Cmv

[fantasie]

I have a question about CMV. This is in an elementary school. What precautions should be taken by teachers who may be or become pregnant if they know they have a student with CMV in their classroom? I can tell them about the obvious ones like good hand-washing, not kissing students, not sharing eating utensils or cups, but should the student be placed in a different classroom if his teacher is pregnant if this is possible? I don't know a lot about cytomegaloviris, but it seems to be causing quite a stir around here. Thanks in advance for any advice.

[fantasie]

Oops, I guess including how to spell cytomeglovirus. (did I get it right this time?):)

[elwood91]

There does seem to be lots of uproar when CMV comes up; in actuality a majority of adults have been exposed to this virus already. A teacher who is pregnant or wanting to be should talk with their Dr. and have a titer drawn; if they've already been exposed there is no risk. If they haven't been exposed there is still very little risk if standard precautions are used. In a school setting all body fluids (which might contain CMV or anything else) should be handled properly.

This makes me wonder why it is known that a particular child has CMV. In a classroom there could be many children who have had CMV who are not identified. The purpose of universal precautions is to protect us from potentially infectious material. If using precaution is all that is necessary to protect teachers or other staff then I don't believe that the identity of the child should be revealed. Any other thoughts on this?