The State Board of Health (Board) is collaborating with the state Department of Health to convene a technical advisory committee (TAC) to evaluate congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) using the Board’s process and criteria to evaluate conditions for inclusion in Washington’s Newborn Screening (NBS) rules. The TAC will make a recommendation to the Board at a future meeting.
The Board has requested a TAC to explore the option of prenatal or neonatal diagnostics for CMV or adding to existing strategies. When a baby is born CMV infection, it is called congenital CMV. Most babies with congenital CMV never show signs or have health problems. However, some babies have health problems at birth or that develop later.
The Board has the authority to define and adopt rules for screening of Washington-born infants for hereditary conditions. The NBS rules define the conditions and lists the conditions for which all Washington-born newborns are to be screened. The Board convenes a TAC to inform its decision on which conditions to include in the NBS panel and uses available information to evaluate candidate conditions using an established set of criteria. More information is available on the October meeting web page and a summary of Board member discussion is available on the October draft minutes.
