Hepatitis C Testing Recommendations
- Universal hepatitis C screening:
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- Hepatitis C screening at least once in a lifetime for all adults aged 18 years and older, except in settings where the prevalence of HCV infection (HCV RNA‑positivity) is less than 0.1%*
- Hepatitis C screening for all pregnant women during each pregnancy, except in settings where the prevalence of HCV infection (HCV RNA‑positivity) is less than 0.1%*
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- One‑time hepatitis C testing regardless of age or setting prevalence among people with recognized conditions or exposures:
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- People with HIV
- People who ever injected drugs and shared needles, syringes, or other drug preparation equipment, including those who injected once or a few times many years ago
- People with selected medical conditions, including:
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- people who ever received maintenance hemodialysis
- people with persistently abnormal ALT levels
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- Prior recipients of transfusions or organ transplants, including:
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- people who received clotting factor concentrates produced before 1987
- people who received a transfusion of blood or blood components before July 1992
- people who received an organ transplant before July 1992
- people who were notified that they received blood from a donor who later tested positive for HCV infection
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- Health care, emergency medical, and public safety personnel after needle sticks, sharps, or mucosal exposures to HCV‑positive blood pdf icon[PDF – 177 KB]
- Children born to mothers with HCV infection
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- Routine periodic testing for people with ongoing risk factors, while risk factors persist:
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- People who currently inject drugs and share needles, syringes, or other drug preparation equipment
- People with selected medical conditions, including:
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- people who ever received maintenance hemodialysis
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- Any person who requests hepatitis C testing should receive it, regardless of disclosure of risk, because many persons may be reluctant to disclose stigmatizing risks
