Commissioner Adds Infectious Disease to Newborn Screening Panel

February 3, 2022

Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm has approved an advisory committee’s recommendation to add congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) to the list of conditions for which Minnesota newborns are routinely screened. 

Minnesota will become the first state in the nation to screen every newborn for cCMV. The MMA has been a long-time advocate for the state’s program. 

Unlike most of the other conditions on the newborn screening panel, which are inherited typically through the genes of one or both parents, cCMV is an infectious disease. It will be the first infectious disease added to the panel.  

cCMV is the most common viral infection in newborns. It is estimated that as many as 290 babies out of 65,000 born each year in Minnesota will have the condition. cCMV occurs when the infection is passed from a pregnant woman to her unborn baby and can cause a range of health problems. About 10% of newborns are symptomatic at birth. Symptoms may include a small head, rash, jaundice, and an enlarged liver and spleen. These children are also at risk for intellectual disabilities, hearing loss, vision loss and other health problems. 

The remaining 90% of children with cCMV have no signs of infection at birth but about 10% are at risk for permanent hearing loss. If detected early, children with cCMV may benefit from antiviral drugs, therapies, and intervention of hearing loss, (for example, sign language, hearing aids, and cochlear implants). 

Minnesota has one of the most comprehensive newborn screening programs in the country. Since 1964 when Minnesota started screening for PKU (phenylketonuria), all Minnesota newborns have had a blood sample sent to MDH for newborn screening unless their parents opted out of screening. As scientific knowledge has advanced, Minnesota has expanded its newborn screening panel to help detect more conditions with beneficial interventions and/or treatment. 

The Vivian Act was passed in 2021 authorizing MDH to educate pregnant women and their healthcare providers about cCMV. This legislation also required that the Advisory Committee on Heritable and Congenital Disorders review cCMV as a possible condition for inclusion on the newborn screening panel. The committee finished that work and on January 11 made its recommendation that cCMV be added to the panel.  

More information on newborn screening can be found here.