Hepatitis C Birth Cohort Screening is Cost-Effective

Birth cohort screening can be a cost-effective strategy to identify individuals infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV), according to a study published online Nov. 4 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Investigators from the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago in Atlanta found that, compared to the current system, an additional 808,580 cases of chronic HCV were detected through birth cohort screening.

“Birth cohort screening for HCV in primary care settings was highly cost-effective,” the authors write.

Further details are available at: http://www.mdnews.com/news/hd/2011_45/hd_658577

Sources: HealthDay; MDNews.com