The following message was sent out by the CDC, please review the below information fully and reach out if there are any questions.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published Screening and Testing for Hepatitis B Virus Infection: CDC Recommendations — United States, 2023. The updated recommendations advise hepatitis B screening for all adults at least once in their lifetime. Full implementation of the recommendations will substantially improve timely diagnosis and facilitate linkage to care for persons with hepatitis B.
Previous CDC recommendations for hepatitis B testing were based on identified risk for infection. Unfortunately, far too many people with hepatitis B in the United States are not aware of their infection. Each of these individuals is a missed opportunity for preventing morbidity and mortality highlighting the need for revised guidance.
The 2023 recommendations provide guidance for three populations:
Adults
All
adults should be screened at least once in their lifetime with a triple panel
test for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibody to hepatitis B surface
antigen (anti-HBs), and total antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (total
anti-HBc). Universal screening can avert complications of undiagnosed,
untreated hepatitis B and reduce health disparities by eliminating the need for
disclosure of potentially stigmatizing risk factors among persons who may be
marginalized.
Pregnant Persons
Pregnant
persons should receive triple panel screening for hepatitis B— preferably in
the first trimester— regardless of vaccination status. Those with prior triple
panel screening only need HBsAg screening during each pregnancy. Screening
allows for timely prophylaxis for exposed infants. Because prenatal visits
might be the earliest opportunity or primary way in which a person interacts
with the health care system, prenatal visits are an opportunity to offer the
triple panel test to the patient and link them to care or vaccination as
needed.
Persons with Identified Risk
The
2023 recommendations expand risk-based testing to include persons currently or
formerly incarcerated in a jail, prison, or other detention setting; persons
with a history of sexually transmitted infections or multiple sex partners; and
persons with a history of hepatitis C virus infection. Persons with ongoing
risk factors for hepatitis B should be tested periodically if they remain
unvaccinated.
Implementation of updated hepatitis B screening and testing recommendations in concert with updated hepatitis B vaccination recommendations among adults can save lives. Vaccination continues to be the best way to prevent infection with hepatitis B and clinicians should continue to recommend the hepatitis B vaccine to all adult patients through age 59 years who have not been vaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown. Together, we can actualize a world where viral hepatitis is no longer a public health threat.
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