At-risk situations

In cases of

  • needle puncture wounds
  • bites
  • injured skin (eczema, wound, etc.) coming into contact with blood
  • the mucosa coming into contact with blood

the general practitioner or emergency physician or specialized HIV hotline must be contacted right away in order to discuss how to proceed.

Measures

  • Wherever possible, a blood sample should be taken from the index patient that may have infected the exposed person in order to perform HIV, hepatitis C, and hepatitis B tests. His/her personal details should also be recorded.
  • Even if a person refuses the post-exposure prophylaxis, a physician must be sought as soon as possible to take a blood sample for insurance-related and legal reasons.
  • Blood tests must be repeated after 3 months and after 6 months. In the meantime the person affected is to be treated as possibly infected and therefore possibly contagious.