Hepatitis C Infections During Pregnancy Increased 20% From 2016 To 2020, According To A New CDC Report

Katharina Buczek |

Apr 27, 2023

Kristina89 - stock.adobe.com - illustrative purposes only, not the actual person

Between 2016 and 2020, there was a rise in hepatitis C infection rate among mothers giving birth. But, this heightened rate was followed by a decrease starting in 2020 and lasting through 2021.

This finding and more were the result of a new National Vital Statistics Report published on April 11 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to the research team, Hepatitis C infection is a growing public health issue within the United States.

And when mothers contract the virus during pregnancy, it can result in adverse health outcomes for both moms and their newborns.

The research included 100% of births registered in the United States between 2016 and 2021. Both Elizabeth C.W. George, M.P.H., and Danielle M. Ely, Ph.D., from the National Center for Health Statistics located in Hyattsville, Maryland, used birth certificate data to analyze hepatitis C virus infection trends.

This analysis ultimately revealed that the overall rate of hepatitis C virus infections increased by 20% from 2016 to 2020. Then, there was an 8% decrease from 2020 through 2021.

“This report shows increasing HCV infection rates for nearly all characteristics examined from 2016 through 2020 and a decline or no change from 2020 through 2021,” the researchers said.

The rise of hepatitis C cases particularly impacted mothers that were 25 years of age and older. Infection rates also increased significantly among women of all educational levels, all prenatal care categories, and all races and Hispanic-origin groups aside from non-Hispanic Asian women.

Interestingly, mothers who smoked and did not smoke during pregnancy also witnessed increases in hepatitis C virus infection rates.

Kristina89 – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person

However, among mothers who were younger than 25-years-old, there was actually a drastic decrease in infection rates between 2016 and 2020.

But, from 2020 through 2021, the rates either decreased or remained unchanged for all of the categories.

The team believes that one major advantage of this study was the use of birth certificate data for surveillance since this information is collected on all women going birth throughout the U.S. This allows for the analysis and comparison of national trends and differences among smaller population groups.

“Despite concerns with potential reporting issues, trends and patterns in the rate of HCV infection shown in this report are generally consistent with those of other studies,” the authors added.

“And these data provide opportunities to examine HCV infection rates among all women giving birth in the United States.”

To read the report’s complete findings, visit the link here.

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By Katharina Buczek

Katharina Buczek graduated from Stony Brook University with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Digital Arts. Specializing ... More about Katharina Buczek