{
  "id": 9002035,
  "title": "Expanded newborn screening identifies virus that can lead to hearing loss and developmental delays",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/expanded-newborn-screening-identifies-virus-that-can-lead-to-hearing",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-21T20:20:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Medical Xpress",
    "slug": "medical-xpress",
    "url": "https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-09-newborn-screening-virus-loss-developmental.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Researchers at Cleveland Clinic Children's have introduced a novel screening program for congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV), the most prevalent infection transmitted from mothers to infants during pregnancy. While many babies with congenital CMV exhibit no symptoms, some may develop hearing loss, developmental delays, or other health complications as they age. A study published in Pediatrics revealed that the screening program detected 34 babies with congenital CMV, raising the detection rate by roughly two and a half times compared to previous methods.\n\nThe new screening procedure, which involves a swab followed by a urine sample if necessary, has been implemented in Cleveland Clinic locations across Ohio since 2022. As a result, over 50,000 babies were born at these clinics, with nearly 7,500 undergoing screening during their stay in the nursery or neonatal intensive care units. This significantly increased annual testing from around 150 babies to more than 2,000.\n\nFrank Esper, M.D., the senior author and a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Cleveland Clinic Children's, stated that their findings demonstrate that the screening program is both practical and effective. Early identification of affected infants enables monitoring and potential treatment, which can enhance long-term outcomes. In the United States, congenital CMV testing is not performed on every newborn. Instead, standard practice involves screening after a failed hearing test, if the baby shows symptoms, or if there are maternal complications. However, according to the National Institutes of Health, over 40% of children with congenital CMV-related hearing loss pass their initial newborn hearing screen. This suggests that universal testing of all babies, irrespective of their hearing status, could be beneficial. The research was conducted by Julia Tanzo et al. and published in Pediatrics.",
  "summary": "Researchers at Cleveland Clinic Children's have developed a new screening program for congenital cytomegalovirus, the most common infection passed from mothers to babies during pregnancy. While many babies with congenital cytomegalovirus have no obvious symptoms, some can develop hearing loss, developmental delays or other medical complications as they grow.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}