How did they do a hepatitis C screening?

Hepatitis C screening is usually done with a blood test , starting with an antibody test that checks whether you have ever been exposed to the virus. If that test is positive, a follow-up RNA test is done to see whether the virus is currently in your blood.

How it works

• A clinician draws blood, or in some settings uses a finger-prick rapid test or a home sample kit.

• The first test looks for HCV antibodies, which show past exposure, not necessarily an active infection.

• If antibodies are found, a second test looks for HCV RNA, which confirms current infection.

• Some systems use “reflex” testing, where the lab automatically runs the second test from the same blood sample if the first one is positive.

What a result means

• Negative antibody test: usually means no past infection was found.

• Positive antibody test: means you were exposed at some point, but not necessarily that you still have hepatitis C.

• Positive RNA test: means the virus is currently present.

Who should get screened

CDC recommends hepatitis C screening for all adults at least once, during each pregnancy, and more often for people with ongoing risk factors or specific exposures.

Simple version

Think of it as a two-step check: first, “Have you ever been exposed?” then, if needed, “Is the virus still there now?”.