Greetings. Did I put myself at risk?

[vort1033]

Greetings. New member with a risk assessment question.

i was at a rave party this past saturday, and while I was dancing I felt a slight poke on my back (I had a t-shirt on). I didn't realize what had happened until about 20 seconds later, at which point I froze in terror. I had 6 or 7 people check the site of the poke, and all said the same thing: there was no puncture wound, breakage of skin, or blood. There may or may not have been a slight scratch. The slight scratch seems to be below the area where I felt the poke, but I'm not quite sure to be honest. I have no idea what poked/pricked me. It could've been any sort of needle/pin. I have no clue. My question is this: Am I at risk at all? I'm concerned about the poke, even though there appears to be no breakage of skin, and I'm also about concerned about the scratch, which is very slight, but nonetheless appears to be there (although admittedly I didn't feel a scratching sensation, so the scratch could be from something else). No blood was drawn from the scratch. Thanks for your help.

[Matty the Damned]

Not a risk for HIV transmission. You're worring needlessly. You do not need to be tested for HIV.

HIV is transmitted via unprotected anal sex, unprotected vaginal sex, by sharing contaminated injecting equipment such as needles and syringes and in some cases from HIV positive mother to her unborn baby.

Please note that thinking you might have been poked by something sharp at a rave doesn't constitute sharing contaminated injecting equipment.

Please read our Welcome Thread and follow the links to our lessons on HIV transmission.

MtD

[vort1033]

Thanks for the reply matt.

The rumor that people are going around raves poking people with HIV-infected syringes has been going around for a very long time, but it has always been regarded as an urban legend. However, I am very much involved in the southern california rave scene, and I can tell you with 100% certainty that poking of some sort is happening. I have first-hand accounts of at least 4 different people who were poked at the same rave as myself this past saturday, all of the pokes occurring around the same time and at the same stage. Worse yet, these other accounts i've been told actually resulted in puncture-wounds, one of which is said to have a very distinct needle-stick dot with a quarter-sized bruise around it. As I said in my other post, I do not have any such markings. That fact still doesn't set my mind at ease completely. And just so it's out there, I'm not some young, dumb, paranoid raver that doesn't know what he's talking about (since that seems to be the stigma against ravers). I am in my mid-20's with a college degree, and I am relatively well-versed in HIV/AIDS epidemiology. However, as you may know, when incidents like this occur, oftentimes logic gets thrown out the window and panic sets in. I have a few other questions.

1)HIV transmission with a sharp, foreign object such as a sewing needle, razorblade, or shard of glass is a theoretical risk at best, correct? If this is what was theoretically used to poke me, the virus would not survive on the surface of the object long enough to be stabbed into me (not to mention it would have to penetrate my t-shirt and my skin).

2)Essentially, a hypodermic needle is what would be the only plausible way of injecting someone with the virus in this type of environment. Now, if this is what was used to poke me, I would have felt some serious pain and it would've surely somehow left a mark correct? There would more than likely be some sort of blood marking somewhere, whether it be from my open wound or from the blood on the needle? A mark similar to that of when you receive a shot at the doctor's office would be present? A scratch (if that's what happened to me) that does not draw blood is not a sufficient skin-break to where the virus could be transmitted, is that correct?

Sorry for the long reply, but this is a very important topic that is actually hitting our community hard right now. Lots of uninformed opinions are being thrown around our message boards and I would like to set the record straight, specially considering the fact that I myself may have been poked.

Thanks again.

[RapidRod]

joeyy, how many time do you have to be told you never had a risk?

[vort1033]

Hi RR,
I'm not sure if your post was aimed towards me, but I'm going to assume that someone named joey posted something similar to my story and you believe I am that person re-posting? I can assure you that I am a completely new member and have no knowledge of a person named joey or any similar post to mine. Thanks!
-eddie

[RapidRod]

Hi RR,
I'm not sure if your post was aimed towards me, but I'm going to assume that someone named joey posted something similar to my story and you believe I am that person re-posting? I can assure you that I am a completely new member and have no knowledge of a person named joey or any similar post to mine. Thanks!
-eddie

You don't want me to post the same questions you asked on MedHelp. That you were advised that you never had a risk.

[vort1033]

RapidRod,
I went over to medhelp (a website I had never heard of until you mentioned it)to inquire about your assertion that I posted there under the surname joeyy. I found the posts that person made, and I can see why you might believe that was me. If nothing else, you can see in our differences in grammar that he and I are not the same person. The reason that our posts are similar in nature is because - like I stated in my previous post - the HIV needle poking at raves is an extremely prominent subject that has permeated the rave scene. The fact that he mentions the 'aids crew,' like I did, is not a coincidence as that is the name that is most commonly used in the rave community for the people who are purportedly doing the poking.

I'm not here to cause trouble. I'm simply here on behalf of a community that is in desperate need of answers to a question that continues to plague us. Admittedly, there are a lot of people who continue to push inaccurate information about the virus and I simply want to provide accurate info. The fact that I myself may have experienced what so many people have claimed to have experienced only brings it closer to home. If you could please indulge me, the questions in my previous post still stand.

-eddie

[Matty the Damned]

Yeah, pilled out ravers who think they've been stuck with a sharp are an enormous priority for us too.

Here's the dealio. This urban myth about people being shanked with HIV contaminated needles at dance parties has been doing the rounds since Jesus was out shaking his money maker and munching on disco bikkies.

If this was really happening to the extent that you claim it does and it really was a viable mode of transmission we would expect to see reports of HIV infections ocurring this way popping up in the sentinel data.

And the cold hard reality is that we simply don't see such reports. There has never been a documented case of HIV being transmitted in the way you describe.

You were not at risk of HIV transmission and you don't need to be tested.

MtD