Screen all baby boomers for hepatitis C, advises US public health agency

One in 30 US baby boomers is infected with hepatitis C and doesn’t know it. They should all be tested for the virus at least once, said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The recommendation is contained in draft guidelines released on 18 May. They are expected to be finalised after a brief comment period.

Current guidelines recommend testing those who have had risk of exposure to the virus through activities such as injecting illicit drugs, piercing or tattooing with improperly cleaned equipment, a blood transfusion or organ transplant before 1992 when screening was introduced, hemodialysis, birth to a mother with hepatitis C, and other risk factors.

The CDC said it was recommending the change …