MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota is now set to become the first state to universally screen newborns for cytomegalovirus, known as "CMV."
The "Vivian Act" was included in the newly signed Health and Human Services bill.
It's named after Vivian Henrikson, who was born with CMV.
CMV is a common infection, which often goes undetected. However, if contracted by a pregnant woman, it can have devastating effects on the baby.
Vivian struggles with hearing loss and cerebral palsy.
Babies who contract CMV can benefit from early intervention. That's why Vivian's mother, Leah Henrikson, and others impacted by the virus have been pushing for Minnesota to include CMV in the list of things babies are screened for after birth.
Dr. Mark Schleiss, a professor of Pediatrics in the University of Minnesota Medical School, led a study, published earlier this year, on screening techniques for CMV. The results show by using new techniques the infant dried blood spot test, already taken from newborns during their hospital stay, can detect CMV with 85.7% accuracy.
"We aren't adding any new test. That's the elegant part of it. We can do it on an existing sample that's already collected on all newborn infants," he said about his findings during a previous interview with KARE 11.
Schleiss says currently no state has universal screening in place for CMV.
The new screening still needs to be approved by the state health commissioner.
The Vivian Act also calls for education about CMV for people who may become pregnant.