Your Health  Simple Test For Babies Could Help Spot A Virus That
Damages Hearing  A newborn gets a hearing test. Cytomegalovirus
is a major cause of hearing loss in babies. i i  A newborn gets
a hearing test. Cytomegalovirus is a major cause of hearing loss
in babies. hide caption  itoggle caption   Babies who are born
infected with cytomegalovirus, a common virus, can suffer
permanent hearing loss, but newborns aren't routinely tested to
see if they have it. That could change if a pediatrician at the
University of Alabama in Birmingham has his way.  He's the
leader on a new study that found that a simple saliva test can
identify babies at risk. But testing all babies for
cytomegalovirus is probably not going to happen anytime soon.
About 1 in 150 babies are born infected with the virus,
according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. The virus is considered a major cause of hearing
loss, second only to genetic causes.  About 20 to 40 percent of
early childhood hearing loss is probably c