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Mother-to-Infant Hepatitis C Virus Transmission and Breastfeeding

  • Conference paper
Protecting Infants through Human Milk

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 554))

Abstract

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a blood-borne virus that is transmitted most efficiently by direct percutaneous exposures to blood. Infants are at risk of HCV infection primarily as a result of transmission from their infected mothers. However, there is no evidence of mother-to-infant transmission from breastfeeding. According to guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics, maternal HCV infection is not a contraindication to breastfeeding. It may be prudent for mothers who are HCV-infected and who choose to breastfeed to consider abstaining from breastfeeding if their nipples are cracked and bleeding.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Viral Hepatitis, National Center for Infectious Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mailstop G37, 1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA, 30333, USA

    Eric E. Mast

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  1. Eric E. Mast
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

    Larry K. Pickering MD

  2. Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA

    Ardythe L. Morrow PhD

  3. Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición, Mexico City, Mexico

    Guillermo M. Ruiz-Palacios MD

  4. Schneider Children’s Hospital at North Shore, Manhasset, New York, USA

    Richard J. Schanler MD

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© 2004 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Mast, E.E. (2004). Mother-to-Infant Hepatitis C Virus Transmission and Breastfeeding. In: Pickering, L.K., Morrow, A.L., Ruiz-Palacios, G.M., Schanler, R.J. (eds) Protecting Infants through Human Milk. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 554. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-4242-8_18

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4757-4242-8_18

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-3461-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4757-4242-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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