CDC's New Hepatitis C Virus Testing Recommendations for Perinatally Exposed Infants and Children: A Step Towards Hepatitis C Elimination.

New U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing of perinatally exposed infants and children released in 2023 recommend a nucleic acid test (NAT) for detection of HCV ribonucleic acid (, NAT for HCV RNA) at 2-6 months of age to facilitate early identification and linkage to care for children with perinatally acquired HCV infection.

Frequency of Children Diagnosed with Perinatal Hepatitis C, United States, 2018-2020.

We describe hepatitis C testing of 47 (2%) of 2,266 children diagnosed with perinatal hepatitis C who were exposed during 2018-2020 in 7 jurisdictions in the United States. Expected frequency of perinatal transmission is 5.8%, indicating only one third of the cases in this cohort were reported to public health authorities.

CDC Recommendations for Hepatitis C Testing Among Perinatally Exposed Infants and Children - United States, 2023.

The elimination of hepatitis C is a national priority (https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/Viral-Hepatitis-National-Strategic-Plan-2021-2025.

Cost-Effectiveness of Strategies to Identify Children with Perinatally Acquired Hepatitis C Infection.

Objective: To determine the optimal testing strategy to identify children with perinatally acquired hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection.

Study Design: We used a decision-tree framework with a Markov disease progression model to conduct an economic analysis of 4 strategies, based on combinations of type and timing of test: anti-HCV with reflex to HCV RNA at 18 months among children known to be perinatally exposed (ie, baseline comparison strategy); HCV RNA testing at 2-6 months among infants known to be perinatally exposed (test strategy 1); universal anti-HCV with reflex to HCV RNA at 18 months among all children (test strategy 2); and universal HCV RNA testing at 2-6 months among all infants (test strategy 3). We estimated total cost, quality-adjusted life years, and disease sequalae for each strategy.

Screening and Testing for Hepatitis B Virus Infection: CDC Recommendations - United States, 2023.

Chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection can lead to substantial morbidity and mortality. Although treatment is not considered curative, antiviral treatment, monitoring, and liver cancer surveillance can reduce morbidity and mortality. Effective vaccines to prevent hepatitis B are available.

Safety of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine in adolescents and adults in the vaccine safety Datalink.

Background: Measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR) is routinely administered to children; however, adolescents and adults may receive MMR for various reasons. Safety studies in adolescents and adults are limited. We report on safety of MMR in this age group in the Vaccine Safety Datalink.

The v-safe after vaccination health checker: Active vaccine safety monitoring during CDC's COVID-19 pandemic response.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed and implemented the v-safe after vaccination health checker (v-safe) to monitor COVID-19 vaccine safety and as an active surveillance supplement to existing CDC vaccine safety monitoring programs. V-safe allows persons who received COVID-19 vaccines to report on post-vaccination experiences and how symptoms affected their health at daily, weekly, and monthly timepoints after vaccination. Text message reminders are sent linking to Internet-based health check-in surveys.

Hepatitis C Virus Testing During Pregnancy After Universal Screening Recommendations.

The study evaluates the effect of the 2020 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations on hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening among pregnant persons nationally and by health insurance type.

Monitoring the safety of COVID-19 vaccines in pregnancy in the US.

Pregnant persons are at increased risk of severe illness from COVID-19. The first COVID-19 vaccines in the U.S.

Measles in the 21st Century: Progress Toward Achieving and Sustaining Elimination.

The global measles vaccination program has been extraordinarily successful in reducing measles-related disease and deaths worldwide. Eradication of measles is feasible because of several key attributes, including humans as the only reservoir for the virus, broad access to diagnostic tools that can rapidly detect measles-infectious persons, and availability of highly safe and effective measles-containing vaccines (MCVs). All 6 World Health Organization (WHO) regions have established measles elimination goals.

Using maternal and neonatal data collection systems for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines active safety surveillance in low- and middle-income countries: an international modified Delphi study.

Given that pregnant women are now included among those for receipt coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines, it is important to ensure that information systems can be used (or available) for active safety surveillance, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The aim of this study was to build consensus about the use of existing maternal and neonatal data collection systems in LMICs for COVID-19 vaccines active safety surveillance, a basic set of variables, and the suitability and feasibility of including pregnant women and LMIC research networks in COVID-19 vaccines pre-licensure activities. A three-stage modified Delphi study was conducted over three months in 2020.

Vaccine Safety Datalink infrastructure enhancements for evaluating the safety of maternal vaccination.

Background: Identifying pregnancy episodes and accurately estimating their beginning and end dates are imperative for observational maternal vaccine safety studies using electronic health record (EHR) data.

Methods: We modified the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) Pregnancy Episode Algorithm (PEA) to include both the International Classification of Disease, ninth revision (ICD-9 system) and ICD-10 diagnosis codes, incorporated additional gestational age data, and validated this enhanced algorithm with manual medical record review. We also developed the new Dynamic Pregnancy Algorithm (DPA) to identify pregnancy episodes in real time.

Preliminary Findings of mRNA Covid-19 Vaccine Safety in Pregnant Persons.

Background: Many pregnant persons in the United States are receiving messenger RNA (mRNA) coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines, but data are limited on their safety in pregnancy.

Methods: From December 14, 2020, to February 28, 2021, we used data from the "v-safe after vaccination health checker" surveillance system, the v-safe pregnancy registry, and the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) to characterize the initial safety of mRNA Covid-19 vaccines in pregnant persons.

Results: A total of 35,691 v-safe participants 16 to 54 years of age identified as pregnant.

SARS-CoV-2 Infection Among Hospitalized Pregnant Women: Reasons for Admission and Pregnancy Characteristics - Eight U.S. Health Care Centers, March 1-May 30, 2020.

Pregnant women might be at increased risk for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), possibly related to changes in their immune system and respiratory physiology* (1). Further, adverse birth outcomes, such as preterm delivery and stillbirth, might be more common among pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 (2,3). Information about SARS-CoV-2 infection during pregnancy is rapidly growing; however, data on reasons for hospital admission, pregnancy-specific characteristics, and birth outcomes among pregnant women hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 infections are limited.

Adverse Outcomes in Pregnant Women Hospitalized With Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection: A Case Series.

We identified 10 women hospitalized with respiratory syncytial virus infection during pregnancy. Diagnoses included pneumonia/atelectasis (5), respiratory failure (2), and sepsis (2). Six had obstetrical complications during hospitalization, including 1 induced preterm birth.