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Is Accidental Piercing Of Used Insulin Needle Harmful?
My daughter stuck herself with an insulin needle today. She found it in my brothers car (has been parked at our house while he is out of town for approx one month, so was used for him to inject insulin at least that long ago). It appears the needle bent and pierced through the cap when he recapped it. When she picked it up the tip (sticking through the cap) punctured her finger. It did bleed some. I don t know if he has any Hep A, B, or C or HIV. I ve left him a message asking. If he does have one of the above how concerned should I be that she could have contracted something.
Wed, 30 Oct 2019
Hello,
Hepatitis A is not generally transmitted by blood and there is no need to worry about it when having a needle prick.
Hep B and HIV can survive at room temperature for around one week. So, if the needle was used a month ago it is unlikely for these two infections to be transmitted.
Hep C may survive up to 3 weeks in the environment but this is very rare and is mostly transmitted through blood transfusion.
So, I would conclude that it is very unlikely your doctor is at risk of any of the above infections. On the other hand, for extra caution, when you are in contact with your brother you may try to confirm if he had any of these infections and test her only on the one/s he may have.
I hope this answers your query.
I remain at your disposal for further medical assistance.
Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj
General and Family Physician
Hepatitis A is not generally transmitted by blood and there is no need to worry about it when having a needle prick.
Hep B and HIV can survive at room temperature for around one week. So, if the needle was used a month ago it is unlikely for these two infections to be transmitted.
Hep C may survive up to 3 weeks in the environment but this is very rare and is mostly transmitted through blood transfusion.
So, I would conclude that it is very unlikely your doctor is at risk of any of the above infections. On the other hand, for extra caution, when you are in contact with your brother you may try to confirm if he had any of these infections and test her only on the one/s he may have.
I hope this answers your query.
I remain at your disposal for further medical assistance.
Regards,
Dr. Antoneta Zotaj
General and Family Physician
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