Hepatitis C is a pediatric disease now

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Hepatitis C and women of childbearing age
July 03, 2017
A pregnant woman with evidence of HCV antibodies but no detectable active virus in her body is very unlikely to transmit HCV to her baby. On the other hand, pregnant women with very high viral loads are believed to be at increased risk for vertical transmission of HCV.

Commentary
Hepatitis C is a pediatric disease now
Publish date: June 27, 2017
By: Kristina K. Bryant, MD

It is estimated that there are 23,000 to 46,000 U.S. children living with HCV. The wait for pediatricians is over. HCV is a pediatric disease now, and we need to educate ourselves about diagnosis and management. A first step might be to begin asking expectant mothers and the mothers of newborns if they know their HCV status.

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Recommended Reading
Hepatitis C increasing among pregnant women
Published: Monday 15 May 2017
Hepatitis C infections among pregnant women nearly doubled from 2009-2014, likely a consequence of the country's increasing opioid epidemic that is disproportionately affecting rural areas of states including Tennessee and West Virginia.
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FDA approves two hepatitis C drugs for pediatric patients
Published: April 7, 2017
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved supplemental applications for Sovaldi (sofosbuvir) and Harvoni (ledipasvir and sofosbuvir) to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV) in children ages 12 to 17. Harvoni and Sovaldi were previously approved to treat HCV in adults.
Read the announcement @ FDA Newsroom

FDA Approval Of Hepatitis C Drugs For Kids Is Likely To Speed Treatment
Published: April 19, 2017
The two drugs approved for pediatric use by the Food and Drug Administration, Harvoni and Sovaldi, have both been highly effective in treating adults with the disease, though Medicaid programs and private insurers often have balked at paying for the pricey drugs for adults.
In two clinical trials of Harvoni and Sovaldi in the treatment of children between the ages of 12 and 17, the drugs eliminated all traces of the virus in 97 to 100 percent of patients, generally in 12 weeks. Trials that test the effectiveness of the drugs in younger children are ongoing.
Continue reading @ NPR

From: The European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) International Liver Congress (ILC 2017) meeting
Interferon-Free HCV Tx Successful in Young Kids
Published: April 24, 2017
by Liz Highleyman, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today
*Free registration required to view article
AMSTERDAM -- Treatment with a half-strength tablet of sofosbuvir/ledipasvir (Harvoni) for 12 weeks cured 99% of children, ages 6 to 11 years, with chronic hepatitis C, researchers reported here.
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Research Article
Safety & effectiveness of LDV/SOF in adolescents 12 to 17 years old with HCV GT1 infection
Published: June 22, 2017
No all-oral, direct-acting antiviral regimens have been approved for children with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. We conducted a Phase 2, multi-center, open-label study to evaluate the efficacy and safety of ledipasvir–sofosbuvir in adolescents with chronic HCV genotype 1 infection.
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