A national panel of health experts recommended widening the age window for hepatitis C screening to include a much larger group of adults, reports The Wall Street Journal.
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued the proposed recommendation Aug. 27, saying adults ages 18 to 79 should be screened for hepatitis C.
The proposal would expand a 2013 recommendation to screen adults born between 1945 and 1965.
At present, baby boomers account for about 75 percent of people currently living with hepatitis C. However, the incidence of hepatitis C in younger adults has jumped in the past 10 years, according to WSJ.
The task force is accepting public comments on the proposed recommendation until Sept. 23.