Perinatal Hepatitis C Testing Recommendations

November 1, 2023

Dear Colleague:

Today CDC released CDC Recommendations for Hepatitis C Testing Among Perinatally Exposed Infants and Children—United States, 2023. The recommendations prioritize hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing of all perinatally exposed infants at age 2 to 6 months with a nucleic acid test (NAT) for detection of HCV. This new recommendation for HCV RNA testing among perinatally exposed infants at age 2 to 6 months promotes early diagnosis and linkage to care for this vulnerable group.

These recommendations will help to increase identification and treatment of children with perinatally acquired HCV infection, improve health outcomes, and result in cost-savings to the healthcare system. These recommendations leverage the high attendance at well-child visits in the first 6 months of life to conduct early HCV testing. Reaching infants at age 2 to 6 months increases the likelihood that testing is completed and that children with perinatally acquired HCV infection are linked to evaluation and treatment.

We encourage that all providers become familiar with and implement universal hepatitis C screening recommendations among pregnant persons, all infants exposed to hepatitis C during pregnancy or delivery are tested using a NAT for HCV RNA at age 2 to 6 months of life, and any child with detectable HCV RNA is linked to evaluation and treatment. As mentioned today in a commentary in Pediatrics, we can leverage the existing infrastructure that supports the successes of the near elimination of perinatal HIV and hepatitis B transmission to also reduce HCV infection among pregnant persons and their infants. Modest investments of public health resources will ensure that all populations, including infants with perinatally acquired infection, are included in national elimination efforts.

These recommendations are one part of CDC’s commitment to supporting the prevention of HCV infections among families with young children, and ensuring everyone has the opportunity to be cured. To make elimination a reality, CDC will continue to work to address the factors that lead to perinatal transmission to help ensure maternal and child health is protected and every person with hepatitis C knows their status and has access to life-saving treatment.

Sincerely,

/Carolyn Wester/

Carolyn Wester, MD
Director
Division of Viral Hepatitis
National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD and TB Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
https://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/

/Jonathan Mermin/

Jonathan H. Mermin, MD, MPH
RADM and Assistant Surgeon General, USPHS
Director
National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Stay connected: @DrMerminCDC and Connections