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The Vivian Act Legislation
The Minnesota legislature passed a law known as the Vivian Act in 2021. Parents of Minnesota children affected by congenital CMV and community partners introduced the idea for the bill. They advocated for passage of the legislation to promote education, awareness, and early detection of congenital CMV.
The Vivian Act directs the Minnesota Commissioner of Health to:
- Make information about cCMV, including preventative measures, available to health care providers, women who may become pregnant, expectant parents, and parents of infants
- Establish an outreach program to educate women who may become pregnant, expectant parents, and parents of infants about CMV
- Raise awareness for CMV among health care providers
In addition, the Vivian Act required the Advisory Committee on Heritable and Congenital Disorders to review congenital CMV for possible inclusion on Minnesota's newborn screening panel. In January 2022, the Advisory Committee recommended adding congenital CMV to the newborn screening panel following its thorough review process. Less than a month later, Commissioner of Health Malcom approved this recommendation. On February 6, 2023, Minnesota became the first state in the nation to screen every newborn for congenital CMV.