Vertical Transmission of Hepatitis C Virus

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Abstract
In regard to the report by Ohto et al. (March 17 issue),1 it would be interesting to know whether the rates of vertical transmission of hepatitis C virus (HCV) differ according to whether the infants were breast-fed. Was HCV RNA detected in breast milk? The authors' inference is that vertical transmission occurred transplacentally or at parturition, but the possibility remains that transmission occurred through breast milk. This would still be an instance of vertical transmission but one that calls for specific preventive approaches.