Hello. Need some advice. What to do if you prick yourself with a syringe? I am doing an internship at a hospital. I study at a medical college. Today they were giving injections and I accidentally pricked my finger with a patient’s syringe (and a used syringe at that) until it bled. There was blood. I immediately treated the cut with an antiseptic. I pricked my finger when I was sorting out used syringes and throwing them in the trash. What should I do? I’m afraid that this patient might have hepatitis or AIDS. (((((I’m worried. I heard that within 12 hours you need to go to the clinic and get serum for hepatitis B. Is it really necessary? Maybe you should get some vaccinations just in case? What is the probability of contracting any disease in in this case? I really need your help!

You need to urgently go to the epidemiologist of the institution where you are doing your internship, make an entry in the trauma log, carry out revaccination against viral hepatitis B, donate blood for HIV, viral hepatitis, then be observed by an infectious disease specialist for up to 6 months. It is a good idea to check the patient’s medical history about existing diseases.

Clarification question

Related questions:

Date	Question	Status
07.06.2013	Hello! What is the probability of contracting HIV/hepatitis C due to a needle prick on the street, if the prick was inflicted on the toe through thin shoes? The needle seemed empty, lay separately from the syringe, there was dust on the side of the needle into which it is inserted into the syringe, the syringe itself was also dusty, and did not look like it had just been used. Perhaps it lay in the sun for a while. A minute after the injection there was a little blood from the finger. Is there any cause for concern? Thank you
30.07.2015	A week after the injection, my temperature rose to 37.3 degrees and my throat hurt, for two weeks now my temperature has remained at 37 degrees, could these be the first symptoms of infection?
02.08.2015	Good afternoon It is necessary to undergo a gastroscopy, but I read on the Internet that during this procedure you can become infected with HIV, since patients follow each other after 5-10 minutes. And the device does not have time to be disinfected during this time. Tell me, please, is it possible to become infected with HIV or hepatitis? Thank you!
06.07.2016	Good afternoon, I was giving an injection (a person was diagnosed with hepatitis B, C, D in 1999 (through a blood transfusion) and accidentally pricked my finger with this needle (not deeply, but a small drop of blood appeared, I immediately treated the wound with chlorhexidine and I squeezed it out). In 2001, I was vaccinated against hepatitis B. After the injection, 1 day later I received another Regevak vaccination (1 dose). Tell me, could I have become infected with hepatitis B, C, D. And what should I do?
09.03.2017	Hello. I pricked my finger with a key wire in a supermarket. A small scratch formed, it looked like there was blood (a small red dot), but when pressed it did not increase, a drop did not form. Please tell me whether there is a risk of contracting HIV and hepatitis, assuming that an infected person injected himself with this key before me. I am particularly interested in the risk of hepatitis B, as I know that it is very persistent in the environment. Hepatitis B vaccination was 11 years ago.

Quote (Lyudmila Prokofyevna @ 12/13/2010, 15:38) Larisa, exactly why this topic interests me. If there is a way to prove that you don't have chronic. hepatitis, maybe you can get tested and get a piece of paper stating that you are fit to donate? As a child, I was ill with Botkin, Austrian. My antigen is negative. biochemistry is completely normal, I just can’t understand why I, a woman in the prime of life, cannot donate blood, just like those who have suffered from hepatitis B.

and how does this happen: they ask you about your history of hepatitis, you answer honestly and they refuse?

Hepatitis A (Botkin) has only 2 endings - complete recovery or death (rarely). They probably refuse you based on the fact that 20 - 25 years ago, hepatitis A and B were distinguished by the incubation period, clinic, epidemiological history, and so on, until a certain year (I don’t remember which) tests confirming one or another etiology of viral hepatitis, that is they play it safe (suddenly not A, but B or C), or maybe those who refuse did not study well at the institute.

I think that the only way to become a donor is to pass all the markers (expanded to B, C, D) and since they must all be negative, to protect against idiots, do not mention the hepatitis suffered in childhood at all.

Nobody asked me, I didn’t go there, because I know 100 percent that I won’t be allowed to donate, because there is a law, not only here, but throughout the world, that a person with hepatitis in the past is out of Depending on the age and variety, donation is not allowed.

Ross. document.

I. ABSOLUTE CONTRAINDICATIONS

(withdrawal from donation regardless of the duration of the disease and the result http://site/index.php?act=Post&CODE=02&f=40&t=69586&qpid=1180378 of treatment)

1. Blood-borne diseases:

1.1. Infectious:

AIDS, carriers of HIV infection and persons at risk (homosexuals, drug addicts, prostitutes)

Syphilis, congenital or acquired

Viral hepatitis, positive test result for markers of viral hepatitis (HBsAg, anti-HCV antibodies)

Tuberculosis, all forms

Brucellosis

Typhus

Tularemia

And I know for sure what happened with hep. But in the past they were not allowed (I consulted on a special forum), only for plasma donation. ABROAD it’s a little different - they are not allowed to donate blood, regardless of the outcome, to those who have suffered hepatitis after 11 years (that is, there I could donate, but still, the laws regarding hepatitis are harsh)

Permanent Reasons

Please do not give blood if you

• Have used narcotic drugs by intravenous route (injecting directly in the vein), even once.
• If you are suffering from conditions like hemophilia, Thallasemia or any other blood disorder.
• Had a positive antibody test for HIV (aids virus).
• If you are a commercial sex worker.
• Have had hepatitis any time after your eleventh birthday.

Something made me even more scared. I.e. If my husband is a chronic carrier, then I am 100% infected. So what should we do then? Sit and wait for the first signs of illness? Could it have happened that no infection occurred? Is it really that easy?

Alena, calm down, you see, Larisa says that the fuss is around hep. B is exaggerated. FROM Larisa’s words, I understood that the fact that your husband was ill in childhood does not mean at all that he still has chronic diseases. And even if the chronicle is not 100%

Recently, reports have begun to appear on Internet forums that people are finding so-called “AIDS needles” in public places, i.e. needles contaminated with the blood of a patient with HIV infection. The stories are told in first and third person, and the characters discover infected needles in a movie theater seat, on a playground, in a stair railing.

The most widespread posts on social networks, the essence of which boils down to the danger of pricking oneself on needles deliberately installed in cinemas. The cases described in such posts are called “AIDS terrorism.” Infected needles are allegedly found stuck in the backs and seats, and after checking in a medical facility, the heroes of the messages.

Before forwarding such stories to friends and acquaintances, you should figure out: are these stories real, is it even possible to get AIDS from a needle prick in a movie theater?

To eliminate confusion in terminology, let us clarify: you cannot become infected with AIDS under any circumstances. You can only become infected with the human immunodeficiency virus, and the disease it causes—HIV infection—under certain conditions leads to the development of AIDS, the final stage of this disease.

Is it possible to get infected with HIV from a needle stick?

The results of official medical research, statistical data and objective information about the conditions of spread will help you understand how dangerous needles with HIV infection are.

Among people with HIV-positive status, there are people who are not ready to accept the diagnosis. Information about the presence of the immunodeficiency virus in one’s own blood sometimes changes a person’s personality beyond recognition. Psychologically weak, driven people, as well as those with radical thinking and simply asocial citizens are especially susceptible to such changes.

Some of these people join communities that spread false information that AIDS was invented by pharmaceutical campaigns. Members of such communities urge HIV-positive patients to refuse treatment and offer all kinds of folk remedies of traditional medicine.

Others take a more radical path. They specially save used needles after injections and try to infect healthy people.

Important! Cases have been recorded where a patient with a knife rushed at a doctor, having first cut himself and then inflicted a deep wound on the doctor. A timely procedure allowed the doctor to avoid HIV infection.

The tip of a syringe needle with blood under a microscope

The method of transmitting any infection through blood (including through a needle with traces of blood) is called parenteral. The parenteral route of transmission of HIV infection, according to world statistics, is indeed widespread, along with the sexual route. However, the risk of contracting HIV from an infected needle is extremely low, even when drug addicts use the same syringe. For infection to occur, a certain number of fresh viral cells must enter the bloodstream of a healthy person.

Thus, the answer to the question “can you get HIV from a needle?” sounds like this: yes, it is possible, provided that the same injection needle is repeatedly shared with an HIV-infected person. At the same time, the probability of contracting HIV with a single needle prick tends to zero.

A simple needle prick, even a deep one, will not ensure that a sufficient number of virus cells enter the body of a healthy person. Official medicine is aware of attempts to infect people in this way, but not a single case has been registered in which anyone received HIV infection through an accidental or intentional single injection.

One should be wary of the real ways in which the retrovirus spreads among the population. A high percentage of those infected received it in some other way. Representatives of official medicine strongly recommend that all citizens study possible routes of HIV transmission and avoid contact in risk areas.

Important!Only medical workers are exposed to a real threat of contracting HIV from a single puncture. A deep injection with a hollow needle after just performed manipulations with the blood of a retrovirus carrier can actually cause infection.

It is impossible to contract AIDS either from a needle or in any other way.

How long does a needle tip infection last?

The immunodeficiency virus is extremely unstable in the external environment. HIV needles, which contain infected blood at the end and in the cavity, remain dangerous for no more than a few minutes. This means that infection of a healthy person cannot be done intentionally by leaving contaminated needles in public places. No more than a couple of minutes should pass from the moment of collecting infected blood to the moment of infection.

What can you get infected with?

Common sense and the instinct of self-preservation makes every person wary of any injections, including because of the risk of getting HIV infection or other diseases. And such fears are not without merit.

Viruses of some dangerous diseases, once in the external environment, remain dangerous for healthy people for quite a long time. Such “resistant” viruses include, for example, hepatitis B and C viruses.

And the most common disease from accidental punctures and scratches is considered to be tetanus, a bacterial infection.

If you receive an accidental or intentional puncture of the skin with a needle in a public place or “in nature,” you should immediately contact a medical facility. The doctor will prescribe vaccinations and blood tests.

Important! Within several weeks or even months from the date of HIV infection, infection does not manifest itself clinically. A blood test for antibodies to a retrovirus becomes informative only at the end of the incubation period.

Thus, despite the minimal risk of contracting HIV in a public place, the risk of transmission of other dangerous diseases through injection remains.

Preventive measures after a needle prick

Timely implementation will help prevent the consequences of an injection with a contaminated needle.

If there is a suspicion that a person has pricked himself with a needle after a patient with immunodeficiency, it is necessary to immediately inform the doctor about the incident. The injection site is thoroughly washed and treated with antiseptic solutions. It is advisable to save the needle itself for testing.

You will definitely need to donate blood twice: the first time - immediately after going to a medical facility, and the second time - six months later. In addition, you should not refuse if your doctor suggests a vaccination or a course of drug therapy.

How to Prevent Infection from a Needle

Infections or other diseases can be avoided by following recommendations for safe behavior in public places:

1. Constant monitoring of his games in the yard will help prevent a child from becoming infected. Playgrounds should be carefully inspected. Do not allow children to touch foreign objects, pick up something from the floor, or come close to strangers.
2. You can notice the needle in the seat by carefully examining the seats in public transport, cinemas, and cafes. Before sitting down, carefully look at the back and seat.
3. The danger of contracting HIV infection during medical procedures can be eliminated by monitoring the actions of personnel. The physician must open the disposable needle and syringe in the presence of the patient. Make sure that all used needles are checked for integrity of packaging and simply thrown away after use.

Statistics prove that it is almost impossible to become infected with the immunodeficiency virus from a needle prick in a public place. However, cases of tetanus, hepatitis and sepsis due to minor punctures and scratches occur quite often. Experts recommend ignoring those distributed on the Internet in cinemas and playgrounds. Instead, it is useful to study the rules for taking preventive measures after minor household injuries.

The question of the possibility of contracting HIV infection from a used needle prick always causes concern among uninformed citizens. After all, you can inject yourself completely by accident, for example, at a spring cleanup event or by stepping on a needle in the forest. This issue arises especially acutely when a person pricks himself with a needle in public places or transport. Few people know what to do in such cases, what the risks and dangers of infection are, what measures should be taken to protect themselves and their loved ones.

Medical workers are among the category of people who can become infected with HIV. Especially medical personnel who draw blood or perform strip surgeries are most at risk of infection.

When a person accidentally cuts himself or pricks himself with a used syringe needle, the first question that comes to mind is “Can you get AIDS from a needle?” On the one hand, the answer is no, since AIDS is the final stage of development of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). On the other hand, one of the ways in which HIV can be transmitted from a sick person to a healthy person is through blood.

Moreover, the virus enters the body not only through unsterile medical instruments or blood transfusions. Drug addicts who practice the injection method of injecting drugs from one syringe using a used needle have a high risk of contracting HIV.

Therefore, the answer to the question about the risk of infection is not so clear. If the needle was old, then the likelihood of infection is negligible. However, such a situation may arise, for example, in a medical facility, or in a family where a drug addict infected with the immunodeficiency virus lives. In such cases, the likelihood of contracting HIV increases.

Factors of infection

The main factors contributing to the development of the disease are identified:

• Injecting drug use when several people use the same syringe. In such situations, the risk of contracting HIV from a needle stick is quite high;
• Promiscuous sexual activity, characterized by a large number of sexual relationships and unprotected sexual intercourse, prostitution. This behavior contributes to the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and is the main way HIV is transmitted from an infected partner;
• Transfusion of untested donor blood and its components;
• Violation of safety rules when performing manipulations with infected patients. Medical workers may accidentally inject themselves with a syringe, or through negligence inject another patient with a used needle;
• The presence of concomitant infectious and sexually transmitted diseases. Often, such conditions occur without any symptoms; the lack of timely treatment affects the body’s immunity and increases its susceptibility to the virus.

However, the presence of these factors does not always lead to infection. In situations, for example, when a person gets stuck with a needle from someone with HIV, the likelihood of developing the disease depends on:

• The volume of blood in the needle;
• The number of pathological cells that entered the body through a puncture;
• The period of time that has passed since the injection by an infected person;
• How to use the syringe: for injection or blood collection.

According to statistics, the main routes of transmission of infection in 2017 were: in the Russian Federation were:

1. Sexual contacts – more than 52%;
2. Injecting drugs – more than 46%.

Where can you prick yourself with a syringe needle?

From time to time, information appears in various media that supposedly HIV-positive people who walk among us on the streets attack healthy people, using a viral needle as a weapon. Or that needles containing traces of HIV can be found in cinema seats, telephone booths or other places. Such messages contain information that people need to be very careful, since cases of HIV terrorism are occurring in different areas of the country.

The spread of these mailings has led to people, frightened by rumors, increasingly looking for information about the risks and probabilities of contracting HIV from a needle prick. Some of them turn to specialists for help with suspicions that they allegedly want to deliberately infect them by being pricked with a needle on public transport.

The opinions of experts on this issue are clear. Thus, well-known public figure in the United States Robert J. Francino, a member of the American Academy of HIV Medicine, a former professor in the department of immunology, rheumatology and allergy at Stanford University Medical Center, declares that it is offensive to compare HIV-positive people with “maniacs who want revenge.” Mark Kichoki, a specialist at the University of Michigan in the USA on medical care issues, the author of many printed materials in the field of HIV/AIDS, who is currently engaged in training junior medical staff, declares the inconsistency of such mailings. He points out that in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not documented a single case of transmission in this manner.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 1.2 million people in this country are currently infected with the human immunodeficiency virus.

The Department of State Sanitary and Epidemiological Surveillance of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation deals with issues of HIV prevention and the development of measures to combat AIDS in our country. A. Goliusov, head of the HIV/AIDS prevention department of the department, explains that the likelihood of becoming infected through a needle prick is extremely low; the main route of transmission is unprotected sexual contact.

How long does an infection at the end of a needle last?

Modern research has shown that the human immunodeficiency virus lives for a short time in an open environment. Is it possible to become infected with HIV under such conditions? Yes, but only under certain circumstances, when the injection occurred within a few minutes from a needle used by a carrier of the virus. In this case, the blood remaining in the needle must enter directly into the body’s blood system. According to statistics, the probability of infection in this way is 1:300.

Other, no less serious infections that are transmitted using a used needle are hepatitis B, C, and tetanus. At the same time, the risk of contracting these infections is much higher, since hepatitis and tetanus viruses can remain active for a long time.

Worth knowing! Hepatitis C, unlike the human immunodeficiency virus, can remain active in the external environment from several days to six weeks, and when frozen, up to a year.

One reusable non-sterile syringe can contain a set of all blood diseases...

Preventive measures after a needle prick

To reduce the risk of contracting various diseases, including HIV, hepatitis B and C, after being pricked with an unknown needle, you should follow the recommendations for the prevention of HIV infection developed for healthcare workers. Necessary:

1. Wash the injection site with detergent;
2. Treat the affected area with a 70% ethyl solution or other alcohol-containing liquid;
3. Treat the injection site with iodine solution or hydrogen peroxide.

The doctor will assess the possible risk of contracting HIV (AIDS) from the injection you received. In cases where the likelihood of infection is high, he will suggest undergoing antiretroviral therapy aimed at preventing the development of the human immunodeficiency virus. The essence of therapy is the systematic, short-term administration of certain doses of chemicals, and subsequent blood testing for HIV infection. If a negative result is obtained, a repeat control test should be performed no earlier than 6 months after the possible infection.

What to do with a needle

In everyday life, you can find used medical needles not only in medical institutions, but also outside hospitals and clinics.
They can be left anywhere by drug addicts who inject drugs intravenously. In addition, there are often situations in which medical institutions violate waste disposal rules and simply throw used syringes in the trash, where children can steal them as toys. Therefore, it is so important to know for yourself and explain to children the procedure to follow when a dangerous find is discovered.

• Firstly, when handling a needle you should be as careful as possible so as not to prick yourself;
• Secondly, you should place the syringe and needle in a tight container, such as a glass, iron jar or plastic bottle;
• Thirdly, throw the neutralized find into a trash bin out of the reach of children.

If a dangerous find is discovered by a child, you should call an adult for help and do not try to remove the needle yourself.

Important! If a person pricks himself or cuts himself with a used needle, he should take it to the laboratory to be tested for HIV and hepatitis.

Hello. I accidentally pricked myself with someone else’s syringe needle, I want to take blood tests for all sorts of infections, but I don’t know which ones exactly, which will definitely confirm or refute the infection (some tests are done in a complex manner so that there are no false positives or negatives), go to the doctor and wait in line There is no time for directions now, because... I’m studying, and you can take tests in the laboratory if you know what exactly. Some infections appear at different times from infection; HIV must be checked throughout the year, but hepatitis, syphilis (and what other infections are transmitted through blood?) may appear earlier. Could you please tell me what blood tests should be done and how long after the injection in order to immediately rule out infections? I really hope for your help. Thanks anyway

Hello. The very first thing to do is to record the moment of the injection. At least with an entry in the diary - you need to remember the date. If the injection occurred in a medical organization, there should be an accident log where all cases of injections, cuts, etc., in which infection through blood is possible, are recorded. Record the accident there, full name, date, description. Next, it is very advisable to examine the person from whom the injection occurred - he must pass or show fresh (up to 2 weeks) tests for HIV, hepatitis B (HbsAg) and C (anti-HCV total), as well as syphilis (ELISA + EDS ). If, for example, he tests positive for HIV, the AIDS center must administer prophylaxis within 24 hours, which in this case reduces the risk of infection to a minimum. If tests for hepatitis are positive or there is information that a person once had hepatitis, you should contact a specialized center for the treatment of hepatitis as soon as possible (there is one in Vladivostok). If the blood test is positive for syphilis or the person has ever had it, go to a dermatovenerologist, they will give you preventive treatment (although the likelihood of contracting syphilis in this way is extremely low).