Deep coil *****

[scared747]

Hello doctor, already asked this on the community forum but i want you expert
Opinion

I work at the airport servicing airplanes. Today i opened an external compartment and the coil in the latch had broken off and was standing up like a needle right where you open the latch...so when i went ahead to press the latch i got poked Deeply by the broken coil on my finger, and was bleeding.  My question.... There was another person that serviced that panel 2-3 minutes before and by the look of it, there was no way that latch would have opened without poking yourself... It was 0 degrees outside with snow and rain... Could hiv be passed to me if he poked himself before me and he had hiv and then i poked my self...  Should i even worry about this? Should i get a test? Is it safe to have sex with my wife with no worries...

[scared747]

Thank you Dr Hook

[Edward W Hook, MD]

If you ask different sources you will get different answers. Please note that this reply is based on the assumption that the person who worked ont he latch before you DID puncture themselve and WAS HIV infected- unlikey.  In addition, this was a conservative enswer.  I disagree.  Since in science we can never say never as things continue to be discovered, there is a, I suppose, theoretical possiblity, just as it is possible that you will be struck by lightening today.

You can decide who you wish to believe.

EWH

[scared747]

Sorry to bug you again, so before i posted here yesterday i also posted on justanswers.com and this the answer i just got (below) from a Registrar Internal Medicine MD.. i feel concerned about the situation with that answer...what is your take on it Doctor Hook? Is this person not well educated on transmission? and should I just truly move on with this and not worry...or do i need a test?..I won't ask more questions

answer below
"Well yes if that person had injured himself with the poked latch and considering he is HIV positive, you may be at risk of getting HIV after this contact, so you should get tested within 2 weeks by getting a PCR for HIV done... Although the risk is low, the risk is still there...

So better avoid having sex with your wife until you get a negative test 2 weeks after exposure..."

[scared747]

Thank You Dr Hook....

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome back to our Forum. I agree with the information already provided on the HIV Prevention Community site. This was a no risk event for HIV (you might however want to make sure your tetanus is up to date).  You do not know that he person before you stuck themselves.  If they did, you do not know that they had HIV and it is unlikely that this is the case. If both of those low probability events occurred however, HIV would not have survived, even in the cold and rain, long enough to infect you.

Bottom line. There is no risk to you from the event you describe.  you do not need testing or to be concerned. EWH