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The prevalence of anti–hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody in the U.S. is 1.6% and, among patients living with HCV infection, approximately 76% were born between 1945 and 1965. HCV infection is the leading cause of liver transplantation; without treatment, 15% to 40% of HCV-positive patients will develop cirrhosis or cancer. Approximately 50% to 60% of all new cases of HCV infection occur in people with histories of injection drug use; however, using such a narrow metric for screening misses a substantial proportion of HCV-positive people. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has issued new recommendations for HCV screening. Highlights include:
All people at high-risk (i.e., history of injection-drug use or sex with an injection-dru…