NSW Government invests $850,000 to boost CMV awareness and help protect babies

The funding will support a CMV awareness campaign, helping more women understand the simple steps they can take to reduce their risk of CMV infection during pregnancy.

CMV is a common virus that can be passed from mother to baby during pregnancy. While it is usually harmless for healthy adults, in pregnancy congenital CMV can cause lifelong disability, including hearing loss, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, developmental delay and vision impairment.

Each year, around 400 babies in Australia are born with disabilities linked to congenital CMV, yet awareness of the virus remains low.

Professor Nadia Badawi AM, Chair of the Cerebral Palsy Alliance Research Institute, welcomed the announcement, saying it would help ensure more women and families have access to important information during pregnancy.

“This investment is a significant step towards ensuring every woman has access to the information she needs to protect herself and her baby during pregnancy.

CMV is one of the leading infectious causes of lifelong disability in children, yet awareness remains remarkably low. We know that simple prevention measures can reduce the risk of infection, but women first need to know about CMV.

This funding will help raise awareness across the community and support conversations between women and their healthcare providers, giving more families the opportunity to make informed decisions during pregnancy.”

Cerebral Palsy Alliance CEO Rob White said the announcement was an important milestone in improving maternal and child health.

“We welcome the NSW Health’s commitment to improving awareness of CMV through this important investment.

For too long, many women have completed their pregnancies without ever hearing about CMV, despite national guidelines recommending they receive this information. Every expectant parent deserves access to evidence-based advice that can help reduce the risk of congenital CMV.

This campaign is an important opportunity to reach women at the right time with practical information that can help protect babies and reduce the lifelong impact of congenital CMV on Australian families.”

The announcement builds on updated Australian Pregnancy Care Guidelines, which recommend that all pregnant women are informed about CMV and that women at higher risk, including those with young children at home or who work with children, are offered testing early in pregnancy.  The project may include enhancing consumer and clinician resources, workforce capacity and establishing referral pathways into the NSW Health system.

Cerebral Palsy Alliance has worked alongside clinicians, researchers and families with lived experience with the Congenital CMV Disability Prevention Network to improve awareness of CMV and support the implementation of these guidelines across Australia.

This investment represents an important opportunity to ensure more women receive trusted, evidence-based information and to reduce the number of children born with preventable disability caused by congenital CMV.