Transmission risk of hepatitis C

[debbsmc25]

I am a medical student.while working in lab , I touched a pipette surface, which may have dried microscopic blood on it.with the same finger I unknowingly scratched my eye. Am I at a risk of hcv transmission if the blood had hep c virus

[debbsmc25]

Any other views from experts??

[MHEditor]

This article from MedHelp.org provides information on who's at risk for Hepatitis C. It might help you sort out when you need to be concerned, and when you don't.

http://www.medhelp.org/hepatitis-c/articles/What-Is-Hepatitis-C/2251

[flyinlynn]

Darn spell check grocery should be hepatitis c

[flyinlynn]

The reason it is not mentioned is because it is not really a known route of infection. Hep requires blood containing grocery to come into contact with the blood stream of an uninfected person. Even health care workers who have experienced a accidental needle stick  involving a patient known to be infected with hepatitis C  The odds of transmission are only about 1.8%.  Your situation would of course be much lower odds than that.

As fretboard  said if you have concerns about thos incident get tested but the odds of you having contracted hepatitis C in this circumstance would be obviously less than a person who had an accidental needle stick from a patient who hap c.

If worried get tested. If you are ever found to have hep c now or at some time in the future get treated and get cured either way you have nothing to worry about.

[fretboard]

Hi debbs,
You won't find any experts as we are all mostly patients who have gone thru tx.  Please realize, that you are talking about a subject that "may have dried microscopic blood on it", that means you don't even know for sure if it was really blood or not.  Then you are assuming that it may have been infected with HepC.  Please, if you continue to stress out, see a doctor and get tested.  good luck!!

[debbsmc25]

Thanks flyinlynn. But CDC doesn't mention contaminated finger by dried blood and inoculation into eye as a route. It only mentions splash to eye as an established route. So i was confused.

[flyinlynn]

As a medical student I would think you would have access to better sources of information than than a online patient forum for hepatitis C.

A better source of information would be from the US CDC; Centers for Disease Control.

Hepatitis FAQ for the general public:
http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hcv/cfaq.htm

and

Hepatitis C FAQs for Health Professionals:
http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/hcv/hcvfaq.htm

From the above link

How is HCV transmitted?

HCV is transmitted primarily through large or repeated percutaneous (i.e., passage through the skin) exposures to infectious blood, such as:

    Injection drug use (currently the most common means of HCV transmission in the United States)

    Receipt of donated blood, blood products, and organs (once a common means of transmission but now rare in the United States since blood screening became available in 1992)

    Needlestick injuries in health care settings

    Birth to an HCV-infected mother

[fretboard]

No you are not at risk.  All you did was touch some dry blood that may not even be HepC infected.  Then you scratched your eye.  You didn't have any blood to blood contact.  No blood to blood, no transmission.  

[debbsmc25]

Any answers with explanation??