Pregnant women warned of deadly virus which can be passed on to unborn babies through saliva

Pregnant women know to avoid soft cheese and seafood to protect their unborn babies but many aren’t aware of a deadly infection which can be transmitted to their unborn child through saliva or bodily fluids, from something as simple as a sloppy kiss.

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It’s the potentially deadly infection with no symptoms that strikes more than 400 babies a year.

And it can be transmitted in the most innocent of ways — a sloppy kiss from a toddler or cleaning a young child’s dropped dummy by popping it in your mouth.

Cytomegalovirus — or CMV for short — can be deadly to unborn babies and is the main cause of congenital malformation in newborns but experts are worried most expectant mothers don’t know about it.

Now a new campaign is being launched to educate them about the dangers.

Tracy Carroll contracted CMV when she was pregnant with her third child Ella, who died from the virus.

Tracy Carroll is one mother keen to spread the message about CMV, having only found out about the virus herself in the most tragic way.

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Pregnant with her third child, the 41-year-old followed the best advice: she took folate, avoided soft cheeses and seafood to minimise the risk of listeria, and even avoided salad bars.

But at 36 weeks there were concerns around the fluid in her unborn baby’s brain. Despite having no symptoms, Tracy was eventually diagnosed with CMV and informed that her unborn baby was infected as well.

Baby Ella was born on August 29, 2012 but died 23 hours later from complications of CMV.

“When Ella came out she wasn’t breathing properly and her lungs did not develop properly, the next morning the doctor said she probably won’t make it,” the West Hoxton mum said.

“I did everything by the book and did not know about CMV. No-one tells you about it and you never even know where you get it from. I mean I was pregnant, with two small children.

It’s been devastating.”

Tracy Carroll, her husband Jason and children Evan, 9, and Lara, 11, are raising awareness about CMV. Picture: Toby Zerna

Infectious diseases expert and virologist Professor Bill Rawlingson said the virus, which is transmitted through saliva or bodily fluids, is relatively harmless to all except for unborn children. Exposure puts them at risk of long term or permanent disabilities, such as hearing or vision loss, small head size, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, developmental delays or intellectual disabilities and death.

MORE INFORMATION: CMV.ORG.AU

“A toddler will just have a fever, it might be called teething, yet they excrete it in their urine and saliva,” Prof Rawlingson said.

“I see women in their second pregnancy and she has a toddler. If she acquires the virus she has a one-in-three chance of passing it onto her unborn child.”

Paediatric infectious diseases specialist Professor Cheryl Jones, from Sydney University, said most women who get infected don’t have symptoms.

“So it is important women be aware of ways to further reduce the risk of these silent infections,” she said.

Devastated parents Jason and Tracy Carroll with Ella before she died from CMV.

Baby Ella only survived for 23 hours after she was born with CMV.

Kate Daly set up the Congenital CMV Association of Australia after her twins were born with the virus in 2010.

Both twins were affected but William, now eight, is profoundly deaf, has mild cerebral palsy and an intellectual disability. His twin sister escaped relatively unscathed.

“I didn’t drink, no soft cheeses, shell fish or deep sea fish, I did everything and that is why I am so passionate women know how something so common can be so life-changing and devastating,” the Thornleigh mum said.

“You contact CMV through bodily fluids like saliva and it’s very common where there are lots of children. At the time I had a four-year-old and a two-year-old and my four-year-old was at preschool and she is extremely affectionate and it’s possible one of her sloppy kisses, or me finishing off her food she did not eat with her utensils, I believe I contracted it that way.”

In conjunction with doctors and the Cerebral Palsy Association, the new campaign seeks to inform expectant mums of the risk of CMV and give them advice in mitigating the dangers.

Originally published as Pregnant women warned of deadly virus which can be passed on to unborn babies through saliva