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If skin is punctured by a sharp medical tool like a scalpel or needle on a syringe, it is called a ‘needlestick injury’.
Last reviewed: February 2014
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In Western Australia to date there has not been a documented case of a person contracting HIV, hepatitis B or hepatitis C from a needlestick injury that occurred in a community setting.
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Hepatitis C is a virus that can infect and damage the liver. In most cases, it is contracted through exposure to blood (usually from sharing contaminated needles while injecting drugs or, before 1990, through a blood transfusion) and it can be passed from mother to baby. Other ways it can occasionally be transmitted include needlestick injuries in a healthcare setting, sharing razor blades and toothbrushes, tattooing and body piercing and rarely through sexual transmission where blood-to-blood contact occurs. Hepatitis C antibody is produced in response to exposure to the hepatitis C virus (HCV). The most common test for HCV looks for these antibodies in your blood. Other tests detect the presence of the actual virus, the amount of virus present, or determine the specific subtype of virus.
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Safety information that relates to medical and first aid topics.
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Hepatitis B can be transmitted during birth, during sex and through blood- to-blood contact. All children, young people, and adults at higher risk, should be vaccinated.
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Dengue virus is spread by two types of mosquitoes that prefer to live indoors. Travellers are at risk if they visit an area that has the dengue mosquito.
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Answers to some Frequently Asked Questions about HIV infection and AIDS.
Read more on AFAO – Australian Federation of AIDS Organisations website
Hepatitis C is a blood-borne virus. Its passed on by blood-to-blood contact, when infected blood enters another persons bloodstream. It is sometimes called hep C.
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Hepatitis NSW provide information and education to people at risk, people affected by viral hepatitis and to workers in the viral hepatitis sector.
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Needlestick injuries (NSIs) from devices used for blood collection or for injections expose healthcare workers to the risk of serious infections such as hepatitisor human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Safety features such as shields or retractable needles can help prevent these injuries. We wanted to find out how effective these devices are. We searched for studies in multiple databases until January 2012 for randomised (RCTs) and non-randomised studies (NRS).
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
Healthcare workers can hurt themselves accidentally with needles or sharp instruments that have been used in patient care. This carries a small risk that the healthcare worker becomes infected with a viral disease such as hepatitis or HIV. Therefore it is important to prevent blood contact to prevent infection. We evaluated whether the use of gloves, more than one layer of gloves or special gloves can prevent needles or sharp instruments from piercing the skin. Up until June 2013, we found 34 studies that evaluated 6890 operations. There were no studies in non-surgical staff.
Read more on Cochrane (Australasian Centre) website
This document provides guidelines for health professionals for managing blood-borne virus infections in health care workers.
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