--- Gabriel de Figueiredo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >Therefore, are the Health Dept of the Queensland >Govt(publisher of "Accidental Needle Stick Injury in >Public Places"), the South Eastern Sydney Area >Health Service of New South Wales (publishes the "NSW >Needlestick Injury Hotline"), the Occupational >Health and Safety reporting needle stick hazards, an >MP lobbying for retractable-needle syringes, all >guilty of propagating false information, in your >opinion? >
Are these authorities spreading fabricated stories about needles in cinema theatres through chain letters? If they are doing that then they are propagating false information. The point is it is wrong to disseminate urban legends and hoaxes through chain letters and spam email. Do you disagree? > >I'd like to know if the chances increase dramatically >if the needle has been freshly used and discarded? >In the semi-darkness of a cinema or in the confines of >a train? > The risk of contracting the HIV virus through discarded needles in public places is extremely low. This virus cannot survive for more than a few minutes on an infected needle. So in general, the risk from needles lying around for more than an hour is negligible. For a freshly withdrawn needle that has come in contact with infected blood the HIV risk is 0.4%. The risk of Hepatitis C infection in this way is 3%. There is not a single published report in the medical literature about anyone catching the HIV virus through a discarded needle in a public place. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) which keep track of such things have not received any report of HIV infection through needle stick injury outside of the medical or hospital settings. Here is a CDC statement regarding this issue: http://www.cdc.gov/doc.do/id/0900f3ec80226b9c Cheers, Santosh