News Review From Harvard Medical School -- Hepatitis C Tests
Urged for High-Risk Boomers An influential group of experts says
baby boomers at high risk of having hepatitis C infection should
get tested. But the group did not endorse a recent government
recommendation for even wider testing. The new advice is from
the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. This group provides
advice to doctors on preventive care. It is independent but
government-sponsored. The task force said there's enough
evidence to support testing for people who have a higher than
average risk of hepatitis C. That includes people who have used
injection drugs and those who had blood transfusions before
1992. In May, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention said all baby boomers should get a one-time test.
About 3 out of 4 people infected with hepatitis C are from this
generation. But the actual numbers are low, about 3% to 4% of
baby boomers. The task force said many of them will live a long
time without symptoms. Current treatmen