AboutIan Expertise All aspects of HIV and AIDS, with a special interest in a person`s individual perception and understanding of the virus. Why ? Because this will help in prevention !
Experience As teacher and researcher in the field of HIV and AIDS care.
Organizations I am a lecturer at a University in the UK, and advise a number of organisations on HIV/AIDS and especially the stigma that surrounds HIV.
Expert: Ian Date: 4/13/2008 Subject: HIV from pinprick?
Question I was at a wedding dress fitting with a seamstress last week and got pricked with one of the pins, and I'm concerned that if she also pricked herself a few seconds before I did, and she was HIV positive, could I also have contracted HIV? I'd say there was at least 20 seconds and possibly up to a minute or two between when she handled the pins and when I did, so would the tiny amount of blood that could be on the end of a pin if she pricked herself badly have dried by that point?
My other question is are there any reliable tests that are available in the US that can tell you if you've contracted the virus sooner than 3 months? My wedding is a little over 2 months away and I'm slightly OCD (if you couldn't already tell!) and this is basically ruining my happiness about the wedding because I'm so worried about it. If I got the antibody test at 2 1/2 months, would that be a fairly good predictor?
Thanks!
Answer Hi
Thanks for the question, and I can understand your anxiety. BUT - I DON'T consider that in the case you describe that there is a risk of HIV. For the virus to be passed on, fresh infected fluid has to get deeply into another person's body - into the bloodstream or lymphatic system.
In the case you describe, there isn't really a chance of this (even if the seamstress WAS HIV positive). In the commonest situation where a 'sharp' injury passes on HIV (in a hospital setting), the needles are hollow (so used with syringes), not solid (like a pin).
So - you should not worry here. And, there are tests that can determine HIV infection earlier than 3 months, but these are not usually available for standard testing.
