Doctors are calling for a nationwide strategy to screen newborns for congenital cytomegalovirus, saying the current approach is inadequate and delays care. 

Writing in the Medical Journal of Australia they recommend targeted screening, based on a failed newborn sensorineural hearing test.

The test should be carried out within 21 days of birth to distinguish between congenital and acquired cytomegalovirus (CMV). 

Currently, less than 2% of infected infants are diagnosed in Australia, owing to the lack of a comprehensive strategy, according to the doctors from Perth Children’s Hospital.