Management of suspected or confirmed exposure to hepatitis C virus

Dore 1997Moorman 2020National HCV Testing Policy Expert Reference Committee 2020

General principles for the management of suspected or confirmed exposure to hepatitis C virus (HCV):

• If the source is hepatitis C antibody negative and unlikely to be in the window period¹, no further follow-up testing of the source or exposed person is required.
• If the source is hepatitis C antibody positive but the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test is negative for hepatitis C, no further follow-up testing of the source or exposed person is required. Some centres may offer follow-up testing on a case-by-case basis.
• In all other circumstances, perform follow-up testing of the exposed person, including hepatitis C antibodies at baseline and 3 months after exposure. Additional testing, including PCR for hepatitis C, may be required depending on the clinical circumstance.
• At the time of writing, effective passive or active immunoprophylaxis is not available and postexposure antiviral prophylaxis is not recommended. Consider early antiviral therapy if seroconversion occurs – see Diagnosis of hepatitis C in the acute phase of infection.