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Avatar universal

Fragile skin

Dear Doctor

What happened when a person got pricked by nail or peace of metal  or maybe scratched by the edge of table? , usually I got pricked and scratched from her and their because I got a soft skin. Today  I got scratched in the shopping area but last week I got pricked by a pin where we use in the office so often and some times customers are playing with the same pins and I don’t know  if the same pin been pricked by a person before me who is HIV + ? One more question if there is one drop of blood how long it will stay a live with the virus? I'm asking because I heard some horrible stories where people got infected with HIV from a prick :(
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300980 tn?1194929400
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Fears of this sort are not warranted. HIV is spread through sex or through injection of the virus through the skin into the blood stream.  It is not spread by incidental cuts or scrapes and is not spread on inanimate objects such as pins or sharp edges. Transmission of the sort you mention has never been described.  The virus does not survive well outside of the body so, even in the terribly unlikely circumstance that the pin that pricked you had pricked a person who had HIV earlier, you would not be at risk.

On the other hand, if you are scraping yourself frequently, you should be sure to keep the wounds clean so that they do not get infected and should make sure your tetanus immunization is up to date.

Take care.  EWH
Helpful - 1
300980 tn?1194929400
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Good idea.  EWH
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Dear Doctor, thanks for your reply and based on your 1st answer the virus already died soon so I'm not at any risk, I will do my best forget this experience and move on.
Helpful - 0
300980 tn?1194929400
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
1.  This varies depening on amount of blood, the temperature and other factors.  HIV dies however quite quickly outside the body and, as I said, no one has ever gotten HIV through the sort of exposure you described.

2. No I meant the kind of infection that occurs from normal skin bacteria contaminating scrapes and cuts.

3.  Th tetanus vaccine will prevent Tetanus, not HIV.  They should be repeated every 10 years.  EWH
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Avatar universal
Dear Doctor

Thanks for your earlier reply, just some clarities if you don't mind

1- how long does the virus survive outside the host ( one tiny drop of blood in a normal room temperature)
2- when you said I should keep the wound clean so I didn't get infected ( did you mean HIV infection)?

I just took Tetanus vaccine, do you think this will protect me in the future.

Thanking you
Helpful - 0

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