Study design This was a cross-sectional study of 1034 children tested for HCV antibodies (anti-HCV) after excluding children known to be HIV-positive. We assessed maternal HCV risk factors through structured interviews with a sample of mothers (n = 573) and through review of available medical records (n = 347) for a subsample of mother-child pairs. Means, proportions, and 95 % confidence intervals were used to estimate the prevalence of anti-HCV and maternal risk factors.
Results One child (0.1 % ; 95 % CI, 0.002, 0.5) was anti-HCV positive. History of blood transfusion was reported by 7 % of mothers and intravenous drug use (IVDU) by 1.8 % . A subsample of mothers significantly underreported IVDU when compared with medical record review (1.5 % vs 7.8 % , P<.001).
Conclusions Our findings suggest that universal screening of children for HCV in high-risk urban communities is not warranted. However, self-report may not be reliable for identifying mothers with a history of IVDU, for whom HCV testing is recommended.