what is the risk this healthcare professional is infected

For instances say you were a healthcare profeesional and you had to transfer a HIV and Hep C infected person from a wheelchair to the bed.  The person has been using a urinal all day without washing his hands, as well as, scratching himself. You were wearing gloves, but the patient still manged to grab your arm  and felt as if he had scratched you. However when looking a your arm you see no areas of reddness,  visible cuts, or broken skin on your arm.   You washed the area imediately and used alcohol but felt no burning sensation like you woud had a cut been there. andWhat is risk of transmission?

[Marcia2202]

none

[nygirl7]

Honestly I'd either change professions or worry more about alien invasions.  Or mosquitos.  

[Marcia2202]

Personally, if I was a health care professional I would have educated myself on how the various diseases are transmitted. I'm sorry to be so harsh, but I find it strange that a health care professional does not these things.

[Marcia2202]

Do you mean to say that one could contract HCV and HIV from mozzies?






;-)

[nygirl7]

Yes, agree on that 100%.  I would think that a supervisor would at least tell one the does and don'ts and transmission risks etc. before starting a job.

People have to stop and think about all the people they meet EVERY day who have these diseases that they shake hands with and talk to and share meals with - that they never even realize have a transmittable disease.  If diseases were that readily available we'd all drop dead like from the plague. Is there any disease you can get from just touching someone?

It's either that or move to a bubble.  I saw that john Travolta movie when I was a kid and don't think that appeals to me........I'll take my chances in life and enjoy it as much as I can.

[nygirl7]

Marcia

Heck I don't care what they say I still worry about those little suckers...........I really think about it sometimes in the summer and it drives me nuts! I am not smart enough of Scientific enough to understand how they can transmit West Nile Disease but not HCV or HIV!

and I DO always watch the skies for the aliens too!  ;)

[Marcia2202]

Agree! But what a shame, so the mosquitoes are out....

How about this means of transmission??? Should we worry about this???

http://www.medhelp.org/posts/show/617439

[nygirl7]

OH MY GOD i had forgotten all about that!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ah, the good old days and insanity on the forum!  Some things do need to be saved for posperity and to show new people just how smart the old timers really are ;)

[Marcia2202]

My favorite ever the Jim special....

I just realized that we have high jacked dts's thread..... and it is turning into another onothread.... ;-)

[Isobella]

I would suggest long sleeves for the health care professional.

My apologies for continuing the hijack, but..........

OMGosh....I was just thinkng about the fishbone.  And the nail clippers.  Classic hepper humor!!!!  LOVE IT!!!!!

This former newbie will never forget how smart them ol'timers are, lol!!!!

Now-who remembers where the term "onothread" came from

[Marcia2202]

oh  no    .......   ono......

[nygirl7]

Oh ONO..............

Ono---matopoeia  

Pronunciation: \ˌä-nə-ˌmä-tə-ˈpē-ə, -ˌma-\
Function: noun

2 : the use of words whose sound suggests the sense

[nygirl7]

LOOK I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today's news on msnbc.com

Authorities at a power-generating wind farm found that a massive 65-foot-long blade had broken off one of the facility's 213-foot-high turbines. Another blade was damaged, and the turbine itself was wrecked, they said.

"We don't know what caused the problem," a spokesman for the wind farm's operator, Ecotricity, told The Sun. The mystery was compounded by reports about spheres of orange-yellow light that were seen up above at around the same time that the damage occurred.

One witness, John Harrison, told The Sun that he saw a "massive ball of light with tentacles going right down to the ground" over the wind farm.

"It was huge. With the tentacles it looked just like an octopus," he said.

Britain's Ministry of Defense said it didn't plan to investigate the incident because there was no "evidence of a potential threat" in British airspace.

[CMcH]

I work in a County hospital and I work with many agitated patients that have various diseases like HCV, AIDS, TB, Staph and even mad cow disease. Universal precautions are there to help protect you from most things. There is always a risk in that environment and your work place should have at least access to an infectious disease specialist if there are any concerns. I recently had a patients stomach contents projectile into my eye's that had HIV and HCV. I had a blood test done right away and every 6 months for the year and no problems have come up. I think I caught HCV doing wound care on  IV poly substance abuser and my glove tore while I had a recent cut on my hand. Blood was everywhere and the pt. was psych and would not sit still. Not a good day.That was 1987 and initially they said it was non A or B then a year later later they said I had antibodies for HCV and that was good because I was now exposed like a vaccine and would never get it. So fast forward to 2006 with my eye exposure and I found out I had chronic HCV on the first test so I knew it was from before.
So unless it is blood to blood I would not worry but always clarify it with your work. It is always good to get tested and be informed esp. with incidents at work.
Connie

[tkarasz]

I know this  is off the track, but when I was in my 20's, I was diagnosed with equine menengitis and in a comma for three days. The doctor said I got it from being bitten by a mosquitoe which had first bitten an infected horse. Very wierd...Good thing I didn't acually touch the horse! To tell you the truth, I'm still leary of mosquitoes.

[Marcia2202]

Sorry you got so ill. Meningitis is a terrible illness.

Mosquitoes are actually the no 1 killer in the world. They spread all kind of diseases, but HIV and HCV are not on the list.

I can imagine you're uncomfortable with them. I am often in countries where there is malaria, dengue and the like. It's always in the back of your head and one needs to be aware of the signs.

[tkarasz]

Yeah, I knew it really didn't apply, especially to dts's orig question. I just seen the word mosquitoe and had to send out my elert. I've been checking out these pagese since I started treatment 8 wks ago. I quess I was just feeling a little conversational this morning. Have a great day!

[Isobella]

Anytime while you are tx'ing and feel a little conversation coming on......that's a good thing!!  

I have spent a good part of my life around horses and mozzie season is the worst....we'd be covered with them sometimes.  Scary stuff.

I wish you the best with your tx =)