Congenital cytomegalovirus more common in children with cerebral palsy than previously reported

Scimex: Cytomegalovirus is a common herpesvirus that can cross the placenta, infect the fetus and cause damage to the developing brain. The retrospective observational study of 323 children with cerebral palsy reveals that 9.6 per cent had cytomegalovirus (CMV) DNA in blood taken from their newborn screening card. This proportion is much higher than the proportion of children with CMV detected in the newborn period in the general community, which is less than one per cent.