Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infections: (no) Focus on Africa: a Review

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection during pregnancy is a major cause of congenital infection worldwide. Congenital CMV (cCMV) infection can result in significant morbidity, mortality, or long-term sequelae, including sensorineural hearing loss. Although the increase of awareness and international guidelines on the management of cCMV is observed across the developed country, data in Africa on rates of congenital and maternal CMV infection are rather scarce and scattered. Published data are compiled in this review indicating a high pooled prevalence of CMV IgG among pregnant women in Africa (87.4%, range of 72-100%) as well as pooled reported cCMV prevalence in the newborn (3.3 %, range of 1.3-6.3%). As a continent with a high Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) burden as well as other medical (eg. sexually transmitted diseases, lack of optimal/structured ante- and postnatal care, lack of adequate equipment and funding for laboratory facilities) and socioeconomic (eg. poverty, low awareness, and literacy, teenager pregnancies) challenges, Africa can benefit from the more concentrated worldwide efforts regarding the management of cCMV in pregnancy and infancy.