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NEGAUNEE -- Sounds are muffled to the ears of 11-month-old Alyssa Blandford.  Her moderate hearing loss is a direct result of her mother, Michelle, contracting the CMV virus while she was pregnant with Alyssa last year.

But that's not the only way Alyssa was affected.  About three months ago, her parents noticed that she wasn't reaching her developmental stages.

"She wasn't rolling over, she wasn't sitting up or putting weight on her legs," described Michelle.

A visit to her pediatrician and several tests later, a C.T. scan showed an abnormality in the right side of her brain.  She also showed persistent weakness in the left side of her body.  Finally, doctors diagnosed Alyssa with cerebral palsy.

"How did you react to the news?" I asked them.

"It's shocking," said dad, Andrew.

"It's devastating," Michelle agreed.  "You know, you take your baby home from the hospital, and you think everything is fine and then eight months later, you're given the news that there could be mental disabilities, physical disabilities and that she's not like the other kids."

The Blandfords had never heard of CMV, even with two other small children in the house, which is the most common way that it's passed.

"It's difficult to know the CMV is going on because it can be very, very mild symptoms or no symptoms sometimes," said Dr. Chintameni Rao, Alyssa's pediatrician.

In 35 years of practice, he remembers seeing only one other patient suffering from the aftereffects of the CMV virus.

The actual virus is not diagnosed easily because of the symptoms, which often mimic the common cold or mononucleosis.  It can be spread from person to person by direct contact, as well as through transfusions and transplants.  Most people never develop symptoms after being exposed, although the virus can be re-recurring.

For Alyssa's parents, they just want her to have the most normal life possible.

"There's a lot of things that could be affected of all the unknowns, I mean that's the frustrating part right now," Andrew said.

"And she may have her limitations, but I think we, as parents, we just hope that she can have a happy life and enjoy the things that are out there for her to enjoy," Michelle adds, smiling at Alyssa.

In most cases, there is no treatment for CMV.  An effective vaccine hasn't been developed yet.

The best way pregnant women can prevent contracting the virus is by practicing good hygiene, and even that isn't 100 percent effective.

For more information on the virus, you can visit the Center for Disease Control.