Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection
Surveillance of paediatric HCV infection in the UK and Eire: to estimate the prevalence and distribution of known paediatric HCV infection in the UK and Eire, to look at patterns of presentation according to mode of transmission (infected blood products/organ transplantation or mother to child); to describe the management by risk group; and to investigate the natural history of HCV infection in children with a known date of infection.
Lead investigator
Dr D Gibb
About the study
The objectives of this study were to:
- To estimate the prevalence and distribution of known paediatric HCV infection in the UK and the Republic of Ireland;
- To look at patterns of presentation according to mode of transmission (infected blood products/organ transplantation or mother to child);
- To describe the management by risk group;
- To investigate the natural history of HCV infection in children with a known date of infection.
Those included in the study were:
- Any child who is HCV antibody positive (including any child under 18 months of age born to an HCV-infected woman and any older child with definitive HCV infection).
- Any child who is positive for HCV by RNA PCR.
In 1998, the surveillance strategy changed; since then, only children infected with HCV needed to be reported, and it was not necessary to report children born to HCV-infected mothers.
Duration
March 1997 – March 1999
Published papers
Support Group
Children’s Liver Disease Foundation
Web: childliverdisease.org Email: info@childliverdisease.org