Hello guys I would just like to have your opinion. Yesterday, Jan 31, I took a medical exam for pre- employment and part of the medical is taking a little blood from the finger for CBC. In ring finger (almost finger tip) blood was taken from me.
After that, there is a biometrics/finger print scan that is needed for the Drug Test. I’m afraid that I might get a hepa since I pressed my finger on the biometrics because I’m not the only one using it. Though I did not see any blood stain that time.
Does the virus in biometrics/finger print scanner be able to enter through my small punctured wound if the biometrics are ever contaminated? Before scanning my finger, I made sure there is no blood and had santised it by using alcohol. I can confirm also that I have completed vaccination for Hepatitis B as an infant, and now I am 25 years old. I’m afraid my not that immune with the virus.
I asked my local healthcare online and they said, there’s nothing to worry about since it was not injected directly into my skin. But I would like to have your opinion about this. Thank you very much! @ThomasTu and other @HealthExperts.
The likelihood of transmission of HBV (and HCV and HIV) under the conditions you described is vanishingly small. Your fingerprick wound likely had clotted by the time you had your fingerprints were taken, and the medical staff are trained to wipe down surfaces such as the scanner with an alcohol wipe between uses (but not necessarily in your presence–that may be part of the cleanup of the exam facility between patients).
Furthermore, you are vaccinated, so unless you were in the ~5% of people for whom the vaccine is ineffective (such as me), then infection would be blocked by the antibodies in your blood. It is true that in some people, the HBV vaccination-induced antibody levels start declining 20-25 years after being vaccinated at birth, but the data are not yet strong enough to cause a recommendation that people get a booster vaccination in their early 20s. That won’t hurt, but in most people it does not seem to be needed.
In short, I recommend setting your mind at ease about this.
I think this is kind of related. I became infected with HBV ~56 years ago at age 18; it was presumed through sexual intercourse. Since then, I have wondered if french kissing someone who has gingivitis or bleeding in the mouth could infect a person with the HBV?
Thank you so much for this Sir @john.tavis! I’m just worried sick about the said event and it gives me anxiety. But I have managed to take medical exam with the said clinic last 2019 and I’m not certainly aware of the viruses since I was only 20/21 that time but still fine today. Right now, I’m seem to be worried about little things.
I’m just worried that the clinic are indeed not sanitated enough, is the possibility still small if this was the case?
Thanks for your story. I’m not a medical doctor but have been part of this group from the beginning and have lived experience.
You said you cleaned the scan so. You would have wiped any virus away.
As John has said, your blood would have started to clot therefore stopping the virus from entering. And …if the virus was there in the first place. How do you know it was HBV?
Blessings
Thank you for replying! Oh, I meant I sanitized my hands before scanning my fingers through the scanner. I’m just worried since it was used by a lot of people there for their pre-employment medical like me, who most likely pricked also for CBC/blood test.
Hi @monigeller and @Karp,
I understand your anxiety about these issues. This is the reason why it is important to get many people vaccinated. When that happens it will take some of the anxiety that some patients have about infecting others out of the picture. Stress is not something that patients need. We need to advocate and encourage more people to get vaccinated (including sexual partners and family members), the best way to prevent this virus from spreading to others. This will help a lot. Bansah1.
Transmission via an oral lesion can occur if there is a corresponding cut in the recipient that is exposed to the blood in the saliva. For example, transmission can occur from blood in an invasive dental procedure if the dentist has a cut on her/his finger (this can go either way, patient-to-dentist or vice versa). That is why they wear gloves when working in the mouth.
I presume a similar thing could occur from kissing if both partners had major lesions in their mouths, but that would be very unusual. In the vast number of cases, HBV is not passed in saliva, and it is never passed via saliva when there is no oral bleeding. It is really only possible if there is a fresh wound spilling blood into the mouth.
Hi Bansah 1. Thanks for your reply. I agree with vaccinations against hepatitis. My spouse is undergoing them as we speak. And, you’re right that none of us need anymore stress in our lives!
Hi John. Thanks for taking the time to reply. My question was mostly curiosity about the possibility of two people with gingivitis or other mouth lesions passing on the HBV. It had never occurred to me before. I wondered if that might’ve happened in my case. It’s all water under the bridge now, of course. Thanks, again to you and all those on this forum who kindly give their time to complete strangers.
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