HCV Can and Should Be Eliminated From Dialysis Units

Upon the identification of hepatitis C virus (HCV) over 3 decades ago, HCV infection was recognized as a frequent complication of maintenance hemodialysis (HD), in part owing to high rates of blood transfusion.1 Progressive improvements in testing blood donors by serological tests (and more recently by nucleic acid testing [NAT]), the increasing use of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, and the improvement of hygienic precautions all contributed over the subsequent 2 decades to a reduction in the incidence and prevalence of HCV in HD patients.