Should all adults be screened for Hepatitis C?
The United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) is considering a new recommendation to screen all adults aged 18-79 for hepatitis C virus (HCV). The USPSTF, a panel of national experts in prevention and medicine, previously recommended one-time, HCV screening for all persons born 1945-1965 (baby boomers) as well as individuals at risk for infection due to injection drug use, unregulated tattoos, incarceration, exposure to infected blood, or birth in a high risk country.
The new focus on screening all adults comes in response to the growing opioid epidemic in the U.S., which has caused a rise in HCV infections in younger populations.
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Read the USPSTF draft recommendation and leave a comment.
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