Testing is Crucial in Mother-To-Child Hepatitis C Transmission

At CROI 2017, John W. Ward, MD, CDC, explained his team has been concentrating on one particular health effect: transmission of hepatitis C from mother-to-child at the time of birth. This is showing them increases in children now becoming infected with hepatitis C, so it’s a growing problem among young people and their children.

As such, Ward and his team are emphasizing testing, so they can find the mothers who are infected with hepatitis C. According to Ward, it’s also a consideration that if a woman is thinking about becoming pregnant, that woman can be tested and get treated, so they are not infected during pregnancy and posing a risk for their child. “We’re bringing together experts to develop those kinds of policies to respond to these growing problems.