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Hiv and children
I feel like my son needs to be tested for hiv. Agee months back he managed to put his hand in a sharps container of lancets. I was reading up on oraquick and says you have to be at least seventeen years of age. Will the test not work o someone younger? I am not sure if he was stuck or not but I need to know. His lymph nodes in his neck and jaw are becoming very large.
"Does it not work on children under 17?" Read the first 2 sentences of my original reply.
You don't have to agree with the opinions you get on this forum, but you're the one who came to the forum for advice and everyone is here only to help. I stand by the advice (from two of us) that it would be a mistake for you to test your child yourself at home.
You don't have to agree with the opinions you get on this forum, but you're the one who came to the forum for advice and everyone is here only to help. I stand by the advice (from two of us) that it would be a mistake for you to test your child yourself at home.
I agree with Howard.
A lancet would never cause an HIV risk. A lancet causes a very small, very shallow break in the skin to obtain a capillary sample of blood. That would never be a sufficient portal of entry for the virus, not to mention that the lancet wouldn't contain enough blood to cause a risk either. Add to that the fact that the HIV virus cannot remain active when exposed to the elements, there is just no concern for your child.
If you DO feel you want to test him, I agree completely with taking him to your pediatrician, discussing your concern, and following the doctor's recommendation for testing. I would suspect that your pediatrician is going to tell you that testing is not needed. If you end up having him tested for peace of mind, then your doctor will recommend the most appropriate test for your son.
A lancet would never cause an HIV risk. A lancet causes a very small, very shallow break in the skin to obtain a capillary sample of blood. That would never be a sufficient portal of entry for the virus, not to mention that the lancet wouldn't contain enough blood to cause a risk either. Add to that the fact that the HIV virus cannot remain active when exposed to the elements, there is just no concern for your child.
If you DO feel you want to test him, I agree completely with taking him to your pediatrician, discussing your concern, and following the doctor's recommendation for testing. I would suspect that your pediatrician is going to tell you that testing is not needed. If you end up having him tested for peace of mind, then your doctor will recommend the most appropriate test for your son.
Does it not work on children under 17? If you look at New York state health says oral tests work on children eighteen months up. And a frightening worrisome thing for a young child for a deadly condition? How dare you judge anything and my child will never be scared. Let's keep opinions to ourself and stick with facts
And there are a number of other conditions that cause lymph node enlargements of the neck that are much more common than HIV. That medical problem has to be diagnosed and managed by a health professional. All the more reason to go to the doctor and not do the testing at home.
The Oraquick test is recommended for 17 yrs and older simply because that's the only age group ever studied. But it would still be valid in younger persons. Still, I STRONGLY urge you not to test him at home. Go to his pediatrician, tell him or her your concerns, and get proper medical evaluation and testing.
And there is almost no chance he has HIV. To my knowledge, nobody in the world ever caught HIV from the kind of event you describe. Theoretically it could happen, but the chance is lower than low.
DO NOT TEST YOUR CHILD YOURSELF! I cannot imagine a more worrisome and frightening thing for a young child than to be tested at home by a parent for a potentially deadly condition. It is against his best interest and you must not do it.
And there is almost no chance he has HIV. To my knowledge, nobody in the world ever caught HIV from the kind of event you describe. Theoretically it could happen, but the chance is lower than low.
DO NOT TEST YOUR CHILD YOURSELF! I cannot imagine a more worrisome and frightening thing for a young child than to be tested at home by a parent for a potentially deadly condition. It is against his best interest and you must not do it.
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