Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.I keep having very paranoid thoughts, and I don't know why. Yesterday I got my blood taken for an HIV test. I keep thinking, what if the doctor didn't change the needle from the previous person, and what if that person was HIV positive? I can't remember if the doctor changed it or not. Even if she did use an infected needle, what are the chances that could've gotten HIV from it?
Mark H. Katz, M.D.
Regional HIV/AIDS Physician Coordinator
Kaiser Permanente of Southern California
Thank you for your question. It does, indeed, point out that you have an extraordinary amount of anxiety, which is understandable. A needle is NEVER re- used. There is no way that a needle would be in the blood or body of someone else and then be used to puncture you. As for your question, though, if a person is stuck with a needle which has been in the bloodstream of someone with HIV, their chance of contracting the virus is believed to be around 1 in 300.
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