How to prevent the transmission of hepatitis C virus by mothers

A new study says that transmission of the hepatitis C virus by mothers could be largely prevented if Canada recommended universal screening during pregnancy.

The document was published in Journal of the Canadian Medical Association (CMAJ). According to the study, nearly fifty percent of women infected with the virus are aware and current treatment with direct-acting antiviral regimens is effective, which helps prevent transmission of the virus from the virus. 39, hepatitis C from mother to child.

The authors of the study explain: "Given maternal and postnatal screening gaps in mothers, Canada is likely to have a large cohort of infants, children and young adults with progressive liver disease who could have cure of HCV infection had been identified early or, quite simply, would not have been infected at all. "

Statistics on the hepatitis C virus

The main conclusions of the document are:

• The rate of vertical transmission in women monoinfected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) is between 5 and 6%;

• Only half of the women infected with the hepatitis C virus are identified by screening based on risk factors;

• Universal screening during pregnancy should be recommended in Canadian guidelines, in the same way as existing recommendations for the hepatitis B virus and HIV; and

• Treatment of HIV-positive women for the hepatitis C virus and of childbearing age could eliminate the risk of vertical transmission.

Recommendations for screening and treatment of hepatitis C virus

Drs. Chelsea Elwood, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of British Columbia, and Laura Sauve, Children's Hospital of British Columbia, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC: "We encourage all caregivers to consider the consequences of screening during pregnancy and reference for HCV treatment. The time has come to switch to universal screening for HCV in pregnant women, with initial prenatal investigations that are then repeated according to the risk factors of the third trimester. "

The authors argue that elimination of vertical transmission of hepatitis C virus from mother to child is achievable if public health and health care professionals collaborate.