Cleveland Clinic Children’s expanded newborn screening for congenital cytomegalovirus across Cleveland Clinic locations in Ohio, increasing detection rates by approximately 2.5 times.
The screening program identified 34 babies with congenital cytomegalovirus, according to a Sept. 21 news release. The screening consists first of a swab and then, if needed, a urine sample.
Cleveland Clinic Children’s expanded the screening program between 2022 and 2025. During that time, more than 50,000 babies were born at Cleveland Clinic locations and nearly 7,500 were screened in nurseries or neonatal intensive care units.
The program increased annual testing from about 150 babies to more than 2,000. Congenital cytomegalovirus can lead to hearing loss, developmental delays or other medical complications.
Screening for the virus remains inconsistent nationally. Minnesota became the first state to add congenital CMV to its universal newborn screening panel in 2023, making it the first infectious disease included on the state’s panel of more than 60 conditions. Most states still leave CMV screening to individual hospitals’ discretion or limit it to newborns who fail hearing screens or show other risk factors.
