Screening and Diagnosis

• A national database for all the individuals who were screened for HCV  must be created. This will help to:

• Monitor the screening

• Help in making the necessary modifications for the screening

• As per the model developed by CDA ( Center For Disease Analysis, Appendix1), will lead to great cost saving.

• All the current screenings for Hepatitis C at different levels ( pre-marital, employment and blood banks ) should be linked to the national data base of screening. As we must establish and effective link between such screening programs and the treatment with no delay.

• The patients who require screening (table 3) are those who are known to have high risk for HCV exposure, and those include the patients in table as targeted population patients and patients who are 40 years of age or older.

• Screening tests:

  • Rapid test for primary care centers.

  • ELISA for first medical encounter, pre-marital, targeted groups and blood donors

• The method for screening and the proposed diagnostic approach is summarized in table 4