The 'Wilson and Jungner criteria' for screening include all of the following EXCEPT:

• A The disease should be an important health problem
• B There should be a recognisable latent or early symptomatic stage
• C The cost of case-finding should be balanced against overall expenditure
• D The screening test should be 100% specific to avoid false positives ✓

Explanation

Wilson and Jungner (1968) outlined 10 classic criteria for screening. A 100% specificity requirement is NOT among them — no real screening test achieves perfect specificity. The criteria require a suitable and acceptable test (simple, safe, valid) but acknowledge the trade-off between sensitivity and specificity. The other options are genuine Wilson-Jungner criteria: the condition should be important, have a detectable preclinical phase, and screening should be cost-effective.

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.