Universal screening for virus causing birth defects delayed, Manitoba advocate says

A Winnipegger who's worked for decades to raise awareness about a viral infection causing serious birth defects is disappointed — but not surprised — the province is delaying universal screening for the virus.

The province's 2024-25 budget pledged the introduction of universal infant screening for congenital Cytomegalovirus (CMV), which can lead to hearing loss, cognitive impairment or other disabilities.

Most people won't show any symptoms for the virus, and infected pregnant woman can pass it along to their children. Early detection can prevent infants from getting infected after birth, or allow other medical interventions.

The province has said it's allocating up to $2 million a year for the program. A provincial spokesperson told Radio-Canada in an email last week the government is still working on establishing and resourcing CMV screenings. 

Rob Tétrault, president and founder of the Canadian CMV Foundation, said that while he's happy the province is moving forward with it, it's not happening as soon as the government originally promised.

He said provincial officials recently told him they've delayed the implementation by a full year, and that the government is currently aiming for a November 2025 rollout.

"The government had been very, aggressive with their timeline, so we were very pleased with that. But I was kind of expecting some delays," Tétrault said, pointing out that it took several years in other provinces with universal screening.

"I was a little upset about the communication, the lack of communication. It would have been nice for some transparency."

In Canada, universal newborn screening for congenital CMV is available in Ontario and Saskatchewan, according to a 2024 report from the Canadian Journal of Health Technologies. Alberta made the commitment to introduce universal screening in 2023, but is still working to implement it.

Targeted screening is available in British Columbia, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

1 in 200 Canadian infants infected

According to a report published by the medical journal The Lancet earlier this year, congenital CMV is the leading infectious cause of childhood disabilities including permanent hearing loss. The report said a timely diagnosis is "crucial" because the presence of CMV after 21 days could lead to postnatal infection.

The Canadian CMV Foundation says one in 200 Canadian infants are infected with CMV during pregnancy, and one in five of those will have a permanent disability. In some cases, it can be fatal.

Tétrault's son, Alexandre, was born with congenital CMV. He said that if it wasn't for an ultrasound screening, the infectious disease wouldn't have been caught on time for him to get treated, and to prevent further health complications from the condition.

"We know for a fact that there are many, many babies that are born with CMV in Manitoba that didn't get identified, didn't get treated … because of the [rollout's] delay," Tétrault said. 

"We know that babies have suffered because of that. So that's incredibly demoralizing when we think of that."

The Lancet report said early identification could allow for anti-viral treatment, and also lead to the timely detection of sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL).

But it added that most infants with congenital CMV are unaffected and do not appear to be at risk of adverse outcomes except for SNHL.

The Manitoba government said treatment will be available for infants who test positive for CMV once the screenings begin.

Tétrault said universal screening for the infectious disease would allow other children to have similar outcomes to his son, who is now 17.

"If we can identify the babies, we can treat them," he said. "Parents want it. Nobody wants a sick child."