Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 May-Jun;21(3):306-311.
doi: 10.1016/j.bjid.2017.03.003. Epub 2017 Mar 29.

Danger in the streets: exposures to bloodborne pathogens after community sharp injuries in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Marcellus Dias Costa  1 , Cristiane Rapparini  2 , Carolina Arana Stanis Schmaltz  3 , Mari Tuyama  4 , Lilian de Mello Lauria  5 , Valeria Saraceni  5 , Paulo Feijó Barroso  6
Affiliations

Danger in the streets: exposures to bloodborne pathogens after community sharp injuries in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Marcellus Dias Costa et al. Braz J Infect Dis. 2017 May-Jun.

Abstract

Objective: Exposures to sharps injuries occurring in the community are relatively frequent. We describe characteristics of community sharp exposures reported in the city of Rio de Janeiro from 1997 to 2010.

Methods: A cross-sectional analysis of exposure reports to sharps in the community reported to a surveillance system, designed for health care workers, of the Municipal Health Department of Rio de Janeiro. The characteristics of exposed individuals analyzed included types of exposure, the circumstances of the accident, and the prophylaxis offered.

Results: 582 exposures were studied. Median age was 30 years and 83 (14%) involved children with less than 10 years of age. Two hundred and seventeen (37%) occurred with sharps found in the streets. The exposure was percutaneous in 515 (89%) and needles where involved in 406 (70%) of them. The sharps were present in the trash in 227 (39%) or in the environment in 167 (29%) of the reports. Professionals who work with frequent contact with domestic or urban waste were 196 (38%). The source was known in 112 (19%) of the exposures and blood was involved in 269 (46%). Only 101 (19%) of the injured subjects reported a complete course of vaccination for hepatitis B. Antiretroviral prophylaxis was prescribed for 392 (68%) of the exposed subjects.

Conclusions: Sharps injuries occurring in the community are an important health problem. A great proportion would be avoided if practices on how to dispose needles and sharps used outside health units were implemented.

Keywords: Bloodborne; HIV; Hepatitis; Medical waste; Needlestick; Postexposure prophylaxis; Sharp injuries.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Lorentz J., Hill L., Samimi B. Occupational needlestick injuries in a metropolitan police force. Am J Prev Med. 2000;18:146–150. - PubMed
    1. Russell F.M., Nash M.C. A prospective study of children with community acquired needlestick injuries in Melbourne. J Paediatr Child Health. 2002;38:322–323. - PubMed
    1. Thompson S.C., Boughton C.R., Dore G.J. Bloodborne viruses and their survival in the environment: is public concern about community needlestick exposures justified? Aust N Z J Public Health. 2003;27:602–607. - PubMed
    1. Nyiri P., Leung T., Zuckerman M.A. Sharps discarded in inner city parks and playgrounds—risk of bloodborne virus exposure. Commun Dis Public Health. 2004;7:287–288. - PubMed
    1. Paintsil E., Binka M., Patel A., Lindenbach B.D., Heimer R. Hepatitis C virus maintains infectivity for weeks after drying on inanimate surfaces at room temperature: implications for risks of transmission. J Infect Dis. 2014;209:1205–1211. - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources