West Virginia has experienced a rise in Hepatitis C and other sexually transmitted infections in the last several years. The rate of maternal Hepatitis C is 30 per 1000 compared to a national rate of 4 per 1000; congenital syphilis cases reported to West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources increased 650% from 2017 to 2021. The West Virginia Perinatal Partnership is committed to working with the state to develop an effective response to address this problem.
Physician leadership from the Partnership’s Substance Use During Pregnancy Committee recommended that community-based pediatric providers be notified when a baby in their care was born to a woman diagnosed with Hepatitis C through Project WATCH. This policy was adopted and went into effect in 2020. In addition, Partnership staff sit on statewide groups such as the Hepatitis Elimination Technical Advisory Group and the West Virginia Syphilis, Hepatitis, and HIV Infant Mortality and Morbidity Review.