Cytomegalovirus Infection (CMV)

An infection that runs almost invisibly. The cytomegalovirus — CMV — belongs to the herpesvirus family and most people carry it silently, often without ever noticing. In healthy adults, the infection almost always remains without symptoms. Sometimes it shows itself as a kind of exhaustion similar to infectious mononucleosis: fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, a mild fever. Uncomfortable, but passing.

Yet the virus has a second side. In people with a weakened immune system it can cause considerable damage. And in unborn children — where life is only just beginning — a CMV infection can have serious consequences: hearing damage, developmental delays, neurological impairments. A virus that remains harmless for most becomes dangerous where the system is especially vulnerable.