stapler pin and hiv transmission

[gora86]

can i get hiv from getting poked by a stapler pin immediately say about 30 seconds after my colleague who is recently diagnosed with hiv?
I am very confused as my family doctor says its no risk as there  cannot be enough blood on tip of stapler pin and another doctor i consulted says there is a risk of infection to occur.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

You do not need testing related to the staple stick that you have described.

Indeed, if you have only condom protected sex and do not inject drugs, you do not need to worry about HIV. EWH

[gora86]

First of all thank you so much for the reply and helping people like me and providing them knowledge.
So i hope there is no need to get tested for hiv with respect to this exposure as i just got tested last month.
Also i wanted your advice that if i don't indulge into unprotected sex and share injection for drugs with anybody (of course i don't) i should not worry about getting infected at all.
My best regards and good wishes.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to the forum.  I agree with the information given to you by your family doctor and by the folks on the HIV Prevention Community site.  While there may be a THEORETICAL risk, just as there is a theoretical risk you will be struck by lightning while reading this, there is no meaningful, realistic risk.  First, HIV starts to die immediately after it leaves the body, becoming non-infectious.  Second, blood is not transferred with solid penetrating objects such as pins an staples in the same way that it is when caught inside of a hollow point needle where it is both protected (slightly) from the environment and which allows more blood to be transferred (if any at all is transferred on a solid piece).  For all of these reasons, there is no meaningful risk from the sort of exposure you describe.  EWH