HealthDay News — According to a study published in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the prevalence of hepatitis C (HCV) infection among pregnant women nearly doubled between 2009 and 2014.
The study reviewed birth records from 2009 to 2014. Researchers found wide variations in HCV prevalence at delivery, with rates from states reporting HCV on the birth certificate increasing 89%, from 1.8 to 3.4 per 1000 live births.
Increases were most notable in West Virginia and rural counties in Tennessee, areas strongly affected by the heroin and opioid epidemic, the CDC reported. Nationwide, 35 infants a day were exposed to HCV, on average.
Continue Reading
In West Virginia, the investigators found that more than 1 in 50 newborns were exposed to HCV at the time of childbirth. In Tennessee, about one in 100 babies were exposed to the virus during delivery.
Rates were 3 times as high in rural areas of the state compared to urban counties. Nationwide, the HCV rate among mothers-to-be was 3.4 per 1000 live births in 2014. Regions hardest hit by opioid overdose deaths were also most likely to see increases in HCV infection.
The findings indicate that women of childbearing age need access to HCV testing and treatment, senior author Carolyn Wester, MD, the medical director for HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, and viral hepatitis at the Tennessee Department of Health, said in a Vanderbilt University news release.
Reference
Patrick SW, et al. “Hepatitis C Virus Infection Among Women Giving Birth — Tennessee and United States, 2009–2014.” Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2017;66: 470–473. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6618a3
