Prevalence and Incidence of Hepatitis C Virus in Hemodialysis Patients in British Columbia: Follow‐up after a Possible Breach in Hemodialysis Machines

Abstract

Hemodialysis patients had three times the HCV prevalence rate of the general BC population, and more than 20 times the incident rate of the general Canadian population. One of the two seroconversions occurred before the testing campaign; the patient was likely infected during hemodialysis in South Asia. The other was plausibly a late seroconversion following renal transplant in South Asia. Nosocomial transmission cannot be ruled out because both patients were dialyzed in the same centre. Baseline and annual anti-HCV testing is recommended. HCV-PCR should be considered at baseline for persons with HCV risk factors, and for returning travellers who received dialysis in HCV-endemic countries to identify HCV infection occurring outside the hemodialysis unit.