Is the ELISA test enough to screen hepatitites c?

My friend has her blood test result of hepatities c positive she is been told theres antibodies it was ELISA test what that mean?


is she carrier? is there any chence that is false positive is there any other accurate test to be reassured ?

Is the ELISA test enough to screen hepatitites c?
There is a fairly high rate of false positives for hepatitis C using ELISA alone. Most labs will do a second test using a different method to confirm a positive hep C antibody ELISA test. It is much less likely to be a false positive if both tests are positive.





A positive hep C antibody test means that someone has been infected with hep C at some stage. About 1 in 5 people who get hep C will get rid of the virus naturally without treatment, however they will still have hep C antibodies even when the virus is gone. The other 4 out of 5 continue to carry the virus.





A hep C PCR test can clarify whether the virus is (still) present or not. If it is, then there are now treatments available which can sometimes result in a cure. Your friend should discuss this with her doctor.