I am a medical assistant. Yesterday I was helping the doctor in the process of pulling out a chest tube. While pulling it out, a small drop of blood splattered on my sleeve. I used a cotton swab soaked in alcohol to wipe it immediately, but the cotton swab must have been too wet and it seeped through my sleeve, causing a burning sensation. Which I found there was an abrasion under that area. This abrasion happened the day before from my son's scratch. This patient is HIV positive. His HIV viral load as of April is not detectable. What is my risk of contracting HIV? Because I feel a burning sensation after alcohol exposure, I am concerned that this could be a source of infection.

Thank you very much doctor. I have already informed the infection control office. The infectious disease doctor agrees with you that it is not necessary to take PEP. The chance of infection is low especially for patients with undetectable viral load. Thank you again for your reply.