[Question #11188] Hepatitis C risk of transmission from Lancet
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16 months ago
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Hello Doctors,
It is with a lot of regret that I come back to the forum due to my anxiety and hypochondria. Back in November 5th I did an at home STI test for syphilis and for the test I used one of those very common blue lancets. The cheap kind that is sold for less than £10 a box on Amazon. It arrived sealed and I had to break said seal to use it. At the time I was worried about the potential risk of hepatitis C, B and HIV contamination from it, but Dr Hook reassured me not to worry. However, I recently read that Hepatitis C virus can still infect after 6 weeks outside of the human body in dried blood present on surfaces. This got me worried again.
Although I have accepted that HIV and Hepatitis B contamination is unlikely from those, I am worrying again about Hepatitis C as it is highly contagious. I would like to avoid constant testing as it is something that makes me even more nervous and scared about seeing a positive result. My partner has tried to calm me down saying it is very unlikely that I got hepatitis from the sealed lancet when I shared my concerns about the lancet being possibly infected during manufacturing process.
Is testing recommended?
It is with a lot of regret that I come back to the forum due to my anxiety and hypochondria. Back in November 5th I did an at home STI test for syphilis and for the test I used one of those very common blue lancets. The cheap kind that is sold for less than £10 a box on Amazon. It arrived sealed and I had to break said seal to use it. At the time I was worried about the potential risk of hepatitis C, B and HIV contamination from it, but Dr Hook reassured me not to worry. However, I recently read that Hepatitis C virus can still infect after 6 weeks outside of the human body in dried blood present on surfaces. This got me worried again.
Although I have accepted that HIV and Hepatitis B contamination is unlikely from those, I am worrying again about Hepatitis C as it is highly contagious. I would like to avoid constant testing as it is something that makes me even more nervous and scared about seeing a positive result. My partner has tried to calm me down saying it is very unlikely that I got hepatitis from the sealed lancet when I shared my concerns about the lancet being possibly infected during manufacturing process.
Is testing recommended?
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
16 months ago
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Welcome back but I'm sorry you are still having the same difficulties discussed in your discussion with Dr. Hook a few months ago. As was discussed last time, the likelihood that a lancet could be contaminated with blood or with blood borne viruses is nil, regardless of how cheaply you might think it was made. I suppose it might be true the hepatitis C virus (HCV) could remain infectious when dry for several weeks, but that doesn't mean that exposure to HCV in that situation can result in human infection. I am unaware of any reports that suggest this is the case, or that any authoritative source has classified HCV as "highly contagious". That is the case only for interpersonal contacts that involve exposure to blood, as with shared injection equipment. (Even sexual transmission is far less common than many people and websites would have you believe.)
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Your partner is correct. For sure you do not need testing on account of the lancet you used for your recent syphilis blood test.
I hope these comments are clear. Let me know if anything isn't clear.
HHH, MD
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16 months ago
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Hello Doctor,
Thank you for your reply. As my anxiety was getting the best of me, without being able to sleep or eat today, I decided to get tested for Hepatitis B and C and HIV. I went to a clinic and had the rapid test, all negative. However, before I start panicking again, should I be worried about transmission risk from touching public surfaces?
I had the finger prick test and about 20 minutes after the band aid fell off (from washing my hands and due to sweat etc) should I be worried about getting infected with Hepatitis or HIV through the micro abrasions on my finger from touching public surfaces?
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
16 months ago
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It was nonsense to be tested for blood borne viruses. And of course you cannot catch any virus by exposure to tap water!
It is clear you have OCD characterized by germophobia. This is not something we can help with -- and you likely have experienced and maybe also told by your health care provider(s), these problems never are helped by simply repeating the scientific facts and probabilities. If this is dominating your life in a serious fashion, please seek mental health care. I suggest it from compassion, not criticism.
In any case, this being your second similar question on this forum, it must be your last. Repeated questions on the same topic or exposure are prohibited; future questions like these or others about your inflated fears will receive no reply and the posting fee will not be refunded. This policy -- like my advice about professional mental health care -- is based on compassion, not criticism, and is intended to reduce temptations to keep paying for questions with obvious answers. In addition, experience shows that continued answers tend to prolong users' anxieties rather than reducing them. Finally, such questions have little educational value for other users, one of the forum's main purposes. Thanks for your understanding.
I do hope the discussions have been a little bit helpful. Best wishes to you.