My major focus and point of discussion for my report is Cytomegalovirus (CMV). I chose this Contagious Disease because it hits very close to home. This disease is also linked to other members of the herpes virus family that cause chickenpox, infectious mononucleosis, fever blisters (herpes simplex type I) and genital herpes (herpes simplex type II). Like other herpes viruses, CMV infection can become dormant for a while and may reactivate later. The virus is carried by people and is not associated with food, water or animals.
The high numbers of multiple people infected with Cytomegalovirus is about 50-80 percent at some time during their lives. In my report I will focus on key pints such as:
• What is Cytomegalovirus (CMV)?
• How is CMV spread?
• What are the symptoms of CMV infection?
• How long can a person carry CMV?
• How it’s diagnosed and what treatments are available?
• Precaution and Prevention of CMV.
In a recent article that was brought to my attention by a colleague referencing Cytomegalovirus; it goes on to explain that CMV is associated with cardiovascular diseases, in line with risk factors such as hypertension and atherosclerosis. Several viral infections are linked to hypertension, including human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8) and HIV-1.
By focusing on this subject, I hope to convey to my audience the importance of this topic and also the severity in immune-compromised and pregnant patients.

Key Points:
• What is Cytomegalovirus (CMV)?
Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common virus that can infect almost anyone. Most people don't know they have CMV because it rarely causes symptoms. However, if you're pregnant or have a weakened immune system, CMV is cause for concern.
Once infected with CMV, your body retains the virus for life. However, CMV usually remains dormant if you're healthy. CMV spreads through body fluids, such as blood, saliva, urine, semen and breast milk. People with weak immune systems have a greater risk of becoming ill from CMV. If you're pregnant and develop an active infection, you can pass the virus to your baby.
There's no cure for CMV, but drugs can help treat newborns and people with weak immune systems.

• How is CMV spread?
Although the virus is not highly communicable, it can be spread from person to person by direct contact. The virus is shed in the urine, saliva, semen and to a lesser extent in other body fluids. Transmission can also occur from an infected mother to her fetus or newborn and by blood transfusion and organ transplants.

• What are the symptoms of CMV infection?
Symptoms in people with compromised immunity
An illness resembling infectious mononucleosis is the most common presentation of CMV in people with weakened immune systems (immune-compromised). CMV also can attack specific organs. Signs and symptoms may include:
Visual impairment and blindness
Pneumonia
Diarrhea
Ulcers in the digestive tract, possibly causing bleeding
Hepatitis
Inflammation of the brain (encephalitis)
Behavioral changes
Seizures
Coma
Most people infected with CMV who are otherwise healthy experience few if any symptoms. When first infected, some adults may have symptoms similar to mononucleosis, including fatigue, fever and muscle aches.

• How long can a person carry CMV?
CMV remains in the body throughout a lifetime. Infected people may occasionally shed the virus in urine or saliva. Several studies have found that from three to 11 percent of normal adults and up to 50 percent of healthy children shed the virus in either urine or saliva. The virus rapidly dies once outside the body.

• How it’s diagnosed and what treatments are available?
There are special laboratory tests to culture the virus but such testing is difficult, expensive and not widely available. Specific blood tests can be helpful to the physician in making a diagnosis or determining if a person has been exposed but the results are sometimes inaccurate.
No treatment is currently indicated for CMV infection in healthy individuals. Antiviral treatment is used for immune-compromised individuals who have eye infections or life-threatening illnesses due to CMV.

• Precaution and Prevention of CMV.
Pregnant women should practice good hygiene and carefully wash their hands after caring for patients or children. This is particularly important when handling diapers or having contact with the child's urine or saliva.
The risk of CMV infection in hospital workers is not greater than it is in others in the community and is probably low because of careful hand washing practices. In daycare centers, where hand washing practices may not be as good, there may be a greater risk of infection. In both settings, good hygiene and careful hand washing are the most important control measures. Pregnant women working in child care facilities should minimize direct exposure to saliva and avoid kissing babies or young children on the mouth. Hugging is fine and is not a risk factor.

Routine blood testing during pregnancy for CMV antibody is not generally recommended. Pregnant women should consult their physician on an individual basis regarding this issue.
Good hand washing is the best preventive measure. Plastic disposable gloves should be worn when handling linen or underclothes soiled with feces or urine.

While CMV poses little danger to a healthy adult, it can be more serious if it is transmitted to a fetus during pregnancy. Such a child may be born with jaundice, an enlarged liver, mental and physical disabilities, and hearing loss. In people with compromised immune systems, such as people with AIDS, those undergoing cancer chemotherapy, and organ-transplant recipients; CMV can also be quite serious. It can occur anywhere along the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, causing inflammation, ulcers, diarrhea, pain, fever, weight loss, and intestinal bleeding. Up to 15 percent of bone marrow transplant recipients develop a form of the disease that affects the lungs, and an estimated 90 percent of them do not survive. Unique to people with AIDS who contract CMV is an inflammation of the retina that can damage vision. Laboratory tests to detect the presence of the virus and/or antibodies to it are used to confirm a diagnosis of CMV.