The CDC is recommending one-time testing for hepatitis C in patients born between 1945 and 1965, regardless of the patients’ risk for hepatitis, according to finalized guidelines published in MMWR.

Patients who test positive for hepatitis C should receive alcohol screening, and intervention if necessary, as well as referral for treatment of hepatitis C and any related conditions.

A CDC review found that hepatitis C mortality increased significantly from 1999 to 2007. Nearly three quarters of these deaths occurred in baby boomers. In addition, an NHANES study found a 3.25% prevalence in this age group.

Source: MMWR