Virus Linked to Hearing Loss

Some childhood hearing loss may be caused by a virus. A new study finds some children may have been exposed to cytomegalovirus or CMV when their mothers were pregnant. A team, led by researchers from Nashville's Vanderbilt University say about one out of ten children with some hearing loss were exposed to CMV. It's a common virus that can be avoided by regular hand washing. A woman already exposed to the virus before pregnancy is unlikely to pass it on to the fetus. But when it is picked up after pregnancy, the chances are about one in three that the baby will get it, according to the researchers. Right now, there is no effective treatment or vaccine for CMV. Details of the study are in the Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.