OraQuick hepatitis C virus self-test: A new frontier in hepatitis C screening

Table 1 Comparison of hepatitis C virus diagnostic methods

Diagnostic method	Sample type	Turnaround time	Sensitivity/specificity	Equipment required	User level	Advantages	Disadvantages
Enzyme immunoassay	Serum or plasma	1–5 days	95%-99%/98%-99%	Lab equipment, trained staff	Laboratory professionals	High accuracy; standard for screening	Requires lab setup; not suitable for remote areas
Nucleic acid test	Serum or plasma	1–7 days	> 99%/> 99%	Advanced lab instruments	Laboratory professionals	Confirms active infection; gold standard	High cost; requires infrastructure
GeneXpert HCV RNA	Plasma or serum	About 1 h	99%/99%	Portable cartridge-based system	Trained healthcare workers	Fast, decentralized testing	Expensive; less available in rural settings
OraQuick HCV self-test	Fingerstick or venous blood	About 20 min	98%/100%	None	Layperson (self-testing)	Easy to use; no lab needed; WHO prequalified	Detects antibodies only; follow-up NAT needed

HCV: Hepatitis C virus; WHO: World Health Organization; NAT: Nucleic acid test.