Thank you dr. For your patience with me. Take care
First, why would you assume there is a chance the needle was contamined with HIV before your customer stepped on it? But even if it were contaminated with HIV infected blood, the virus would have died within a few minutes as the blood dried. So there obviously was no risk to your customer; and also no risk to you if the customer happened to have HIV -- which of course is unlikely as well.
That will end this thread. Please accept my opinion without debating it.
P.s. What i meant about question 3 is that if the needle was contaminated before he stepped on it (the shop was closed for 11 hours before he walked in ) would he have had a risk?
Dear dr. I am not asking for a leagle openion. Infact , you are not responsable for any openion you give me. I am waivibg any rights i have against any openion you give me and medhelp's guidlines are clear. I am just asking for a true openion. Do i have a risk or should i just put it behind me? What would you do?
Welcome to the forum.
We receive many questions about HIV risk from minor skin injuries in the environment. The answer is always the same: there has never been a known HIV infection from such exposures.
1) If your client says he has HIV, then there might be a small risk. Otherwise, you are at no risk of HIV.
2) Unless your client is suspected to have HIV, you do not need post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), and I doubt you could find any doctor or clinic willing to prescribe it.
3) Since your client was stuck first with the needle, I do not see how s/he could be at risk for any blood borne infection. However, this is not a legal opinion; and I have no comment about whether you might be responsible for the physical injury your client received from the needle.
Regards--- HHH, MD