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Hand cut in public place, worried about blood-borne illness
Can I contract a blood-borne disease, such as hepatitis, from a small scratch that has bled? My concern is that the scratch came about in a public place, in my local supermarket, when I retrieved an item from a tight shelf, and I t the top of my hand when pulling the item off the shelf. I washed and cleaned it within 7 or 8 minutes of the skin break, soap and water and such. Maybe it's a silly question, but I am super-paranoid about these things. Thank you
"Hand cut in public place, worried about blood-borne illness"
I have looked at my hand repeatedly, even with a magnifying glass, and I will be darned if I can find that public place!
I have looked at my hand repeatedly, even with a magnifying glass, and I will be darned if I can find that public place!
Thanks hawk - actually, the OCD folks told me to come over here and get really bad advice from you - was sound advice - I am cured
Hepatitis C is transmitted blood to blood. In other words, you have to get an infected person's blood into your blood stream. That would be next to impossible in the situation you described.
Just for your own peace of mind, you cannot keep worrying that you will become infected with a disease every time you get a scratch. If that was the case, every single person on the planet would be infected. If you can read up on transmission routes for various diseases it would be helpful. You do not want to be held hostage by these unreasonable fears. If, after reading about disease transmission, you still worry every time you get a scratch, you should probably seek the assistance of a counselor to help you get over these unreasonable and potentially debilitating fears.
This site might help you to know more about Hep C:
http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HCV/HCVfaq.htm
Just for your own peace of mind, you cannot keep worrying that you will become infected with a disease every time you get a scratch. If that was the case, every single person on the planet would be infected. If you can read up on transmission routes for various diseases it would be helpful. You do not want to be held hostage by these unreasonable fears. If, after reading about disease transmission, you still worry every time you get a scratch, you should probably seek the assistance of a counselor to help you get over these unreasonable and potentially debilitating fears.
This site might help you to know more about Hep C:
http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HCV/HCVfaq.htm
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