Available data regarding
the prevention of HCV
infection with IG indicate that IG is not effective for
postexposure prophylaxis of hepatitis C. No
assessments have been made of postexposure use of
antiviral agents (e.g., interferon) to prevent HCV
infection. Mechanisms of the effect of interferon in
treating patients with hepatitis C are poorly
understood, and an established infection might
need to be present for interferon to be an effective
treatment. The immediate postexposure setting
provides
opportunity to identify persons early in the course
of their HCV infection. Studies indicate that
interferon treatment begun early in the course of
HCV infection is associated with a higher rate of
resolved infection. However, no data exist indicating
that treatment begun during the acute phase of
infection is more effective than treatment begun
early during the course of chronic HCV infection. In addition, as stated previously, interferon is not
FDA-approved for this indication. Determination
of whether treatment of HCV infection is more
beneficial in the acute phase than in the early
chronic phase will require evaluation with
well-designed research protocols.

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