Implications for other viruses
Although CMV poses minimal risk for healthy populations, irreversible complications for infants born with congenital CMV, especially hearing loss, are very concerning, said Catherine Haut, DNP, CPNP-AC/PC, a pediatric nurse practitioner in Rehoboth Beach, Del., in an interview.
“The study of viral transmission during a time of isolation, masking, and other mitigation procedures for COVID-19 assists in awareness that other viruses may also be limited with the use of these measures,” she said.
Dr. Haut was not surprised by the findings, given that CMV is transmitted primarily through direct contact with body fluids and that more than 50% of American adults have been infected by age 40, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she said.
The take-home message for pediatricians, Dr. Haut said, is measures to prevent transmission of viral infection can yield significant positive health outcomes for the pediatric population; however, the effect of isolation, which has been associated with a higher rate of mental health problems, should not be ignored.
“Despite appropriate statistical analyses and presentation of findings in this study, the population sampled during the pandemic was less than 30% of the pre-COVID sampling, representing a study limitation,” and conducting research in a single state limits generalizability, Dr. Haut noted. “I agree with the authors that additional study is necessary to better understand prevention measures and apply these methods to reduce CMV transmission. Pursuit of CMV immunization opportunities is also needed,” she said.
The study was supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Vaccine Program Office, the Minnesota Department of Health Newborn Screening Program, and the University of South Carolina Disability Research and Dissemination Center. Lead author Dr. Schleiss disclosed grants from the CDC, the National Institutes of Health, and the DRDC during the conduct of the study; he also disclosed receiving personal fees from Moderna, Sanofi, GlaxoSmithKline, and Merck unrelated to the study. Dr. Haut had no financial conflicts to disclose and serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of Pediatric News.