Screening for hepatitis C in average and high-risk populations of Qatar using rapid point-of-care testing.

Background: Screening for hepatitis C has been found to be beneficial in high-risk individuals and 'baby boomers'.

Objective: Our aim was to screen for hepatitis C in average and high-risk individuals and compare the disease characteristics and response to treatment among the screened group (SG) and non-screened group (NSG).

Method: Community-based screening for hepatitis C was done in the average and high-risk populations of Qatar.