Screening of hepatitis C virus in dried plasma spots among people who inject drugs and attending syringe exchange programme in Delhi, India

This study investigated the use of dried plasma spots (DPS) in a community-based non-treatment-seeking population of people who inject drugs (PWID) for HCV testing. Individuals attending targeted intervention (TI) services were approached. The sociodemographic and drug use history were recorded. Blood samples were collected, dried plasma spots were prepared, and HCV screening was done. The participants (n=188) were with mean (SD) age of 27.44 (6.21) yr. HCV prevalence was found to be 69.7%. A good correlation (r=0.90; P <0.05) was observed between plasma and DPS samples, with sensitivity 98.5%, specificity 100%, and accuracy 98.9%. This method has the potential to screen HCV in a community setting.