The performance of hepatitis C virus (<scp>HCV</scp>) antibody point‐of‐care tests on oral fluid or whole blood and dried blood spot testing for <scp>HCV</scp> serology and viral load among individuals at higher risk for <scp>HCV</scp> in South Africa

Abstract

The POC test performed sufficiently well to be used for HCV screening in at-risk populations. DBS for diagnosis and quantification was accurate and should be considered as an alternative sample to test. POC and DBS can help scale up hepatitis services in the country, in light of our elimination goals.