Committee hears bill to add congenital CMV to Michigan newborn screening

The House Health Policy Committee heard testimony on House Bill 4402 at a committee session where medical experts, a parent and advocates urged lawmakers to add congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) to Michigan's newborn screening panel.

Supporters told the committee CMV infects roughly one in 150 newborns and that about one-fifth of those infants develop lifelong health problems, including hearing loss, vision loss, intellectual disability, motor impairment and seizures. They said most babies with congenital CMV appear healthy at birth and that routine newborn hearing screens can miss infants who later develop hearing loss.

The bill would add CMV to the list of conditions screened for at birth and require the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to produce informational materials for clinicians and parents. Proponents said the test can be done on the same specimen already used for many newborn screens…