en ویروس شناسی Virology Research Article Research Article <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b>Background:</b> Congenital cytomegalovirus (cCMV) is the most common congenital infection worldwide and frequently causes long-term disabilities, including sensorineural hearing loss and developmental delay. Despite its substantial public health impact, awareness of cCMV among healthcare providers in developing countries such as Iran remains notably low.<br> <b>Methods:</b> This study builds on previous research that identified a substantial knowledge gap regarding cCMV among family physicians in Iran. Existing data were reanalyzed to characterize these gaps more clearly and identify areas in which targeted educational interventions may be most effective. The study reassessed responses to 11 of the 15 questionnaire items to evaluate CMV awareness. Participants were classified as having weak, intermediate, or adequate awareness based on their knowledge of CMV and cCMV.<br> <b>Results:</b> Although 41.9% of participants had adequate general knowledge of CMV, only 32.8% demonstrated adequate knowledge of cCMV, and 39.4% had weak awareness. Notably, 42.1% of general practitioners had a weak understanding of cCMV, emphasizing the need for improved education. Specialists demonstrated greater awareness of CMV in general but less knowledge of cCMV.<br> <b>Conclusion</b>: This study recommends integrating comprehensive educational programs into medical curricula and continuing professional development for both general practitioners and specialists. Addressing these knowledge gaps is critical to reducing the transmission of cCMV and its associated social and economic burdens and, ultimately, improving public health outcomes.</span></span></div> Cytomegalovirus, Herpesviridae Infections, Congenital Abnormalities, Iran 0 0 http://mlj.goums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-1316-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Parsa Veisi parsaveisi96@gmail.com 0000-0002-3288-3771 No Infectious Research Center, Jorjani Clinical sciences Research Institute, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran; Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran Mohammad Yasaghi mohammad.yasaghi@gmail.com 0000-0002-4034-396X No Infectious Research Center, Jorjani Clinical sciences Research Institute, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran; Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran Seyedeh Delafruz Hosseini delafruz.hosseini@gmail.com 0000-0003-2226-902X No Infectious Research Center, Jorjani Clinical sciences Research Institute, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran; Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran Morteza Movahedi mortezamovahedi1377@gmail.com 0009-0002-9962-4536 No Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran Ali Nateghi ali_nateghi1997@yahoo.com 0009-0009-5322-4685 No Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran Alijan Tabarraei tabarraei@goums.ac.ir 0000-0002-8167-5469 Yes Infectious Research Center, Jorjani Clinical sciences Research Institute, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran; Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran