Seroprevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in children: A systematic review and meta‐analysis.

Background and Aims: Estimates of paediatric hepatitis C virus (HCV) seroprevalence are needed to aid treatment scaling‐up, screening and detection approach in this age range, with the ultimate goal of global HCV eradication. The aim of this study was to gather all of the available information on HCV seroprevalence in children all around the world. Methods: We searched PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science (WOS), Wiley and EBSCO databases for all studies evaluating HCV seroprevalence in children; however, studies examining seroprevalence in high‐risk children or specific groups were excluded. Results: Only 20 articles with 48 963 people met our inclusion criteria, with an overall prevalence of 0.904% and a 95% confidence interval (CI) of 0.543 to 1.355. Seroprevalence was higher in research published prior to 2010 than in those published after 2010 (0.77% vs. 0.53%). Conclusion: Few studies were conducted to assess the seroprevalence of HCV in children worldwide. However, the worldwide pooled seroprevalence of HCV in children in these studies is low (less than 1%). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]