Hepatitis C infection screening and connection to care among postpartum patients and exposed infants in two community hospitals, 3-year follow-up — Oregon, 2019–2024

Objective: Determine prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) positivity among postpartum patients to inform prenatal screening recommendations, postpartum connection to care, and infant HCV screening practices. Study design: Convenience sample of postpartum patients at one urban and one suburban hospital to undergo rapid fingerstick testing for hepatitis C antibodies. Result: Of 2060 postpartum participants successfully screened, 20 (0.97%) had evidence of past or current HCV infection. One co-infection with syphilis occurred. After a median follow-up of 3.75 years, 6 of 12 participants (50.0%) with chronic HCV infection completed treatment with cure, and 9 of 20 infants (45.0%) completed screening. One neonatal transmission event occurred (5.8%). Conclusion: HCV infection was more common in our postpartum population than other viral infections routinely screened for during pregnancy. Efforts to decrease perinatal HCV transmission should focus on early postpartum connection to treatment team, early screening in infants aged 2–6 months, and pediatric test completion.