Manitoba to screen infants for defect that causes sight, hearing problems

Manitoba has become the third jurisdiction in Canada to implement universal newborn screening for congenital cytomegalovirus, which can lead to complications as a child grows up, including hearing loss, vision problems and developmental disabilities.

Universal screening for congenital CMV began in December, with more than 1,500 newborns tested since then, said Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara Tuesday.

Congenital CMV affects around one in 200 births and is the “leading infectious cause of infant disability,” said Asagwara, noting that without universal screening, it can easily go undetected.

“Most babies show no symptoms at birth, which means that without screening, families may not know that something is wrong until months or even years later, when hearing loss or developmental delays begin to really show themselves. Universal screening changes that,” the minister said.

“Families are receiving answers sooner. Clinicians have critical information earlier and more opportunities to intervene at the moment when that intervention can mean all the difference,” they said.

Rob Tétrault, president and co-founder of the Canadian CMV Foundation, explained why early intervention is critical.

“You have a very tiny window, in CMV treatment, in order to provide care, in order to provide antivirals. So there’s a couple of antiviral strategies that are working, they’re remarkably effective,” he said.

“If they’re provided in the first few months of birth, typically the first month or so of birth, they could have a dramatically positive impact… the earlier the treatment, the better,” he said.

For Tétrault, who ran across Manitoba two years ago to call for universal newborn screening of CMV, the issue is personal.

Nearly 18 years ago, his son was born with CMV, though without universal screening at that time, it was somewhat of a fluke that the positive result was caught.

Tétrault’s wife had surpassed her due date by about 10 days and additional testing as a result had revealed CMV. Their son became one of the first children in Winnipeg to be treated for CMV.

As of December, the test has been incorporated into the province’s newborn screening program, which uses a small blood sample from a heel prick to screen for several dozen rare disorders, a release from the province said, with testing being done at the Cadham Provincial Laboratory.

“(It’s) a few drops of blood that are taken from the baby and that’s it. So, there’s absolutely no risk (to testing),” Tétrault said.

Ontario and Saskatchewan were the first provinces to implement universal newborn screening for CMV.

marsha.mcleod@freepress.mb.ca