Recommendations for Prevention and Control of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) Infection and HCV-Related Chronic Disease

Persons for Whom Routine HCV Testing Is Not Recommended

From U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

October 16, 1998

For the following persons, routine testing for HCV infection is not recommended unless they have risk factors for infection.

Persons for whom routine hepatitis C virus (HCV) testing is not recommended

Health-care, emergency medical, and public safety workers.
Pregnant women.
Household (nonsexual) contacts of HCV-positive persons.
The general population.

Health-Care, Emergency Medical, and Public Safety Workers

Routine testing is recommended only for follow-up for a specific exposure.

Pregnant Women

Health-care professionals in settings where pregnant women are evaluated or receive routine care should take risk histories from their patients designed to determine the need for testing and other prevention measures, and those health-care professionals should be knowledgeable regarding HCV counseling, testing, and medical follow-up.

Household (Nonsexual) Contacts of HCV-Positive Persons

Routine testing for nonsexual household contacts of HCV-positive persons is not recommended unless a history exists of a direct (percutaneous or mucosal) exposure to blood.

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This article was provided by U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is a part of the publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

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