Needle jam (needlestick): HIV risk and wetin to do

First aid, right now

Wetin CDC advise workers wey needle jam or wey blood splash for body na:

1. Wash needlestick wounds and cuts wit soap and water.
2. Flush wit water if blood splash enter your nose, mouth or touch your skin.
3. Rinse your eyes wit clean water, saline or sterile eyewash.
4. Report wetin happen to your supervisor.
5. See doctor or nurse quick-quick make dem fit check di risk.

How big di risk be?

If dem just use di needle for person wey get HIV and no dey take treatment wey dey work, CDC estimate di risk from one needlestick as 0.23% (around 1 out of 430). Dat figure come from studies of health workers.

Some tins about di injury fit make am more likely. One big study of health workers (Cardo 1997) find say each of dis tins dey raise di odds many times:

• Deep injury. Di calculator dey multiply di odds by 15. For deep injury from needle wey dem use for person wey get HIV, e go be 3.3% (around 1 out of 30).
• Blood wey you fit see for di needle or di device, di odds go multiply by 6.2.
• Needle wey don enter vein or artery before, di odds go multiply by 4.3.

Wen more than one of dem apply, di calculator dey use di biggest one, e no dey multiply dem togeda.

Wen you no know who get di needle

Most needlesticks na from person wey no get HIV. If you no know di HIV status of di person wey di needle come from, di chance say e get HIV matter as much as di injury itself. For needlestick from person wey you no know im status for United States, di estimate na 0.00092% (around 1 out of 110,000). For work, dem fit test di person wey di needle come from if e agree, and dat one fit settle di matter quick.

Needles wey you find for public place

Needle wey you find for park, for beach or inside dustbin dey worry plenti pipo, especially parents. Di risk dey usually very low: di person wey use am go need to get HIV, and di needle go need to get im blood inside. But e no be zero. For lab tests, dem find live HIV for blood wey dem leave inside syringes for room temperature for more than four weeks (Abdala 1999), so old needle no automatically safe.

Treat am like any oda needlestick. Wash di wound, then see doctor or nurse di same day. CDC say make you no test di needle itself: di results no dey reliable, and if you handle am, e fit jam you again. If e still dey dere, tell your local council or health department make dem fit remove am safely.

Wetin go happen for clinic

Doctor or nurse go ask how di injury happen, how deep e be, and wetin dem sabi about di needle and di person wey e come from. Dem go usually test your blood from di start, and dem fit also test for hepatitis B, wey fit also spread through needlestick injuries.

If di risk high reach, dem go offer you PEP: HIV medicines wey you go take every day for 28 days. You must start PEP within 72 hours of di injury, and di quicker di better. If you start am within 24 hours, di calculator estimate say e dey reduce di risk by about 90%. Afta 72 hours, dem no dey recommend PEP again. If you take PEP, follow-up HIV tests dey usually happen for 4 to 6 weeks and 12 weeks afta di injury.

For work

Report every injury to your supervisor, no matter how small e be, make dem fit check you quick and di injury go dey for record. Di exposure (wen HIV fit don enter your body) plan for your workplace suppose tell you where to go, day or night. Ask for copy of wetin dem write down.

Wetin to do now

• E neva reach 72 hours: wash, report, and make dem check you for PEP today.
• E don pass 72 hours: dem no dey recommend PEP again, but e still good to do test. Lab antigen/antibody test (blood wey dem draw from vein) don be final from 45 days afta di injury. Di page how accurate HIV test be week by week dey show wen each test dey reliable.
• Fear dey catch you? Dat one normal. For most needlesticks di risk small, and test afta di window period (di time afta infection wen test neva fit show HIV) go give you sure answer.