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Information for Child Care and Education Professionals
Professionals who work in child care and educational settings are at increased risk of contact with young children with cytomegalovirus (CMV). CMV infection is a special concern for workers who are or may become pregnant. Learning about CMV and how exposures occur is an important step in reducing your risk of getting CMV. Teaching and supporting children and families impacted by the virus are also important roles for child care and educational professionals.
CMV is passed from person to person through contact with bodily fluids such as urine or saliva. Babies and young children are a common source of CMV because they often get CMV from other kids. The virus can stay in a child's saliva and urine and be passed to others for months after the infection.
Up to 70% of healthy children aged one to three years in child care settings may shed, or release, CMV in their saliva and urine even if they don’t seem sick. CMV can be spread through close contact, such as diaper changing, kissing, sharing food, and other activities where a person could have contact with the urine or saliva of a child with CMV.
People who work closely with young children in places like child care centers, schools, or who provide family child care within their home have a higher risk of getting a CMV infection than those who don’t work in such settings.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for 15 to 20 seconds, especially after:
- Changing a diaper or helping a young child to use the toilet,
- Wiping a young child's nose or mouth, and
- Handling children's toys or touching a surface that may have a child's saliva or urine on it.
- Do not put things in your mouth that have just been in a child’s mouth, such as a pacifier or toothbrush.
- Do not share food, drinks, utensils, and straws with a young child.
- Kiss a child on the forehead instead of the lips to avoid saliva.
- Properly disinfect toys, changing tables, and other surfaces that may have a child’s urine or saliva on them.
Discuss CMV with your health care provider if you are pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant.
Contact with the saliva or urine of young children is a major cause of CMV infection in pregnant people, but only about 10% of women have ever heard of CMV. Child care and education professionals should help teach parents of babies and young children about CMV and ways that they can reduce their risk of getting CMV.
Finding out that a child has congenital CMV may cause anxiety or stress for some parents. One of the best ways to show support is to educate yourself about congenital CMV and the possible long-term impacts and follow-up that affected children and their families might experience.
Also, remember that CMV is a common childhood virus and that children known to have congenital CMV should not be treated differently from other children in your care.
Children known to have congenital CMV or who get CMV after birth should not be treated differently from other children. They should not be expected to stay home. CMV is common in babies and young children, and children who are known to have CMV do not transmit the virus more often than any other child.