Im I at risk?

[JohnAllen]

This is my risk if someone can please give me your opinon.  I am a Police Officer and I recently had an encounter with a HIV drug user unknown on HCV status, while conducting a pat down, I was pricked by a needle that he had on his possession.  The needle was a closed needle like a sewing needle not one for injecting drugs.  The drug user stated that he used it to check his insulin levels.  The drug user stated that he had used it about 2 minutes prior to my encounter with him.  Is this a Risk?  

I have read a whole lot of mixed information on this over the internet.  Can someone who has any knowledge of this please comment.  The needle did not have a bore.

[Diane12855]

Ditto to what Bill said. You really need to go through the proper procedures to cover yourself, even if there is a small chance.

Diane

[Bill1954]

Hi there,

Sorry to hear of the incident. I think it’s important to report this as an industrial accident and get tested; although I think your actual risk is minimal.

In health care needlestick incidents involving a known HCV positive patient and percutaneous puncture, the risk is around 1.8% per incident according to the U.S. CDC:
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Needle stick Risk for Occupational Transmission of HCV
HCV is not transmitted efficiently through occupational exposures to blood. The average incidence of anti-HCV seroconversion after accidental percutaneous exposure from an HCV-positive source is 1.8% (range: 0%--7%) (73--76), with one study indicating that transmission occurred only from hollow-bore needles compared with other sharps (75).

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5011a1.htm
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If you report this and go to the doctor, they should test you at baseline to determine if you are now indeed negative for virus; this might be important if you decide to litigate this at a later date, or require disability insurance because of it.

Also, there are PAP (Post Exposure Prophylaxis) measures for HIV and HBV; it’s important to discuss these options with a knowledgeable physician.

Good luck to you—

Bill

[DebiS99]

Don't take the chance John. Unfortunately you are at risk. It doesn't take much of a infected persons blood to infect you if it enters your bloodstream. Best thing to do is call your doctor and go get tested. Doesn't matter if it was bored or not.