Clinical Scorecard: Public Health Motivation for the Eradication of Hepatitis C Virus Among Pediatric Populations

At a Glance

Key Highlights

• Over 3.2 million children worldwide are estimated to have HCV.
• Only 42% of perinatally exposed infants were tested for HCV.
• Direct-acting antiviral therapy is FDA-approved for young children and is highly effective.
• Recommendations for HCV testing include screening all pregnant women and high-risk children.
• Socioeconomic factors complicate regular pediatric care and linkage to treatment.

Guideline-Based Recommendations

Diagnosis

• Test all pregnant women for HCV with each pregnancy.
• Test offspring from pregnancies of mothers with HCV using HCV RNA at 2 to 6 months of age.

Management

• Direct-acting antiviral therapy is recommended for HCV-infected children.

Monitoring & Follow-up

• Monitor linkage to care and treatment initiation in high-risk children.

Risks

• Children with perinatal exposure are at high lifetime risk of liver cirrhosis, failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma.

Patient & Prescribing Data

Children under 18 years of age with perinatal exposure or other high-risk factors.

Direct-acting antiviral agents are cost-effective and safe for treating HCV in children.

Clinical Best Practices

• Implement routine HCV screening for high-risk pediatric populations.
• Ensure linkage to care for children diagnosed with HCV.

References

• Hepatitis C Virus Testing in Perinatally Exposed Children
• World Health Organization estimates on HCV
• Society for Fetal and Maternal Medicine recommendations
• American Board of Pediatrics recommendations
• CDC recommendations for HCV testing
• American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases guidelines
• Curtis et al. on cost-effectiveness of HCV treatment