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

To prevent chronic HCV infection and its sequelae, prevention of new HCV infections should be the primary objective of public health activities. Achieving this objective will require the integration of HCV prevention and surveillance activities into current public health infrastructure. In addition, several questions concerning the epidemiology of HCV infection remain, and the answers to those questions could change or modify primary prevention activities. These questions primarily concern the magnitude of the risk attributable to sexual transmission of HCV and to illegal noninjecting-drug use.

Identification of the large numbers of persons in the United States with chronic HCV infection is resource-intensive. The most efficient means to achieve this identification is unknown, because the prevention effectiveness of various implementation strategies has not been evaluated. However, widespread programs to identify, counsel, and treat HCV-infected persons, combined with improvements in the efficacy of treatment, are expected to lower the morbidity and mortality from HCV-related chronic liver disease substantially. Monitoring the progress of these activities to determine their effectiveness in achieving a reduction in HCV-related chronic disease is important.