Highlighting the Vivian Act and the University of Minnesota's Work in Advocating for Regular Screening
Because of the Vivian Act that was passed, Minnesota is now the first state to start universal screening for congenital Cytomegalovirus (cCMV) in all newborn infants. CMV is a common virus, but the real concern is pregnant mothers passing the virus on to their babies, as this can have more serious health concerns as a result of contracting the disease. Mark Schleiss, MD, Professor in the Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Minnesota, began to work with parents whose children were born with cCMV to start the process of the Vivian Act in 2016. To learn more about this story and the implications of the Vivian act in CMV screening, follow this link.