Human cytomegalovirus or HCMV, is a virus that is transmitted from person to person through bodily fluids. During its latent phase, the virus may hide on an infected person's glands. During transmission, the virus gets into the bodily fluid from the carrier to the new victim. Sweat, saliva and even sexual secretion as in vaginal fluids and semen are the most common bodily fluids that the virus rides to transfer to its new victim.
Recently, however, breast milk has been found by doctors to be another mode of viral transfer. This makes newborn babies, especially the premature ones, at greater risk for infection.
Immuno-compromised individuals were ones, those at greatest risk to infections including HCMV. Immuno-competent adults (adults who have a normal immune response to infection) may not have the same level of high risk as that of the previous group, but they can be carriers of the virus and they may not know it. As for the latter group, the symptoms of the infection may only surface at a later time in life from the moment of infection.
What's worse, mothers who are carriers of the virus, especially who had past experience of the infection brought on by the virus may place their newborns at great risks for it.
A recent study by researchers from the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta on 500 underweight newborn babies in the US rendered results were 27 babies contracted the HCMV virus from their mother's breast milk. The rest was reported to be from mothers who had HCMV infections in the past.
Among all 29 affected babies, five developed serious illnesses and 3 of them have died.
According to recent statistics, 5,000 babies are inflicted by illnesses caused by an infection of the HCMV virus every year. About 80 newborn babies who are stricken with the infection develop severe disabilities growing up.