Pregnant mothers warned: eat a child’s leftovers and you could make baby deaf

Health reporter(wp/es):

Pregnant women were today advised not to kiss their children on the lips or finish their uneaten fish fingers to avoid contracting a “stealth virus” that could seriously harm their unborn child.

Experts at St George’s, University of London have launched a trial to raise awareness of the dangers of the common but little-known disease CMV (cytomegalovirus), which is a major cause of childhood disability.

It can be passed by children via saliva on part-eaten food, blood, urine and other bodily fluids — but is eradicated with only soap and water. 

Hand hygiene after nappy changing is crucial, while other common parenting habits such as licking clean a baby’s dropped dummy are discouraged.

Everyone should know ... this virus changed my life

 

Soon after their second son Toby was born, Gayle and Alex Book were told he was profoundly deaf. 

Nine months later, a full diagnosis revealed he had multiple disabilities due to CMV, which she had contracted while pregnant. 

“It has changed my life,” said Mrs Book, 40, from Greenwich, who has given up her job in finance to care for Toby. 

The couple have another son Joshua, seven. Toby, now four, is enrolled at a special needs school. 

He has cochlear hearing implants to help him communicate, but he is unable to speak or eat unaided and has mobility and development issues. 

Mrs Book said it was “insane” awareness of CMV was so low.

Project leader Dr Chrissie Jones, of St George’s and Southampton universities, told the Evening Standard: “The most important message is not to come into contact with the saliva of a young child. 

"We would discourage women from sharing food. It’s quite common for parents to finish uneaten meals, such as fish fingers. Don’t kiss your children directly on the lips, kiss them on the forehead.”

CMV affects about 1,000 babies born in the UK each year, of which 200 suffer problems such as cerebral palsy, deafness, mobility problems, small head size, epilepsy and developmental delay. 

It can also cause miscarriage and stillbirth. Babies born with the infection but who do not display symptoms immediately remain at risk of hearing loss later in life. 

There is no NHS screening due to the difficulty of establishing which infections are likely to cause harm, nor is there a vaccine.

The trial aims to recruit 400 mothers with a child under three who are planning another pregnancy. Researchers want to see whether showing the women a video with advice on improved hand hygiene can reduce the spread of the virus.

The researchers do not want to cause unnecessary alarm: CMV is common in adults and children and unlikely to cause harm in the majority of cases. 

Dr Jones added: “For pregnant women, the most common way [to catch it] would be from a young child who is shedding the virus in urine and saliva. It’s those children who are going to nursery or playgroup who are most likely to pick up CMV from another child, where they are playing with toys that have been in another child’s mouth. 

"The virus is transmitted from the mother to the baby in the womb. The pregnant woman may think they have had a heavy cold or feel a bit under the weather.”

Dr Anna Calvert, research fellow at St George’s, said: “One of the frustrations that families have is that they didn’t know anything about this virus. Their passion for raising awareness has really motivated us to undertake this study."