U.S. Rate of Maternal HCV Infection Nearly Doubles Opioid epidemic may play a role in rural counties

Maternal hepatitis C infections nearly doubled among women in reporting states -- with hepatitis B infection, smoking during pregnancy, and living in a rural county increasing the risk of infection, CDC researchers reported. From 2009-2014, HCV infection at time of delivery among pregnant women from states that reported HCV infection on their birth certificates increased 89% -- from 1.8 per 1,000 live births to 3.4 per 1,000 (P<0.001), reported Stephen W. Patrick, MD, of Vanderbilt University, and colleagues. https://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/Hepatitis/65227?xid=nl_mpt_DHE_2017-05-12&eun=g721819d0r&pos=0