Scientific article
OA Policy
English

Awareness of Cytomegalovirus Infection among Pregnant Women in Geneva, Switzerland: A Cross-sectional Study

Published inInternational journal of environmental research and public health, vol. 12, no. 12, p. 15285-15297
Publication date2015
Abstract

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the most frequent cause of congenital infection and commonly associated with sensorineural deficit. At present, there is neither prophylaxis nor treatment during pregnancy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the level of awareness regarding CMV infection and its consequences in women delivering at the University of Geneva Hospitals (Geneva, Switzerland). Methods: The study consisted of a validated questionnaire completed by women in the immediate postpartum period. Results: The questionnaire was completed by 59% (314/528) of delivering women. Only 39% (123/314) knew about CMV and 19.7% (62/314) had received information about preventive measures. Women were more aware about other congenital diseases, such as toxoplasmosis (87%); human immunodeficiency virus (99%); syphilis (85.5%); rubella (92.3%); and group B Streptococcus (63%). Factors associated with CMV awareness were Swiss nationality, high education level, employment in health care or with children, and being followed by an obstetrician. Regarding quality of information, few were aware of the main CMV complications (deafness, 25.2%; mental retardation, 34.5%). Among those informed about CMV, most (74.6%) knew about preventive measures. Among these, 82.5% thought that these were easily applicable. Conclusions: Most women are unaware of CMV infection and its potential risks during pregnancy. It is crucial to improve CMV information given to pregnant women to prevent the risks for the fetus/newborn.

Keywords
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Cytomegalovirus Infections/complications/transmission
  • Female
  • Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
  • Humans
  • Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical
  • Middle Aged
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Complications, Infectious
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Switzerland
  • Young Adult
  • Cytomegalovirus
  • Information
  • Awareness
  • Infection
  • Congenital
  • Knowledge
Citation (ISO format)
WILLAME, Alexia et al. Awareness of Cytomegalovirus Infection among Pregnant Women in Geneva, Switzerland: A Cross-sectional Study. In: International journal of environmental research and public health, 2015, vol. 12, n° 12, p. 15285–15297. doi: 10.3390/ijerph121214982
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Article (Published version)
accessLevelPublic
Identifiers
Additional URL for this publicationhttp://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/12/12/14982
Journal ISSN1660-4601
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273downloads

Technical informations

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