[Question #2591] Risk for HIV

43 months ago

Hi. I'm a 25 y/o healthy female. I visited my PCP today for vaccination. Every time I'm about to receive a prick, I make sure I notice that the needle and the syringe are used fresh. But today's instance has awoken the anxiety in me. The fresh needle with it's cap on slipped from the RN's hand and fell down on the floor. She picked it up a minute later when she noticed and used the same one on me. I requested for a new one, but she said the cap was still on ad injected me anyway. What concerns me is that the other end of the bore needle was completely open, and it might have got contaminated. I'm freaking out about contracting HIV or any other deadly infection, as i'm not sure how clean was the surface and if there was any previous blood fallen on surface because the color of the surface was too dark. What is the risk of me getting infected? Is this route possible for the spread of infection? Assuming the worst possibility of infected fluid present on the surface, how long would the HIV stay alive on the floor? Do I need to get tested? What's the best time to get the test done, if I have to?

Edward W. Hook M.D.

43 months ago

Your question basically repeats aspects of questions which were in the earlier thread from you which I closed shortly before you posted earlier. As I said in that thread, HIV is not transmitted on inanimate objects. Thus it would not be acquired by transfer from a floor or other inanimate objects. Not ever!

This question is repetitive and as you have acknowledged, you are anxious. HOWEVER, your anxety is not warranted. Please note that the forum does not permit repeated anxiety driven questions by the same users. This will have to be your last one; future new questions on this topic will be deleted without reply and without refund of your posting fee. This policy is based on compassion, not criticism, and is designed to reduce temptations to keep paying for questions with obvious answers; because experience shows that continued answers tends to simply prolong such anxieties, when the real answer normally should be professional counseling; and because such questions have little educational value for other users, one of the forum's main purposes. I trust you will understand. EWH

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43 months ago

This was my second encounter yesterday. The earlier post was related to a different episode. In 4 days I had 2 experiences and that was the only reason for a repeated question. The new post was only written so I could give the specifications of what had happened and elaborate the event which i failed to do so in the previous reply. I'm sorry if it has caused any inconvenience.

Edward W. Hook M.D.

43 months ago

I understand that the event was different but I provided the information you needed to understand that environmental contamination does not put a person at risk for HIV. This is a generalizable statement and there is no need to ask about each specific potential environmental exposure. HIV is only transmitted by DIRECT, penetrative sexual contact or injection of infected material DEEP into tissue with a needle. Exposure of cuts, scrapes and other superficial lesions is also NOT a risk for HIV.

Your post was not an inconvenience for me but it was a waste of $25.00 and your valuable time. EWH

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43 months ago

Thank you Sir. I completely understand the explanation you provides now and before.

I assumed the bare end of the bore needle might have been infected with the fluid on the floor and the same needle was later used on me , creating a possibility of infection, so I panicked.

Thank you for all the responses.