Knowledge and awareness of congenital cytomegalovirus among women.
BACKGROUND
Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a leading cause of disabilities in children, yet the general public appears to have little awareness of CMV.


METHODS
Women were surveyed about newborn infections at 7 different geographic locations.


RESULTS
Of the 643 women surveyed, 142 (22%) had heard of congenital CMV. Awareness increased with increasing levels of education (P<.0001). Women who had worked as a healthcare professional had a higher prevalence of awareness of CMV than had other women (56% versus 16%, P <.0001). Women who were aware of CMV were most likely to have heard about it from a healthcare provider (54%), but most could not correctly identify modes of CMV transmission or prevention. Among common causes of birth defects and childhood illnesses, women's awareness of CMV ranked last.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite its large public health burden, few women had heard of congenital CMV, and even fewer were aware of prevention strategies.
Jeon
Jiyeon
J
National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA.
Victor
Marcia
M
Adler
Stuart P
SP
Arwady
Abigail
A
Demmler
Gail
G
Fowler
Karen
K
Goldfarb
Johanna
J
Keyserling
Harry
H
Massoudi
Mehran
M
Richards
Kristin
K
Staras
Stephanie A S
SA
Cannon
Michael J
MJ
D000328:Adult; D003587:Cytomegalovirus; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000151:congenital* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors