We have been made aware of an article in the Guardian on Saturday, 19th February, about the sale of human breast milk.
The article incorrectly makes a connection between Cytomegalovirus (CMV) and households with cats. There is no connection between CMV and cats.
We were not contacted for comment, or to contribute to the article. We shall be contacting the newspaper to ask them to amend the article regarding this misconception.
CMV is a common virus that can infect people of all ages. Most healthy adults and children who become infected will have no signs or symptoms and no long-term effects from CMV. It can, however, pose serious risks to unborn babies if a pregnant woman catches it for the first time. Congenital CMV is when a baby has been infected before birth. It is one of the leading causes of hearing loss in children, and one of the main causes of childhood disability.