Researchers determined a target limit of detection for hepatitis C point-of-care tests that would identify 97% of viremic infections among all populations including low- and middle-income countries, according to a recently published study.

“Available tests for viremia are expensive, and require advanced laboratory facilities, electricity, water, and refrigerated reagents,” J. Morgan Freiman, MD, from the Boston Medical Center in Massachusetts, and colleagues wrote. “A rapid, affordable, easy-to-use test for confirmation of HCV viremia at the point-of-care (POC) that can be deployed on a large scale has the potential to improve outcomes across the diagnosis and care continuum, particularly in high HCV prevalence settings.”