2010 International Congenital CMV Conference

The international conference on congenital cytomegalovirus infection is held every two years and brings together the world experts in this field and is relevant to scientists, clinical virologists, obstetricians and pediatricians.

The 3rd Conference will be held at Paris Descartes University in the heart of the latin quarter of Paris. It follows on two successful editions held in Orvieto, Italy in 2006 and in Atlanta, USA in 2008. All aspects from basic science to pre and postnatal clinical management of this condition will be convered. The third edition will coincide with the reporting of several therapeutic clinical trials and therefore the theme of the 2010 conference will be: "Congenital CMV infection, a preventable and curable disease"... more info

Texas High School Raises Funds and Awareness of Congenital CMV

January 2010 -- A high school in east Texas has selected congenital CMV as their annual project with fundraising campaigns and events to take place during the 2009-2010 school year. Students have been inspired by CMV mother Brandi Howard (a local resident and teacher) and her daughter, Katy, born in 2006 with congenital CMV. Katy is hypotonic and profoundly deaf with cochlear implants but "she's overcome a lot of the muscle issues," says her mother. "At 4 months, they told us she would never walk or crawl and now she's a walking, jumping, bouncing 3 year old."

Huntington students have been making presentations about congenital CMV at district meetings and galvanizing support within the district and the community. "Brandi teaches with my mom, so I met Katy when she was very little," says Hannah Smith, a senior and student council vice president. "We believe our kids and parents will get involved and help since Brandi and Katy are very loved in Huntington." A 5K fun run, dubbed the "5K for Katy", is planned for the spring with a fundraising goal of $5,000 to be directed towards congenital CMV awareness. For more information on the upcoming events at Huntington High School, stay tuned to Stop CMV.

CMV Mother Starts Deaf-Blind School in California

December 2009 -- A CMV mother in Northern California is opening a special needs school to serve the deaf-blind community. The Marin School for the Deaf-Blind is the project of Jennifer Brooke, mother of three children, including Max, born in 2006 with congenital CMV. "He is too blind for a deaf school, too deaf for a blind school, and with his CP (cerebral palsy), he doesn't fit in anywhere," says Brooke. With a brick and mortar location planned within two years, the school will be dedicated to serving children that have a sensory loss, including deafness or blindness--or both, as well as other disabling conditions, such as cerebral palsy. "A place for kids that don't even fit the special needs mold," she says. "Our school systems aren't really set up for "special" special-needs kids." For more information about the Marin School for the Deaf-Blind, email to jbrooke@marindeafblind.org.

Stop CMV Founder/President speaks at the CDC

November 2008 -- Stop CMV's Founder and President Janelle Greenlee spoke at the 2008 Congenital CMV Conference at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. The conference was the second international collaboration of scientists, clinicians, and families with the primary focus of "Public Health Action towards Awareness, Prevention and Treatment".

Stop CMV Founder and President, Janelle Greenlee, spoke about the need for families and communities to mobilize against congenital CMV. "We have all found ourselves in this unique situation, this poignant moment where we have the opportunity to find what is genuinely inside of us and give of ourselves", said Greenlee. "I strongly believe that the way to work through the grief and emotions that many of us will carry with us for our entire lives, sometimes, that way to succeed in tragedy is to take action and to give of ourselves, our time, and our talents."

Other topics addressed at the conference included public health issues and initiatives, raising awareness of congenital CMV, establishing testing and screening standards, advancing treatment options, proposing preventative guidelines, and promoting vaccine initiatives.