With the kit, which does not require a prescription, the user collects a sample of blood at home and mails it to a designated laboratory for analysis. The results are available anonymously by phone through a unique identification number. HCV is spread primarily through contact with infected blood. It is responsible for 8,000 to 10,000 deaths in the United States annually.
Many people have the disease long before it is detected.
The user collects a blood sample on the filter paper and sends it to the laboratory. The results are available four to 10 business days from receipt of the blood sample and can be obtained anonymously by phone from an automated system or from a healthcare counselor. The test shows whether a person has ever contracted the hepatitis C virus, unless he was exposed in the previous six months, which may be too early for the test to detect. However, it does not show whether the infection is active now. This must be determined by a physician with additional testing and evaluation of the individual.