Wilson and Jungner (1968) criteria for disease screening include multiple conditions. Which among the following is NOT one of the original Wilson-Jungner criteria?

• A The natural history of the disease should be well understood
• B The disease should have high case fatality rate to justify population-wide screening ✓
• C There should be an agreed policy on who to treat as patients
• D The cost of case-finding (screening + diagnosis + treatment) should be economically balanced

Explanation

The Wilson-Jungner criteria do NOT require high case fatality — they require that the condition is an important health problem (common and/or serious), has an acceptable treatment, has detectable early stage, and where early treatment yields better outcomes than late treatment. High case fatality alone is not sufficient — rare but fatal diseases (e.g. very rare cancers) may not warrant population screening. The other options (agreed treatment policy, understood natural history, economic justification) are genuine Wilson-Jungner criteria.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

Written and medically reviewed by the StethoPrep medical team.