Once you have been infected, you will always have antibodies in your blood. This is true whether you have been cured or still have the virus. As a result, a test can be “reactive” or “positive,” which means you have been infected with the virus at some point in time. A reactive or positive antibody test does not necessarily mean that you currently have Hepatitis C, so a follow-up test is needed. A “non-reactive” test means that you are not actively infected with the Hepatitis C virus.

If your antibody test is reactive or positive, you will need a follow-up test to see if you currently have the virus. This test is called a nucleic acid test (NAT) for HCV RNA, also known as the PCR test. If the HCV RNA Test (or PCR test) is negative, it means that you were infected with the Hepatitis C virus at some point in your life, but you were cured or you cleared the virus naturally. If the test is positive, you currently have the virus in your blood and are infectious, meaning you can spread the virus to others.

If you have a reactive antibody test and a positive NAT for HCV RNA, you need to talk to a doctor about treatment. Treatments are available that can cure most people in 8–12 weeks when taken as prescribed.