03/03/2026
A few weeks ago when Dr Valerie Sung saw Nara 7 years after she met her family as a baby, she was almost moved to tears. In front of her was a bright, chatty girl full of life and words, telling her all about her family, her friends, her school. Dr Sung still remembers 7 years ago when she gave the family the news that she was deaf because of congenital cytomegalovirus infection (cCMV), a silent infection that was picked up through our team’s research work that enabled early diagnosis and access to treatment.
Nara and children like her is the reason our team does what we do - finding ways through research to ensure all children who are deaf or hard of hearing reach their full potentials.
Despite our research demonstrating the cCMV program to be feasible, acceptable and cost effective, the test, which is relatively inexpensive, is still unfunded. We are continuing to advocate for early cCMV screening so that children like Nara can thrive.
Thank you to Nara’s family for sharing their story ❤️
