we were glad to learn the state passed a CMV testing law in 2018 (<a href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2017/a587/amendment/c" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;">Bill A587C</a>), but know more needs to be done in regard to prevention education.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">CMV is “'a virus that has a PR problem. It’s the most common congenital infection in every population, happening in 1 out of every 150 babies, yet most pregnant women don’t know about it,'' said Dr. Sallie Permar, Chair, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, and pediatrician-in-chief, New York-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital. "'It’s a virus we have recognized for over 60 years as the cause of birth defects and brain damage in infants...'" (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://news.weill.cornell.edu/news/2021/06/dr-sallie-permar%25E2%2580%2599s-work-protecting-mothers-infants-from-hiv-cmv-lands-her-among-%25E2%2580%2598giants&source=gmail&ust=1632664887774000&usg=AFQjCNESbv_LoiRZ6ZUxF_WlHsLyI2zgKA" href="https://news.weill.cornell.edu/news/2021/06/dr-sallie-permar%E2%80%99s-work-protecting-mothers-infants-from-hiv-cmv-lands-her-among-%E2%80%98giants" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Weill Cornell Medicine, 2021</a>). </span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="background-color: transparent;">Angela Cote of Buffalo appreciates the 2018 New York CMV testing law because it helped doctors diagnose why her daughter Elise failed her hearing test giving her options for early intervention. But Angela wishes she had known about CMV and how to prevent it </span><em style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: border-box;">before</em><span style="background-color: transparent;"> her pregnancy with Elise--especially since Angela had an occupational risk for it. She said, "Not once have I ever heard of CMV or was told about CMV. I was a nanny so I was around children a lot as well as having my daughter, who was a toddler at the time I became pregnant with Elise. Not my OB or any other doctor mentioned or screened me for CMV to see if I had been exposed in the past."</span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">“This is a very common virus, but it remains somewhat under the radar. A woman can unknowingly acquire it during pregnancy, and pass the infection to the unborn baby,” states Sunil K. Sood, M.D., Chair of Pediatrics, South Shore University Hospital, Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases, Cohen Children's Medical Center and Professor, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. "CMV is spread from person to person through body fluids. Day care workers, nurses, mothers of young children, and others who work with young children are at greatest risk of exposure to CMV. Since young children commonly carry CMV, pregnant women and women planning pregnancies should take extra care to avoid urine and saliva from young children” (NYMetroParents, 2016).</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">CMV prevention tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) state: "The saliva and urine of children with CMV have high amounts of the virus. You can avoid getting a child’s saliva in your mouth by, for example, not sharing food, utensils, or cups with a child. Also, you should wash your hands after changing diapers" (<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/fact-sheets/parents-pregnant-women.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;">https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/fact-s...</a>)</span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">According to the CDC, about 1 in every 200 babies is born with a cCMV infection in the U.S. Of these babies, around 1 in 5 will have long-term health problems (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://cdc.gov/cmv&source=gmail&ust=1632664887774000&usg=AFQjCNESOhtueA0-GgONj-5gu8QeE5niMg" href="http://cdc.gov/cmv" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">cdc.gov/cmv</a>). Approximately 4,000 babies are born disabled by congenital CMV in the U.S. each year. In 2019, in New York, 221,539 babies were born. Therefore, an estimated 1,108 babies were born with congenital CMV, with 222 babies being born permanently disabled by congenital CMV. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; line-height: 18.2px; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Racial and ethnic minorities are particularly at risk for CMV: "Significant racial and ethnic differences exist in the prevalence of cCMV [congenital CMV], even after adjusting for socioeconomic status and maternal age" (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29784513/&source=gmail&ust=1632664887774000&usg=AFQjCNE41wbL41pk1HH_uKVB5TLNUlafqQ" href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29784513/" style="color: #1155cc;" target="_blank">Fowler et al., 2018</a>). </span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">In 2021, the State of New York Senate hoped to helped raise awareness of CMV by passing <a href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html">Senate Bill S6287A</a>, which "Establishes 'Elizabeth's law'; requires child care providers to be trained on the impacts and dangers of congenital cytomegalovirus infection and the treatments and methods of prevention of cytomegalovirus infection; requires distribution of materials relating to cytomegalovirus by certain physicians." The NY Assembly still needs to pass their version of the bill <span style="box-sizing: border-box;">(</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560&source=gmail&ust=1631713703908000&usg=AFQjCNGQyVv-4N37PwDxyeB10Eh7eVAPlg" href="https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/a7560" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">A7560</a><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">). </span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/nationalcmv/photos/a.467850520035640/1980799172074093/?type%3D3&source=gmail&ust=1631713703908000&usg=AFQjCNEgj2vuqxxE1uJpCygc5Out1EbXpw" href="https://www.facebook.com/nationalcmv/photos/a.467850520035640/1980799172074093/?type=3" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Brandi Hurtubise</a> of Buffalo supports "Elizabeth's Law." Her second child Samantha was born with congenital CMV. Brandi told her story to the <a href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;">National CMV Foundation</a>: "No one told me I shouldn't share drinks or food with my toddler while I was pregnant with [Samantha]. Or that I needed to wash my hands after every single diaper change. That I needed to be cautious of his saliva and urine because it could be carrying a virus that would harm my unborn baby. I didn't know because CMV isn't commonly talked about or educated on; even though it is incredibly common."</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Edel Law of Tappan said, "This bill is important to me because my three-year-old daughter has congenital CMV. It came as a total shock when at 31 weeks pregnant, I found out she had abnormal brain development. Upon further testing, we found out I had contracted and passed CMV onto my daughter. After learning about CMV, it was not shocking that I contracted the virus since I had a toddler in preschool and was an early childhood educator. My daughter has developmental delays, single sided deafness, wears a cochlear implant, and has a form of heart failure."</span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">New York proclaimed June 2021 as Cytomegalovirus Awareness Month (<a href="https://trackbill.com/bill/new-york-assembly-legislative-resolution-346-memorializing-governor-andrew-m-cuomo-to-proclaim-june-2021-as-cytomegalovirus-awareness-month-in-the-state-of-new-york/2131474/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;">Assembly Resolution No. 346</a>). To kick it off, Trail Works, Inc., hosted an event at its Trail of Hope in Lyons on June 5. A co-sponsor of the Proclamation, Assemblyman Brian Manktelow, reading the entire Proclamation aloud, including the statement: "It is imperative that women are educated about the virus itself and simple preventative measures, such as not sharing food with toddlers, and washing one's hands after changing infants and toddlers diapers..." The reading concluded with 220 rocks painted silver (the official color of CMV awareness) placed on the Trail to honor the number of babies born disabled by congenital CMV in New York each year. Kristin Schuster of Canandaigua, mother of Autumn born in 2015 with congenital CMV, painted many of these rocks and, per requests from families unable to attend, wrote the names of 70 children born disabled by CMV on the rocks. Her daughter Autumn tried to help us place the silver rocks on Trail. Jessica Keukelaar of Macedon was in attendance with her first born daughter, Kyleigh, born with congenital CMV in 2018. Like Kristin and myself, Jessica worked professionally with young children during her pregnancy unaware of her occupational risk for CMV. Tabitha Rodenhaus of Buffalo, the mother of a child with congenital CMV, painted #StopCMV rocks for inclusion on the Trail of Hope (watch music video of the event: "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DdUEQmKrG354%26authuser%3D0&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNGxpxqJZdMAe0ifV6hdLnqMPJEaMw" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUEQmKrG354&authuser=0" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Had I Known, Lyrics and Music by Debra Lynn Alt</a>," produced by Mark De Cracker, June 2021). </span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Jim and I continue to place the #Stop CMV rocks along the 360-mile Erie Canalway Trail as we walk across upstate New York trying to raise awareness. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">To learn more about protecting pregnancies from CMV, visit the CDC at: <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">www.cdc.gov/cmv</a> and the <a href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">National CMV Foundation</a>. If you would like to join the effort to help all women of childbearing age in New York learn CMV prevention, please write to me at <a href="mailto:LisaSaunders42@gmail.com" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">LisaSaunders42@gmail.com</a> or visit: <a href="https://congenitalcmv.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Congenitalcmv.blogspot.com</a> or Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NYStopCMV/" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">NY Stop CMV</a> Project. Educational resources below my bio.</p><p class="text-center" style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: center;">###</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">My Bio:</p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">Lisa Saunders resides in Baldwinsville, New York, with her husband James P. Saunders, a recently retired Pfizer scientist. Lisa is a founding member of the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NYStopCMV/" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">NY Stop CMV</a> Project and volunteers with the National CMV Foundation. In 2015, she was instrumental in helping Connecticut become the second state in the U.S. to require CMV testing for newborns who fail their hearing screen. A graduate of Cornell University, Lisa is a public speaker, a talk show host for <a href="http://pacbtv.org/" style="color: #1155cc;">PAC-B TV</a> and an award-winning writer. She is the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Lisa-Saunders/e/B001K7Z5AC?ref_=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">several books</a>, including some with a CMV prevention message for children and adults. Lisa and her husband Jim are walking the 360-mile Erie Canalway Trail across upstate New York in hopes of drawing attention to CMV prevention. (Watch Lisa and Jim on <em style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px;">Spectrum News:</em> "<a href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__spectrumlocalnews.com_nys_central-2Dny_news_2021_07_01_couple-2Dpushes-2Dfor-2Dlaw-2Din-2Dmemory-2Dof-2Dtheir-2Ddaughter&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=pkXq5tTqZ16kUqCiAkfDtxw4XPpjnlYO0qLoHC87C_g&m=-yDpIc0HZ0CNZh6J4hWCnqKorSWxwSVhDa5EKMHjVlo&s=bCY96TfzRArglBKba-Qxc81LdIrxcy40D0FMxrPkY-8&e=" rel="nofollow" style="background: transparent; box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; font-weight: bold; margin: 0px; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Couple pushes for law in memory of their daughter</a>" by Jessica Houghtaling, Jul. 01, 2021. </p><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">FLIERS/POSTERS</p><ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding-left: 24px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 8px 0px;">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): "CMV Fact Sheet for Pregnant Women and Parents"in <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/downloads/cmv-parents-fact-sheet-508.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1620137118570000&usg=AFQjCNGWggDKNA1iZXjZUAJTFFhJmBUDEQ" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/downloads/cmv-parents-fact-sheet-508.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">English</a> and <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/downloads/cmv-parents-fact-sheet-sp-508.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1620137118570000&usg=AFQjCNH3vkufTo4PBmBF1M-Q0LEsQkU0UA" href="https://www.cdc.gov/cmv/downloads/cmv-parents-fact-sheet-sp-508.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Spanish</a></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 8px 0px;">National CMV Foundation Wall Poster "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationalcmv.org/NCMVF/media/ncmvf/download-content/CMV_Awareness-Flyer_11x17.pdf?ext%3D.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1620137118570000&usg=AFQjCNEPkolArhWjJDc0lVlENOK4Nb8cTA" href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/NCMVF/media/ncmvf/download-content/CMV_Awareness-Flyer_11x17.pdf?ext=.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Are You Pregnant</a>?"</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 8px 0px;">"<a href="https://nrckids.org/CFOC/Database/7.7.1.1">Staff Education and Policies on Cytomegalovirus (CMV)</a>" (co-authored by the American Academy of Pediatrics)</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 8px 0px;">State Health Department flyer: "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://health.utah.gov/cshcn/pdf/CMV/CMV%2520What%2520Childcare%2520Providers%2520Need%2520to%2520know.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1620137118570000&usg=AFQjCNH0KBEt6kSgUGuxgQdeRUahBBV6hw" href="https://health.utah.gov/cshcn/pdf/CMV/CMV%20What%20Childcare%20Providers%20Need%20to%20know.pdf" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">What childcare providers NEED TO KNOW about CMV</a>" (Utah)</li></ul><p style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">PRESENTATIONS</p><ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #111111; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 20px; padding-left: 24px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 8px 0px;">For Caregivers/Teachers/Educators: "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://aural.rehab.uconn.edu/cmv-training-module/&source=gmail&ust=1620137118570000&usg=AFQjCNFuAXaltANDlInQCEu86_0FhR41pg" href="https://aural.rehab.uconn.edu/cmv-training-module/" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">CMV Training Module Video</a>" (This work was supported by the AUCD and the LEND Pediatric Audiology Program made possible through a Cooperative Agreement with the Health Resources and Services Material Child Health Bureau (MCHB) grant awarded to the University of Connecticut</li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 8px 0px;">For Employers: Publication: Brown, N. J. (2019, November). Occupational exposure to cytomegalovirus (CMV): Preventing exposure in child care and educational settings, including OSHA advisories. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University, ILR School. (Available from: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/conference/45/&source=gmail&ust=1620137118570000&usg=AFQjCNEe0iqFLLTAXyI3agCLbeLsJhJnAQ" href="https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/conference/45/" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">https://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/conference/45/</a>); <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://vimeo.com/450219803&source=gmail&ust=1620137118570000&usg=AFQjCNGhIm8qlWrnedd2IizqdABy88CgNA" href="https://vimeo.com/450219803" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Vimeo</a>; <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://vimeo.com/user43999427/download/450219803/e5b7be27db&source=gmail&ust=1620137118570000&usg=AFQjCNGr0j0Iz7AdUPTz34l2WiJ2DFSCMw" href="https://vimeo.com/user43999427/download/450219803/e5b7be27db" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">Download video workshop</a>. This publication/presentation is by Nellie Brown, MS, CIH, Certified Industrial Hygienist, and Director, Workplace Health and Safety Program, Cornell University – ILR School. The information in this training program was originally developed for The Center for Occupational & Environmental Medicine at the Erie County Medical Center (ECMC). Permission to make this training program available online granted by The Center for Occupational & Environmental Medicine. For further information, or to ask about a Q and A over Zoom, contact Nellie Brown at: <a href="mailto:njb7@cornell.edu" rel="nofollow" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #067638; margin: 0px;" target="_blank">njb7@cornell.edu</a>.</li></ul><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Notes: </span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The following six reasons explain why CMV has a "PR problem" </span></p><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 16px 24px; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-position: inside; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1) CMV prevention education is not "part of standard prenatal care” (Washington Post, "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid%3DIwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNFqKzA8WRm5p2zM6nSDcBXGNyF7jA" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid=IwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How a common, often harmless virus called cytomegalovirus can damage a fetus,</a>" May 15, 2021.)</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-position: inside; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2) Doctors don’t want to frighten, worry or “burden” patients. New York Times: "The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists [ACOG] used to encourage counseling for pregnant women on how to avoid CMV. But [ in 2015], the college reversed course...Guidelines from ACOG suggest that pregnant women will find CMV prevention 'impractical and burdensome,' especially if they are told not to kiss their toddlers on the mouth — a possible route of transmission.” (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNFhq6iB1Fwyis12Cei6rOq_b4g6cQ" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Saint Louis, 2016</a>). </span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-position: inside; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">3)"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” (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/5/70&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNFAxWv6xiIqJfqZkxVjQAOIwq3w4g" href="http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/5/70" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Cannon and Davis, 2005</a>). </span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-position: inside; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">4) Medical training downplays the dangers. Pediatrician Megan Pesch, M.D., of the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, whose third daughter was born with congenital CMV and a progressive hearing loss, 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...I waver between feeling guilty and feeling furious. I have spent — how many years of my life in developmental pediatrics? — how could I not have known?”(Washington Post, "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid%3DIwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNFqKzA8WRm5p2zM6nSDcBXGNyF7jA" href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid=IwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">How a common, often harmless virus called cytomegalovirus can damage a fetus,</a>" May 15, 2021.) </span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-position: inside; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5) Low media coverage. In the HealthNewsReview.org article, "Why does CMV get so much less news coverage than Zika — despite causing far more birth defects?" the author states, “Researchers we spoke with identified the same factors – fear and the epidemic/endemic nature of the diseases – as driving the media disparity” (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.healthnewsreview.org/2018/02/cmv-get-much-less-news-coverage-zika-despite-causing-far-birth-defects/&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNEbej9Mt9dvyxLDLnJgiAFMcX50FA" href="https://www.healthnewsreview.org/2018/02/cmv-get-much-less-news-coverage-zika-despite-causing-far-birth-defects/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Shipman, 2018</a>). </span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-position: inside; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6) Although U.S. workers have the right to “receive information and training about hazards” (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3021.pdf&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNGVCFW0phI-hzo-hLLhT01rkKEbUg" href="https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3021.pdf" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970</a>), there are no federal laws governing CMV education policies for child care workers. The <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNF8M1rfdyFDyh9tuou3S3NQYprCpQ" href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Department of Labor</a> states, "Education and training requirements vary by setting, state, and employer." The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) lists CMV as a "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/cmv/hazards.html&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNHqUv99rBUbMNN9mId7oF0yLdpVaQ" href="http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/cmv/hazards.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Recognized Hazard</a>," yet recent surveys show that most child care providers do not know about CMV and many acknowledge using diaper wipes to clean hands instead of following proper protocols (Thackeray and Magnusson, 2016). Diaper wipes do not effectively remove CMV from hands (<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://url.emailprotection.link/?bVRldvZD80sA4OK5oabCqi17Qk808gTpt7wAyaCA_QJHKT-h9jYm65eD8W-XDzQF3T9cGeINS6YHuPRJ_hVOrcSRy2DZoflMlweFN3Nc2KHTwKocIVTFX5hhTCUXECXjN&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNEHe0yFYvT6qPeNrrGuYPtBdsmYXQ" href="https://url.emailprotection.link/?bVRldvZD80sA4OK5oabCqi17Qk808gTpt7wAyaCA_QJHKT-h9jYm65eD8W-XDzQF3T9cGeINS6YHuPRJ_hVOrcSRy2DZoflMlweFN3Nc2KHTwKocIVTFX5hhTCUXECXjN" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Stowell et al., 2014</a>). </span></li></ul><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span><span style="box-sizing: border-box;">Media Coverage</span></span></p><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 16px 24px; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-position: inside; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;"> <em style="box-sizing: border-box;">Spectrum News:</em> "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u%3Dhttps-3A__spectrumlocalnews.com_nys_central-2Dny_news_2021_07_01_couple-2Dpushes-2Dfor-2Dlaw-2Din-2Dmemory-2Dof-2Dtheir-2Ddaughter%26d%3DDwMFaQ%26c%3Dlb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s%26r%3DpkXq5tTqZ16kUqCiAkfDtxw4XPpjnlYO0qLoHC87C_g%26m%3D-yDpIc0HZ0CNZh6J4hWCnqKorSWxwSVhDa5EKMHjVlo%26s%3DbCY96TfzRArglBKba-Qxc81LdIrxcy40D0FMxrPkY-8%26e%3D&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNHA6gjVKgHW4wd59ZQZqjvYN7tQHg" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__spectrumlocalnews.com_nys_central-2Dny_news_2021_07_01_couple-2Dpushes-2Dfor-2Dlaw-2Din-2Dmemory-2Dof-2Dtheir-2Ddaughter&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=pkXq5tTqZ16kUqCiAkfDtxw4XPpjnlYO0qLoHC87C_g&m=-yDpIc0HZ0CNZh6J4hWCnqKorSWxwSVhDa5EKMHjVlo&s=bCY96TfzRArglBKba-Qxc81LdIrxcy40D0FMxrPkY-8&e=" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Couple pushes for law in memory of their daughter</a>" by Jessica Houghtaling (Jul. 01, 2021). Includes interview with Dr. Sunil Sood.)</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-position: inside; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finger Lakes Times, "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.fltimes.com/news/trail-of-hope-celebration-in-lyons-marks-cmv-month-in-new-york/article_09c0f4b7-a777-5501-b346-f85ffa4cfd83.html&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNHg8eeSXSXLGKk_Y-dmJmcrM8lM1w" href="https://www.fltimes.com/news/trail-of-hope-celebration-in-lyons-marks-cmv-month-in-new-york/article_09c0f4b7-a777-5501-b346-f85ffa4cfd83.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Trail of Hope celebration in Lyons marks CMV Month in New York</a>", Steve Buchiere (Jun 11, 2021). </span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-position: inside; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Music video: "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DdUEQmKrG354%26authuser%3D0&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNGxpxqJZdMAe0ifV6hdLnqMPJEaMw" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUEQmKrG354&authuser=0" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Had I Known, Lyrics and Music by Debra Lynn Alt</a>," produced by Mark De Cracker (June 2021).</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-position: inside; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Finger Lakes Times: "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.fltimes.com/news/making-a-difference-couple-brings-awareness-to-threat-to-infant-health-cmv/article_37dac9f5-6991-5f9e-9e10-98de4f4ab216.htm&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNHsiLmoYc72oT9CWrkollbmogKaQA" href="https://www.fltimes.com/news/making-a-difference-couple-brings-awareness-to-threat-to-infant-health-cmv/article_37dac9f5-6991-5f9e-9e10-98de4f4ab216.htm" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Couple brings awareness to threat to infant health: CMV</a>", Steve Buchiere (June 4, 2021). </span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-position: inside; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Citizen: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNHxaM1dEGj85cFaNAn30WmacHsqHg" href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">"</a><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNHxaM1dEGj85cFaNAn30WmacHsqHg" href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">NY Senate passes bill, named for CNY couple's daughter, to boost CMV awareness</a>", Robert Harding (June 2, 2121). </span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-position: inside; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Syracuse Woman magazine, "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://issuu.com/eaglenewsonline/docs/swm-may-2021-web-pages/28&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNHSLdzFl5wdHafFSL_ApOMIXtyN-Q" href="https://issuu.com/eaglenewsonline/docs/swm-may-2021-web-pages/28" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Fighting CMV One Step at a Time (p.28)</a>", Emma Vallelunga (May 2021) (p.29 image of<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ICRACl-Uo-bnh8PIQGc_iFb58Styit-F/view&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNFWSbF8Vt4PKVaTf2YNwvopmVMRHA" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ICRACl-Uo-bnh8PIQGc_iFb58Styit-F/view" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"> Stop CMV hand, rock and shirt</a>)</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-position: inside; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Citizen: "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elizabeths-law-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-would-boost-cmv-awareness/article_20ae2419-1868-546c-b2c8-71a5de2f84f1.html&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNGfl25_0R0d4YtnYsZ0baW8fyttnQ" href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elizabeths-law-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-would-boost-cmv-awareness/article_20ae2419-1868-546c-b2c8-71a5de2f84f1.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">'Elizabeth's law,' named for CNY couple's daughter, would boost CMV awareness</a>", Robert Harding (May 4,2021) </span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-position: inside; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">The Citizen, "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/challenge-for-change-auburn-native-walking-canal-trail-to-raise-virus-awareness/article_6840628a-968a-567e-a1bf-6b59f58dae3f.html?fbclid%3DIwAR1q7PErZwWZ6dRIbpmJ25HphGSkO5Tf2cn34fV2MiwpT1zAltbgTy7dbtM&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNHValBH2gi4Vy_-gyQuBikGimVtbg" href="https://auburnpub.com/challenge-for-change-auburn-native-walking-canal-trail-to-raise-virus-awareness/article_6840628a-968a-567e-a1bf-6b59f58dae3f.html?fbclid=IwAR1q7PErZwWZ6dRIbpmJ25HphGSkO5Tf2cn34fV2MiwpT1zAltbgTy7dbtM" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Challenge for Change: Walking across NY to raise awareness of CMV</a>", David Wilcox (Mar 31, 2021) </span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-position: inside; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">PAC-B TV: "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNHMZC89z2LtlYCZg0iLVDIBnsZ6OA" href="https://youtu.be/aF7gaT2dnDA" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Did You Know? - CytoMegaloVirus (CMV) - What Moms Wished They Knew</a>" (Lisa Saunders interviews moms Angela and Brandi, May 7, 2021). </span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-position: inside; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Times Herald Record: <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.recordonline.com/article/20090121/HEALTH/901210313&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNFGWrbVE1PeJx_ELv4FUf1r2AnfsA" href="https://www.recordonline.com/article/20090121/HEALTH/901210313" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">What every pregnant woman needs to know</a>, Deborah J. Botti</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-position: inside; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">New York Times, "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNFhq6iB1Fwyis12Cei6rOq_b4g6cQ" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">CMV Is a Greater Threat to Infants Than Zika, but Far Less Often Discusse</a>d" By Catherine Saint Louis (Oct. 24, 2016).</span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-position: inside; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">NYMetroParents, “<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/what-is-cytomegalovirus-and-how-can-it-be-treated&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNEz7iVsiAOWngOlnpOW4wzg0jyq4g" href="https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/what-is-cytomegalovirus-and-how-can-it-be-treated" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Could CMV Be the Cause of My Baby's Failed Hearing Test?</a>”(Sunil K. Sood, M.D., Chair of Pediatrics, South Shore University Hospital, Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases, Cohen Children's Medical Center and Professor, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, March 21, 2016).</span></li></ul><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="box-sizing: border-box;"></span></span></p><p style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 16px; padding: 0px;"><span style="font-family: arial;">CMV LAW PASSED IN CT with LISA SAUNDERS<br style="box-sizing: border-box;" /></span></p><ul style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #222222; margin: 0px 0px 16px 24px; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-position: inside; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Cornell Alumni Magazine: "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://cornellalumnimagazine.com/index.php?option%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26id%3D2235%26Itemid%3D1%26ed%3D49&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNEToGKIxWHxgGESVn4b5RUNLf7mjQ" href="http://cornellalumnimagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2235&Itemid=1&ed=49" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">In Memory of Elizabeth</a>: Her daughter's death from a preventable disability spurs Lisa Avazian Saunders '82 into action," Alexandra Bond (Sept/Oct 2015). </span></li><li style="box-sizing: border-box; list-style-position: inside; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: arial;">News 8, “<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wtnh.com/on-air/connecticut-families/mystic-mother-raises-awareness-of-cmv-a-risk-for-pregnant-women-and-their-babies/1235975184/&source=gmail&ust=1631713703909000&usg=AFQjCNHD1QdjGcqz8Fy3prLB7Avu8WH-Dg" href="https://www.wtnh.com/on-air/connecticut-families/mystic-mother-raises-awareness-of-cmv-a-risk-for-pregnant-women-and-their-babies/1235975184/" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: #256bc9; cursor: pointer; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Mystic mother raises awareness of CMV, a risk for pregnant women and their babies</a>”, Sarah Cody (June 13, 2018) </span></li></ul>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7242940598103731845.post-27659440940648082152021-06-17T04:40:00.007-07:002021-09-13T09:44:48.828-07:00Why Does New York Need a Revised CMV Education Law?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivGujqchxoCZnYqXJXjiSt3xTwrYYcxwjhkX-4nQGz6h7A2womNx0SQ0iGwXQQ-yss4MwwbYBFM6Hx26Q2iZa8MT-o0lVVXJP95ym648QddcIRe_Y3C4Sfa-QuTytCm1cZEU3JqbyDUdDO/s2048/Elizabeth+stop+cmv+rock.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivGujqchxoCZnYqXJXjiSt3xTwrYYcxwjhkX-4nQGz6h7A2womNx0SQ0iGwXQQ-yss4MwwbYBFM6Hx26Q2iZa8MT-o0lVVXJP95ym648QddcIRe_Y3C4Sfa-QuTytCm1cZEU3JqbyDUdDO/s320/Elizabeth+stop+cmv+rock.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial;"><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p>I'm the mother of Elizabeth Saunders, born with severe brain damage from congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) in 1989. She died in 2006 during a seizure. When I was pregnant with Elizabeth, I ran a licensed child care center in my home, volunteered in our church nursery</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> and had a toddler of my own--all things that put my pregnancy at risk for CMV, the leading viral cause of birth defects, because otherwise healthy toddlers are often excreting</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> the virus--especially those in group care. </span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">When my husband Jim, now a retired Pfizer scientist, and I were living in Connecticut, we helped the state become the second, after Utah, to pass a CMV testing law in 2015. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">Now living in New York, we are glad New York passed a CMV testing law in 2018, but more needs to be done in regard to prevention. I wish we didn't need a law to ensure women are educated about CMV, but no other strategy has worked for decades.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;">CMV is “'a virus that has a PR problem. It’s the most common congenital infection in every population, happening in 1 out of every 150 babies, yet most pregnant women don’t know about it,'' said Dr. Sallie Permar, Chair, Department of Pediatrics, Weill Cornell Medicine, and pediatrician-in-chief, NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital. "'It’s a virus we have recognized for over 60 years as the cause of birth defects and brain damage in infants...'" ("<a href="https://news.weill.cornell.edu/news/2021/06/dr-sallie-permar%E2%80%99s-work-protecting-mothers-infants-from-hiv-cmv-lands-her-among-%E2%80%98giants?fbclid=IwAR0NZATfcQhaJ8_PF9yn5i0r2V9CtXaqpxb5of1CWNT9NOv3zOgkQhBQjmE">Dr. Sallie Permar’s Work Protecting Mothers, Infants from HIV, CMV Lands Her Among ‘Giants’</a>," Weill Cornell Medicine, June 10, 2021). </span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-family: arial;">"Policy and legislation, backed by accurate science, are viable tools to change behaviour to reduce congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections. Addressing CMV through public policy can provide increased awareness among public health officials, access to existing venues for disseminating information, and much needed funds for awareness campaigns. While some medical professionals and CMV experts oppose public policy and legislation mandating medical practice, most support policies aimed at public education campaigns to provide consumers with accurate CMV education" ("<a href="https://www.publish.csiro.au/ma/pdf/MA15058">Reducing congenital cytomegalovirus infection through policy and legislation in the United States</a>," </span><span style="font-family: arial;">Sara Menlove Doutre, </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";">Microbiology Australia</span><span style="font-family: arial;">, 2015). </span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: arial;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nationalcmv.org/resources/parent-stories/stories/elise-new-york&source=gmail&ust=1624013903493000&usg=AFQjCNGsUON7MaAyNKzLhiCvWaOTmdwSEw" href="https://www.nationalcmv.org/resources/parent-stories/stories/elise-new-york" style="background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Angela Cote</a> of Buffalo appreciates the 2018 New York CMV testing law because it helped doctors diagnose why her daughter Elise failed her hearing test giving her options for early intervention. But Angela wishes she had known about CMV and how to prevent it BEFORE her pregnancy with Elise--especially since Angela had an occupational risk for it. She said, "Not once have I ever heard of CMV or was told about CMV. I was a nanny so I was around children a lot as well as having my daughter, who was a toddler at the time I became pregnant with Elise. Not my OB or any other doctor mentioned or screened me for CMV to see if I had been exposed in the past."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">“This is a very common virus, but it remains somewhat under the radar. A woman can unknowingly acquire it during pregnancy, and pass the infection to the unborn baby,” states Sunil K. Sood, M.D., Chair of Pediatrics, South Shore University Hospital, Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases, Cohen Children's Medical Center and Professor, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. ”CMV is spread from person to person through body fluids. Day care workers, nurses, mothers of young children, and others who work with young children are at greatest risk of exposure to CMV. Since young children commonly carry CMV, pregnant women and women planning pregnancies should take extra care to avoid urine and saliva from young children” (“Could CMV Be the Cause of My Baby's Failed Hearing Test?”, <a href="https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/what-is-cytomegalovirus-and-how-can-it-be-treated" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">NYMetroParents, 2016</a>).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">To kick-off New York's <a href="https://trackbill.com/bill/new-york-assembly-legislative-resolution-346-memorializing-governor-andrew-m-cuomo-to-proclaim-june-2021-as-cytomegalovirus-awareness-month-in-the-state-of-new-york/2131474/">June 2021 Cytomegalovirus Awareness Month</a> in Lyons (Wayne County) on June 5, we were fortunate enough to have one of the co-sponsors of the Proclamation read it out loud, including the statement that "</span><span style="font-family: arial;">It is imperative that women are educated about the virus </span><span style="font-family: arial;">itself and simple preventative measures, such as not sharing food with </span><span style="font-family: arial;">toddlers, and washing one's hands after changing infants and toddlers d</span><span style="font-family: arial;">iapers..."</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> </span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">The reading concluded with a placement of over 220 rocks painted silver, the official color of CMV awareness, </span><span style="font-family: arial;">within a read, heart-shaped rock border </span><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;">to honor the number of babies born disabled by congenital CMV in New York each year. <b>Kristin Schuster of Canandaigua</b>, mother of Autumn born in 2015 with congenital CMV, painted many of these silver rocks and, per requests from families unable to attend, wrote the names of 70 children born disabled by CMV on the rocks</span><span style="font-family: arial;">. Her daughter Autumn tried to help us place the silver rocks in the heart. </span><b style="font-family: arial;">Jessica Keukelaar of Macedon</b><span style="font-family: arial;"> was in attendance with her firstborn Kyleigh, born with congenital CMV in 2018. Like Kristin and myself, Jessica worked professionally with young children during her pregnancy. You can watch this music video of the event set to a song written for the cause, "Had I Known (about CMV)," at: </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://youtu.be/dUEQmKrG354&source=gmail&ust=1624013903493000&usg=AFQjCNE3GPNZmLIVvWhCnrVOKxytb4t3CQ" href="https://youtu.be/dUEQmKrG354" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/<wbr></wbr>dUEQmKrG354</a></p><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">The following list explains why CMV has a "PR problem":</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="color: #555544; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-family: arial;">IF CMV WAS A PROBLEM, WOULDN’T MY DOCTOR TELL ME?</span></b></div><div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="color: #555544; text-align: center;"><u><span style="font-family: arial;">6 Possible Reasons Women Are Unaware of CMV</span></u></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: arial;">1) CMV prevention education is not "part of standard prenatal care” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: arial;">(<i>Washington Post</i>, "<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid=IwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">How a common, often harmless virus called cytomegalovirus can damage a fetus,</a>" May 15, 2021.)</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2) Doctors don’t want to frighten, worry or “burden” patients.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>New York Times</i>: "The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists [ACOG] used to encourage counseling for pregnant women on how to avoid CMV. But [ in 2015], the college reversed course...Guidelines from ACOG suggest that pregnant women will find CMV prevention 'impractical and burdensome,' especially if they are told not to kiss their toddlers on the mouth — a possible route of transmission.” (<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Saint Louis, 2016</a>). </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #555544;"><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;">3)"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” (<a href="http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/5/70" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Cannon and Davis, 2005</a>).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #555544;">4) Medical training downplays the dangers. Pediatrician Megan Pesch, M.D., of the University of Michigan’s C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, whose third daughter was born with congenital CMV and a progressive hearing loss, 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...I waver between feeling guilty and feeling furious. I have spent — how many years of my life in developmental pediatrics? — how could I not have known?”(</span><i style="color: #555544;">Washington Post</i><span style="color: #555544;">, "</span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pregnancy-fetus-danger-cmv-virus/2021/05/14/81dc3dac-acff-11eb-ab4c-986555a1c511_story.html?fbclid=IwAR2e83KubX_k5I2ejNxlX4eYpgBr09RTl0Ffm9mTPfbKZbeiAhmr7U5pTXA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">How a common, often harmless virus called cytomegalovirus can damage a fetus,</a><span style="color: #555544;">" </span><span style="color: #555544;"></span><span style="color: #555544;">May 15, 2021.)</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #555544;"><span style="color: black; font-family: arial;"><span style="color: #555544;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: arial;">5) Low media coverage. In the HealthNewsReview.org article, "Why does CMV get so much less news coverage than Zika — despite causing far more birth defects?" the author states, “Researchers we spoke with identified the same factors – fear and the epidemic/endemic nature of the diseases – as driving the media disparity” (<a href="https://www.healthnewsreview.org/2018/02/cmv-get-much-less-news-coverage-zika-despite-causing-far-birth-defects/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Shipman, 2018</a>).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: arial;">6) Although U.S. workers have the right to “receive information and training about hazards” (<a href="https://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3021.pdf" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970</a>), there are no federal laws governing CMV education policies for child care workers. The <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Department of Labor</a> states, "Education and training requirements vary by setting, state, and employer."</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #555544;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="color: #555544;"><br /></div></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">Below my signature are ways I'm trying to solve CMV's "PR problem" with the help of the media.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black;">Lisa Saunders</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.facebook.com/NYStopCMV/&source=gmail&ust=1624013903493000&usg=AFQjCNGlkXNrDsZ0EfwFGuWXFmWvIZ8Zrw" href="https://www.facebook.com/NYStopCMV/" style="font-family: arial;" target="_blank">@NYStopCMV</a></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Baldwinsville, NY<br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;">LisaSaunders42@gmail.com</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><div><p style="color: black; line-height: 18.2px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="font-family: arial;">MEDIA COVERAGE OF CMV</span></p><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="color: #222222;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: arial;">2021 </span></span></div><div><ol style="color: #222222;"><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13.5pt;">Spectrum News, "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u%3Dhttps-3A__spectrumlocalnews.com_nys_central-2Dny_news_2021_07_01_couple-2Dpushes-2Dfor-2Dlaw-2Din-2Dmemory-2Dof-2Dtheir-2Ddaughter%26d%3DDwMFaQ%26c%3Dlb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s%26r%3DpkXq5tTqZ16kUqCiAkfDtxw4XPpjnlYO0qLoHC87C_g%26m%3D-yDpIc0HZ0CNZh6J4hWCnqKorSWxwSVhDa5EKMHjVlo%26s%3DbCY96TfzRArglBKba-Qxc81LdIrxcy40D0FMxrPkY-8%26e%3D&source=gmail&ust=1628602836430000&usg=AFQjCNH-3wKdr2MBa2NQ79HDi-EU5FzPqw" href="https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__spectrumlocalnews.com_nys_central-2Dny_news_2021_07_01_couple-2Dpushes-2Dfor-2Dlaw-2Din-2Dmemory-2Dof-2Dtheir-2Ddaughter&d=DwMFaQ&c=lb62iw4YL4RFalcE2hQUQealT9-RXrryqt9KZX2qu2s&r=pkXq5tTqZ16kUqCiAkfDtxw4XPpjnlYO0qLoHC87C_g&m=-yDpIc0HZ0CNZh6J4hWCnqKorSWxwSVhDa5EKMHjVlo&s=bCY96TfzRArglBKba-Qxc81LdIrxcy40D0FMxrPkY-8&e=" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #009e13;">Couple pushes for law in memory of their daughter</span></a>" Jessica Houghtaling, Jul. 01, 2021. Includes interview with Dr. Sunil Sood and is airing across the Capital region, Hudson Valley, Rochester, Buffalo, North Country and Southern Tier).</span></span></div></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><i><div style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Music video of child placing CMV rocks at the Trail of Hope in Lyons, "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v%3DdUEQmKrG354%26authuser%3D0&source=gmail&ust=1623929929611000&usg=AFQjCNG5Mt0kXXzooQHFWgUvyvOpWMGG6A" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUEQmKrG354&authuser=0" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Had I Known, Lyrics and Music by Debra Lynn Alt</a>," produced by Mark De Cracker, <span style="background-color: transparent;">Jun 8, 2021</span><br /></span></div></i></span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><i>Finger Lakes Times</i>, "<a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.fltimes.com/news/trail-of-hope-celebration-in-lyons-marks-cmv-month-in-new-york/article_09c0f4b7-a777-5501-b346-f85ffa4cfd83.html&source=gmail&ust=1623929929611000&usg=AFQjCNHC-iPUREs5Bzab505kjb-or3GEkw" href="https://www.fltimes.com/news/trail-of-hope-celebration-in-lyons-marks-cmv-month-in-new-york/article_09c0f4b7-a777-5501-b346-f85ffa4cfd83.html" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Trail of Hope celebration in Lyons marks CMV Month in New York</a>",</span> Steve Buchiere (Jun 11, 2021). </span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #500050;"><span style="color: black;"><i>Finger Lakes Times: </i></span></span><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #500050;">"</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.fltimes.com/news/making-a-difference-couple-brings-awareness-to-threat-to-infant-health-cmv/article_37dac9f5-6991-5f9e-9e10-98de4f4ab216.htm&source=gmail&ust=1623929929611000&usg=AFQjCNFvyuIJRcqm2SbM-rzrWRx8eV4Hkg" href="https://www.fltimes.com/news/making-a-difference-couple-brings-awareness-to-threat-to-infant-health-cmv/article_37dac9f5-6991-5f9e-9e10-98de4f4ab216.htm" style="background: transparent; color: #88bb22; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Couple brings awareness to threat to infant health: CMV</a>", </span>Steve Buchiere (June 4, 2021).</span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="arial, sans-serif" style="color: #500050; font-style: italic;"><span style="color: black;">The Citizen: </span></span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic;"> <a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html&source=gmail&ust=1623929929611000&usg=AFQjCNHEZXT0ZxfXZHiCt1OrB0UfaN524w" href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">"</a></span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html&source=gmail&ust=1623929929611000&usg=AFQjCNHEZXT0ZxfXZHiCt1OrB0UfaN524w" href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/ny-senate-passes-bill-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-to-boost-cmv-awareness/article_6e435936-21e0-5ae6-b20a-035bf65bf0fa.html" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" style="background: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">NY Senate passes bill, named for CNY couple's daughter, to boost CMV awareness</a><i>", </i> Robert Harding (June 2, 2121). </span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="color: black;">Syracuse Woman</i><span style="color: black; font-style: italic;"> magazine, "</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://issuu.com/eaglenewsonline/docs/swm-may-2021-web-pages/28&source=gmail&ust=1623929929611000&usg=AFQjCNGoegJNVDqSS00bzPtJIqztkk4ycw" href="https://issuu.com/eaglenewsonline/docs/swm-may-2021-web-pages/28" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Fighting CMV One Step at a Time (p.28)</a><span style="color: black;"><i>"</i>, Emma Vallelunga (May 2021) (p.29 image of</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ICRACl-Uo-bnh8PIQGc_iFb58Styit-F/view&source=gmail&ust=1623929929611000&usg=AFQjCNF9P8I75BY1D0l_Xe9dy0xMxNNGxA" href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ICRACl-Uo-bnh8PIQGc_iFb58Styit-F/view" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"> Stop CMV hand, rock and shirt</a><span style="color: black;">)</span></span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-style: italic;">The </span><i style="color: black;">Citizen: </i><span style="color: black; font-style: italic;">"</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elizabeths-law-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-would-boost-cmv-awareness/article_20ae2419-1868-546c-b2c8-71a5de2f84f1.html&source=gmail&ust=1623929929611000&usg=AFQjCNHv93bJ7SgScKStzMoTIf1sZo7gRA" href="https://auburnpub.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/elizabeths-law-named-for-cny-couples-daughter-would-boost-cmv-awareness/article_20ae2419-1868-546c-b2c8-71a5de2f84f1.html" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">'Elizabeth's law,' named for CNY couple's daughter, would boost CMV awareness</a><span style="color: black;"><i>"</i>, Robert Harding (May 4,2021)</span></span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="color: black;">The Citizen,</i><span style="color: black; font-style: italic;"> "</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://auburnpub.com/challenge-for-change-auburn-native-walking-canal-trail-to-raise-virus-awareness/article_6840628a-968a-567e-a1bf-6b59f58dae3f.html?fbclid%3DIwAR1q7PErZwWZ6dRIbpmJ25HphGSkO5Tf2cn34fV2MiwpT1zAltbgTy7dbtM&source=gmail&ust=1623929929611000&usg=AFQjCNG6L_P3GdE7OuWGoutDc9SScUIAww" href="https://auburnpub.com/challenge-for-change-auburn-native-walking-canal-trail-to-raise-virus-awareness/article_6840628a-968a-567e-a1bf-6b59f58dae3f.html?fbclid=IwAR1q7PErZwWZ6dRIbpmJ25HphGSkO5Tf2cn34fV2MiwpT1zAltbgTy7dbtM" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Challenge for Change: Walking across NY to raise awareness of CMV</a><span style="color: black;"><i>", </i>David Wilcox (Mar 31, 2021)</span></span></li></ol><div><span style="font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: arial;">2016 </span></div><div><ol><li style="line-height: 20.8px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>New York Times</i>, "<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/25/health/cmv-cytomegalovirus-pregnancy.html" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">CMV Is a Greater Threat to Infants Than Zika, but Far Less Often Discusse</a>d" By Catherine Saint Louis (Oct. 24, 2016).</span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i>NYMetroParents</i>, “<a href="https://www.nymetroparents.com/article/what-is-cytomegalovirus-and-how-can-it-be-treated" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;">Could CMV Be the Cause of My Baby's Failed Hearing Test?</a>” : “This is a very common virus, but it remains somewhat under the radar. A woman can unknowingly acquire it during pregnancy, and pass the infection to the unborn baby," <span style="color: #222222;">states </span><span class="il" style="color: #222222;">Sunil</span><span style="color: #222222;"> K. </span><span class="il" style="color: #222222;">Sood</span><span style="color: #222222;">, M.D., Chair of Pediatrics, South Shore University Hospital, Attending Physician, Infectious Diseases, Cohen Children's Medical Center and Professor, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. </span> "CMV is spread from person to person through body fluids. Day care workers, nurses, mothers of young children, and others who work with young children are at greatest risk of exposure to CMV. Since young children commonly carry CMV, pregnant women and women planning pregnancies should take extra care to avoid urine and saliva from young children” (March 21, 2016).</span></li></ol></div><div><br /></div></div></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial;"> CMV LAW PASSED IN CONNTECTICUT with LISA SAUNDERS</span></div></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #555544; font-family: tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><ol style="color: #222222;"><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="color: black; font-style: italic;">News 8,</span><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: black; font-style: italic;"> “</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.wtnh.com/on-air/connecticut-families/mystic-mother-raises-awareness-of-cmv-a-risk-for-pregnant-women-and-their-babies/1235975184/&source=gmail&ust=1623929934696000&usg=AFQjCNHN0Ao7dtNawe0h69olq4NOAfc12A" href="https://www.wtnh.com/on-air/connecticut-families/mystic-mother-raises-awareness-of-cmv-a-risk-for-pregnant-women-and-their-babies/1235975184/" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Mystic mother raises awareness of CMV, a risk for pregnant women and their babies</a><span face="tahoma, "Trebuchet MS", lucida, helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: black;"><i>”, </i>Sarah Cody (June 13, 2018) </span></span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="color: black;">Cornell Alumni </i><span style="color: black; font-style: italic;">Magazine</span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: "</span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://cornellalumnimagazine.com/index.php?option%3Dcom_content%26task%3Dview%26id%3D2235%26Itemid%3D1%26ed%3D49&source=gmail&ust=1623929934696000&usg=AFQjCNFExQk0m7hzlswvK2dk1Pf59ALuGg" href="http://cornellalumnimagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2235&Itemid=1&ed=49" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none; white-space: pre-wrap;" target="_blank"><span style="font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">In Memory of Elizabeth</span></a><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: Her daughter's death from a preventable disability spurs Lisa Avazian Saunders '82 into action,"</span> Alexandra Bond (Sept/Oct 2015).</span></li><li style="line-height: 20.8px; margin-left: 15px;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><i style="color: black;">Times Herald Record</i><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">: </span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; text-decoration-line: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.recordonline.com/article/20090121/HEALTH/901210313&source=gmail&ust=1623929934696000&usg=AFQjCNGZrT0gen3RmZO35OT7hoSF07kUcQ" href="https://www.recordonline.com/article/20090121/HEALTH/901210313" style="background: transparent; color: #669922; font-weight: bold; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">What every pregnant woman needs to know</a></span><span style="color: black; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><i>, </i>Deborah J. Botti</span></span></li></ol></div></div>Lisa Saundershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04046101292381161518noreply@blogger.com0