In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released universal screening recommendations for hepatitis C in adults, including those who are pregnant.
Now, as U.S. cases surge among people of reproductive age, the agency recommends health care providers test children 2 month to 6 months old for hepatitis C if they were born to someone infected with the virus.
Children with detectable levels of viral RNA should see a healthcare provider with expertise in pediatric hep C; those with negative results require no further action.
However, children born to hep C-positive people prior to these recommendations should also be tested: 7- to 17-month-olds for viral RNA; older kids for hep C antibodies.
The state health department says hep C is one of Arizona's most commonly reported infectious diseases, with 10,000 cases reported each year.
