LE cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a frequent viral infection, affecting a large part of the population, but often ignored due to its discreet or absent symptoms. first cause of congenital infection in France, this virus can however, if contracted at the start of pregnancy, represent a considerable risk for the fetus. It is likely to cause delays in development, psychological disorders or deafness in 4 newborns out of 1,000. Each year, 800 children are born with disabilities due to CMV infection.
These risks can be prevented by informing pregnant women who are not immune to avoid contact with the body fluids of an infected infant. However, the infection is most often done from a firstborn in community, where 80 % of children excrete this virus.
Consequently, the introduction of a systematic serological screening of the CMV in pregnant women becomes an obviousness and a health and ethical emergency.
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-Knowledge of CMVs have progressed considerably in recent decades. If the infection is detected early, antiviral treatments, whose safety is clear, and other medical interventions can reduce the risk of transmission to the fetus and therefore the risk of sequelae in children. However, without systematic screening, these solutions remain out of reach for many women. The usual prenatal ultrasound identifies less than half of the serious infections of the fetus when the infected status of pregnant women is not known. On the other hand, guided by this knowledge, the examination is extremely relevant.
Today, only well -informed women – or followed by awareness -raising professionals – benefit from optimal care in a real care path.
Individual freedom
The argument in favor of this screening goes beyond the only medical considerations to anchor itself in fundamental ethical principles, whose information, which is at the heart of the enlightened decision, and equal opportunities for medical management of the risk of fetal infection. Indeed, knowledge of the risks linked to CMV allows women to exercise their individual freedom by choosing to submit to a screening to maximize their chances of preventing this infection in the fetus and to benefit, if necessary, from early care.
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