HIV: Ufff…I Got a Needle Prick

Abstract

Dear Editor,

In the context of HIV, postexposure prophylaxis refers to the set of services that are provided to manage the specific aspects of exposure to HIV and to help prevent HIV infection in a person exposed to the risk of getting infected by HIV.[1] It includes first aid, counseling, risk assessment, laboratory investigations based on the informed consent of the exposed person, and source and depending on the risk assessment, the provision of short-term antiretroviral drugs with followup evaluation. [2] Needle prick and injury by sharp objects are common problems faced by many surgeons/health care workers. But in many situations, the exposed person may not be aware of the measures taken to prevent the disease. The importance of knowledge about postexposure prophylaxis increases in view of a study done by Wig, which showed that 62.8% of the participants were not aware of postexposure prophylactic measures to be taken if there is an occupational exposure to the blood of a HIV-positive patient.[3]