The risk of acquiring HIV from a hollow-bore needle with blood from a known HIV-seropositive source as a result of occupational needle stick injury is between 0.2% and 0.5%, based on prospective studies (2,27).In most reported instances involving transmission of HIV, the needle stick injury occurred within seconds or minutes after the needle was withdrawn from … As described below, documented cases of HIV infection following an injury are extremely rare.Injuries from discarded needles in the community (non-occupational exposure) are less common and infections rare. The risk of transmission following a skin puncture injury is dependent on whether the person who previously used the object had an infection, the level of virus in their blood, the amount of blood involved, the type of needle or syringe in question, the time that has elapsed since it was used, and the nature of the injury.Following known exposure to HIV, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) should be considered. Nevertheless, because hospital staff is frequently exposed to blood and because a significant number of patients are positive for anti-hepatitis C virus antibodies, adequate preventive measures must be taken. This risk varies with type of needle (hollow vs solid), type of injury (superficial vs intravenous etc), contamination (visible blood present on needle) and viral load of patient. Unable to load your delegates due to an error Enter your email address and we'll send you a link to reset your password.Creating an account is free, easy, and takes about 60 seconds.The HIV Needle Stick Risk Assessment Protocol quantifies gives healthcare workers a more objective risk assessment of getting HIV after a needle stick.Les Vertesi, MD, is the executive director of British Columbia's Health Services Purchasing Organization and a part-time emergency room physician. Actually, these types are based on the shape of the female pelvis. Estimating the probability and progression of transmission following a needle-stick injury is difficult as there are many factors which contribute to the risk. It also can happen if you handle trash, even if it’s not medical waste. Blood-borne diseases that could be transmitted by such an injury include human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B (HBV) and hepatitis C (HCV Safe disposal of sharps is the most important means of reducing needle-stick injuries. Of course, your comment will help our visitors to understand this matter better. Several preliminary studies suggest that treatment of hepatitis C in the acute phase could significantly reduce the rate of chronicity. Please enable it to take advantage of the complete set of features! PEP is known to be over 80% effective in preventing HIV from needlestick injuries. This site needs JavaScript to work properly. A micro-organism composed of a piece of genetic material (RNA or DNA) surrounded by a protein coat. Workers in many occupations, including first responders, housekeeping personnel in some industries, nurses and other healthcare personnel, all may be at risk … 1998 Oct 17;142(42):2298-300.Kubitschke A, Bahr MJ, Aslan N, Bader C, Tillmann HL, Sarrazin C, Greten T, Wiegand J, Manns MP, Wedemeyer H.Eur J Clin Invest. In populations of health personnel exposed to a risk of septic needle-stick injury, the prevalence of anti-hepatitis C virus antibodies has been observed in several studies at rates between 0 and 2%. If a needlestick injury occurs in the setting of an infected patient source, the risk of disease transmission varies for HIV, HBV, and HCV (see Table 3, p. 19). Reducing the risk of transmission. Needle-stick injuries are common 1, 2 and increasing in frequency throughout all healthcare settings. The Immunization Practice Advisory Committee (USA) recommends injection of polyvalent gammaglobulins when stick injury occurs with a needle used for a hepatitis C virus antibody positive patient, but the effectiveness of this protocol has not been demonstrated. In an older study, carried out by Germanaud J (1994), it was demonstrated that the risk of hepatitis transmission from needle stick injuries varies from 0 – 3 %.