Hello! Thank you in advance for your help. I have a question about the chances of contracting HIV from having my blood drawn. I know it is extremely unlikely to contract HIV in this manner in the present day in the United States. However, I had a very strange and unpleasant experience which is making me slightly (perhaps irrationally) nervous. I had my blood drawn at my doctor's office for a test I was told he had ordered, but I was confused because I was supposed to be getting a vaccine and my doctor and I hadn't talked about the testing. Anyways, I didn't see the phlebotomist unwrap a new needle, and she took the blood from the back of my hand (it was much more painful than ever before). The entire incident was just a little strange. I know it is common practice to dispose of needles after one use. But I'm nervous since I didn't see her unwrap a new needle, and because the woman who had her blood drawn before me was asking several questions about her own testing and HIV.
1.) Is there any way that transmission of blood borne pathogens can occur in hospital settings (even though they would be exceedingly unlikely)?
2.) Specifically, I've heard that single use needles have a safety guard on them that prevents reuse. Is this true? Would it actually be impossible to reuse a needle even if the person drawing my blood was negligent?
I realize that this is not really a high risk situation at all. I think the confusion surrounding the blood draw and the fact that I didn't see a needle being unwrapped are both fueling my concerns. I am curious as to whether single use needles make HIV transmission impossible via a type of safety guard, which would completely extinguish my fears. Thanks again for your time and for your response!