Supporting CMV Action to design a research brief

CMV, or Cytomegalovirus, is a common virus that can infect people of all ages. The virus can pose serious risks to unborn babies if a pregnant woman catches it for the first time. CMV is one of the leading causes of hearing loss in children and one of the main causes of childhood disability.

The mission of CMV Action, a small charity hoping to increase awareness of the disease, is to: support families affected by CMV; educate professionals, parents-to-be and the general public about prevention of CMV; support the development and implementation of research into better testing, treatment and management of CMV and raise awareness of the need for a vaccine.

Volunteer economist Marc Suhrcke, a Professor of Global Health Economics at the University of York, helped CMV Action to design and write a research brief to put out to tender to conduct further research into the economic costs of the disease. The research will outline the economic effects of CMV in the UK (direct healthcare costs and indirect costs to education, social care, loss of earnings etc.) and provide an evidence base for further research, awareness raising, lobbying, campaigning and fundraising. Marc also helped CMV Action throughout the tendering exercise.