Pin prick

[Orsa]

Hello ,

I would like to ask you to do a risk assessment of the event I'm living in. The suspicion is killing me. While looking at a leather jacket in a store, a forgotten needle fingered behind the jacket. And there was a small bleeding event. It's a pin. I think the blood on the needle will dry out, and I suspect that someone has deliberately left a bloody needle. Is this a ridiculous thought? I got a test 11 days after the event and the result is negative. My doubts are terrible. At home I calculate the duration of the blood drying on my own needle. Please answer. Is such a transmission possible?
English is not my mother tongue. I'm learning yet. I apologize for typing mistakes.
Thank you.

[Jim Allen]

You had no HIV risk, relax and move on with your life.

Here's what you need to know in order to avoid hiv infection:
Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, every time, no exceptions.

Keep in mind that some sexual practices which may be described as ‘safe’ in terms of HIV transmission might still pose a risk for transmission of other STI's, so please do get fully tested regularly and at least yearly for all STI's including but not limited to HIV and test more frequently if unprotected intercourse occurs

Also note that it is possible to have an STI and show no signs or symptoms and the only way of knowing is by testing.

More information on HIV Basics, PEP, TaSP and Transmission can be found through the links in my signature to our POZ pages, this includes information on HIV Testing

Kind regards

Jim

Please Note.
As a member of the AM I Infected Forum you are required to only post in this one thread no matter how long between visits or the subject matter. You can find this thread by going to your profile and selecting show own post and it will take you here . It helps us to help you when you keep all your thoughts or questions in one thread and it helps other readers to follow the discussion. Any additional threads will be deleted.

[Orsa]

Should I worry if fresh blood stays on the needle? If dry blood enters the bloodstream, will it cause infection?

Thank yok for otur answers.

[Jim Allen]

No it was no risk whatsoever, HIV is not transmitted this way.

I suspect that someone has deliberately left a bloody needle. Is this a ridiculous thought?

Yes it is to be honest, as HIV is not transmitted this way. Myths and legends are the stories about people leaving objects behind to infect people. Its irrational

Jim

[Jim Allen]

Orsa ...

Look you had no HIV exposure from this, it is safe from a HIV perspective to move on. I think i understand why you might have been mislead to think otherwise and ill explain it.

Firstly understand that although HIV transmission is a risk between people who share drug rigs, there has actually never been a recorded case of HIV transmission from a discarded needle or sharp. This concern is nothing more than a bad myth.

It has been a long running myth sometimes reprinted in cheap low grade newspapers if you can call them newspapers and nowadays a story retold in hyped social media sites but it simply has no basis in fact.

Variation of the stories of people leaving needles or shapes behind to infect people (Why I don't know) include crazy stuff like needles in bus seats, or cinema's and more recently gas stations and needles hidden in the pumps - Its Nonsense 

In short the reason sharing syringes is a blood risk is it's directly injecting a quantity of blood (backwash) into the blood stream that has been short term stored in what is in essence a vacuum. A sharp object, needle, lancet or pin as examples on the other hand are nothing like a syringe, there is no backwash stored in a vacuum and no more than a drop of blood that is exposed to the environment.

HIV is far to fragile to survive in the small blood sample on a lancet/pin or tip of a sharp object, it is exposed outside the human body to the environment and once hiv finds itself exposed outside the body, small changes in temperature, pH / moisture levels  damage the outer receptors that the virus uses to infect human cells and thus renders it unable to infect.

Relax, and move on with your life.

Here's what you need to know in order to avoid hiv infection:
Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, every time, no exceptions.

Keep in mind that some sexual practices which may be described as ‘safe’ in terms of HIV transmission might still pose a risk for transmission of other STI's, so please do get fully tested regularly and at least yearly for all STI's including but not limited to HIV and test more frequently if unprotected intercourse occurs

Also note that it is possible to have an STI and show no signs or symptoms and the only way of knowing is by testing.

More information on HIV Basics, PEP, TaSP and Transmission can be found through the links in my signature to our POZ pages, this includes information on HIV Testing

Kind regards

Jim

Please Note.
As a member of the AM I Infected Forum you are required to only post in this one thread no matter how long between visits or the subject matter. You can find this thread by going to your profile and selecting show own post and it will take you here . It helps us to help you when you keep all your thoughts or questions in one thread and it helps other readers to follow the discussion. Any additional threads will be deleted.

[Orsa]

Thank you very much for your comments. I hope I can scare my fears.

[Jim Allen]

You're welcome