Healthcare Notification and Testing Toolkit

Purpose

This toolkit provides a framework for use by state and local health departments for public notification as part of public health response to possible bloodborne pathogen exposures in a variety of healthcare settings.

Note: Bloodborne Pathogens Testing

In the event of a notification, recommendations for bloodborne pathogen screening are typically included. CDC staff are always available for consultation including discussion of testing algorithms for specific notification settings.

Please note that if potential exposures are less than six months earlier than the date of serologic screening, re-testing at a date greater than six months after last exposure may be warranted in order to identify recent infections that have not yet become serologically detectable. Alternatively, nucleic acid testing (NAT), which can detect infection much earlier than serologic testing, may be considered as an initial diagnostic test to detect infections after recent high-risk exposures.

Suggested tests may vary according to the recency and likelihood of exposure and typically include:

• serologic testing for hepatitis C antibody (anti-HCV) and if positive reflex to HCV RNA testing Cdc-pdf[PDF – 4 pages] (which may require an additional frozen serum specimen),
• serologic testing for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) Cdc-pdf[PDF – 28 pages] (may also consider total antibody to hepatitis B core antigen (total anti-HBc) and antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (Anti-HBs) tests to determine past infection and immunity status), and
• HIV testing

NOTE: Revisions are pending. In the interim, please see

PEPline guidanceExternal
Testing Recommendations for the Exposed Person (HCV) Cdc-pdf[PDF – 2 pages]External