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Is HIV Infection Possible After Accidental Prick With A Needle?
Question: I was going to office and suddenly pricked with a blooded needle of a syringe which was thrown to road where i was walking. I was wearing a kito sandle. Can i get hiv from this scenario? Please tell me thr truth. Little bit worried.
Brief Answer:
Risk of HIV is extremely rare.
Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thanks for your query at HCM.
I understand your concern and situation. I see that you have accidentally got pricked by needle with blood on it. I consider that you have no idea about the which patients blood it had and his HIV status. In that case yes you are at risk which is quite rare. Even if you get pricked by needle of HIV positive person the risk is only 0.1-1%. But still I would suggest you to visit a nearby ICTC center in government hospital or a private accredited hospital and get prophylaxis for HIV. Clean the area but do not squeeze it. Get a tetanus shot. Don't worry as the chances are extremely rare. Get tested for HIV by PCR after 5-6 weeks and ELISA 4 generation test after 12 weeks for confirmation.
Hope I answered your query
If no clarification then you can close the discussion and rate the answer
A review will be appreciated
Dr Sheetal Verma
Risk of HIV is extremely rare.
Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thanks for your query at HCM.
I understand your concern and situation. I see that you have accidentally got pricked by needle with blood on it. I consider that you have no idea about the which patients blood it had and his HIV status. In that case yes you are at risk which is quite rare. Even if you get pricked by needle of HIV positive person the risk is only 0.1-1%. But still I would suggest you to visit a nearby ICTC center in government hospital or a private accredited hospital and get prophylaxis for HIV. Clean the area but do not squeeze it. Get a tetanus shot. Don't worry as the chances are extremely rare. Get tested for HIV by PCR after 5-6 weeks and ELISA 4 generation test after 12 weeks for confirmation.
Hope I answered your query
If no clarification then you can close the discussion and rate the answer
A review will be appreciated
Dr Sheetal Verma
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
I was wearing a sandle or kito. Can hiv survives in syringe which was thrown earlier. Because the time it was used on a person and the time it was pricked me had a gap between these this two events. As i know hiv cannot survives in air. So can it survives in a syringe needle?
Brief Answer:
Yes the risk in your case practically nil.
Detailed Answer:
Hi
As you told there was blood on needle and yes for sometime HIV survives in fresh blood but if blood left to dry then HIV cannot survive. I initially thought it had fresh blood but as you say there was a time gap then yes the threat of HIV infection is practically nil. So if you are absolutely sure about the time interval then I suggest no need to worry and do not recommend need prophylaxis as well.
Yes the risk in your case practically nil.
Detailed Answer:
Hi
As you told there was blood on needle and yes for sometime HIV survives in fresh blood but if blood left to dry then HIV cannot survive. I initially thought it had fresh blood but as you say there was a time gap then yes the threat of HIV infection is practically nil. So if you are absolutely sure about the time interval then I suggest no need to worry and do not recommend need prophylaxis as well.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
The time gap may be 5mins to XXXXXXX 30mins i guess.. So how much time a hiv virus remain active? See generally i guess somebody took the blood from a person and threw that to road and i was pricked by that needle. So any chance of getting hiv like this way? I know my questions look like boring but i need the answer as conclusive as you can maam. Thank u..
Brief Answer:
See detailed answer.
Detailed Answer:
Hi
Many people say HIV dies in seconds outside the body. In laboratory studies, scientists dried HIV on glass slides, and then hours and days later checked to see if it could infect cells. In all such studies, some HIV lived for hours to days after drying. So yes as in your case the duration was less so I would suggest you to take post exposure prophylaxis. We have to weigh risk and benefits. Why to take risk when prophylaxis available. But I would still say the chances are extremely rare. If you can know the status of person whose needle it was I would be beneficial. If the person is negative no need of PEP but if unknown then I would suggest PEP.
You can take a follow up query.
Dr Sheetal Verma
See detailed answer.
Detailed Answer:
Hi
Many people say HIV dies in seconds outside the body. In laboratory studies, scientists dried HIV on glass slides, and then hours and days later checked to see if it could infect cells. In all such studies, some HIV lived for hours to days after drying. So yes as in your case the duration was less so I would suggest you to take post exposure prophylaxis. We have to weigh risk and benefits. Why to take risk when prophylaxis available. But I would still say the chances are extremely rare. If you can know the status of person whose needle it was I would be beneficial. If the person is negative no need of PEP but if unknown then I would suggest PEP.
You can take a follow up query.
Dr Sheetal Verma
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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