Blood for your eye, mouth or cut: HIV risk and first aid

First aid, right now

Wetin CDC advise anybody wey blood splash or wey sharp object wey dem don use cut na:

1. Cuts and wounds wey sharp tin enter: wash wit soap and water.
2. Blood wey splash enter nose, mouth or touch skin: flush am wit water.
3. Eyes: rinse wit clean water, saline or sterile eyewash.
4. For work: report wetin happen to your supervisor.
5. See doctor or nurse quick-quick make dem fit check di risk.

Then find out where di blood land, becos na dat one go decide weda any risk dey at all.

Where di blood land matter

HIV fit only enter your body through mucous membrane (di wet skin wey dey inside eye, nose, mouth, vagina, anus or penis), through tissue wey don damage, or if dem inject am enter your blood. Skin na strong barrier.

• Skin wey no break: no risk. Blood for your hand, arm or face, where di skin no cut or break, no fit give you HIV. Wash am comot and continue your life.
• Cuts wey don heal finish: skin wey don heal na skin wey no break, so no risk dey.
• Fresh cut or wound wey dey open: small risk if di blood come from person wey get HIV.
• Eyes, inside nose or mouth: small risk if di blood come from person wey get HIV.

How big di risk be?

For blood from person wey get HIV and no dey take treatment wey dey work, wey reach your eyes, mouth or open wound, di calculator dey use estimate from studies of health workers: 0.09% (around 1 out of 1,100). Dat one low pass needle jam (needlestick), wey be 0.23% (around 1 out of 430).

Most times you no go know weda di person get HIV. If you no know, di estimate go also depend on how common HIV dey where you dey. For blood wey splash from person wey you no know im status for United States, e be 0.00036% (around 1 out of 280,000). For South Africa, where HIV common pass, e be 0.015% (around 1 out of 6,500).

Tins wey dey happen often

Fight or injury for sports. If anoda person blood enter your open wound or your eyes, follow di steps wey dey up and see doctor or nurse di same day. If e only touch your skin, no risk dey.

Wen you dey give first aid. Blood for hands wey no get cut no get risk. Use gloves wen you fit, and wash your hands afta.

Nose wey dey bleed or cut wen una dey di same place no be exposure (wen HIV fit don enter your body) unless di blood reach your eyes, mouth or open wound.

Saliva, sweat or tears for your eyes or mouth no get risk. HIV no dey pass through dem.

PEP afta blood exposure

PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis) na HIV medicine wey you go take every day for 28 days afta exposure to stop di virus before infection settle for your body. You must start am within 72 hours, e better if na within 24. Doctor or nurse go consider where di blood land, how much blood e be and wetin dem sabi about di oda person. Dem go tell you weda dem recommend PEP for your situation. Go even if you tink say di risk small: e easy to make dat decision wit dem pass to do am alone.

For work, dem fit test di person wey di blood come from if e agree, and dat one fit settle di matter quick.

Wetin to do now

• Na only for skin wey no break? You no need PEP or test because of am.
• E don pass 72 hours? Dem no dey recommend PEP again, but you fit do test. Di page how accurate HIV test be week by week dey show wen each test dey give result wey you fit trust.
• Needle or sharp tin wey dem don use cut you? Dat one na different exposure wey get higher risk. See needle jam (needlestick).