Survey of US Correctional Institutions for Routine HCV Testing

Am J Public Health. 2015 Jan;105(1):68-71. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2014.302071.

Abstract

To ascertain HCV testing practices among US prisons and jails, we conducted a survey study in 2012, consisting of medical directors of all US state prisons and 40 of the largest US jails, that demonstrated a minority of US prisons and jails conduct routine HCV testing. Routine voluntary HCV testing in correctional facilities is urgently needed to increase diagnosis, enable risk-reduction counseling and preventive health care, and facilitate evaluation for antiviral treatment.