Testing for vertical transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in infants and children will enable early identification of the majority of uninfected HCV-exposed infants and children, and will provide significant emotional relief for the parents.
Conclusion: The small percentage of infected children should be offered enrollment in well-designed clinical trials of optimal medical management for prevention of the predicted long-term outcomes of chronic HCV infection: chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma.