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Posts: 1989

Peasant

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Q: What should I do?

I am told to go tomorrow for some analysis like blood, electrocardiogram and something more at the hospital. The fear is that I should be taken some blood and without a needle it's not possible. I am not afraid of needles but the safety issues I understand it concerns those needles. Many hospitals still use the glass syringes that are sterilized on and on. I don't trust them at all especially knowing that the hygiene it's a serious matter including in the hospitals. But most of it I hear that there are high risks of infections through the syringes. I believe I'll pass and go only for anything that does not require blood test. What would you do?

11 years 6 weeks ago in  Health & Safety - China

 
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Comments (9)
Posts: 67

Governor

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Hire a vampire who has great control, he can suck out the right amount, then spit it out into the vial. Or is that getting too vile?

Traveler:

Is there some sort of stupidity competition going on amongst some of the posters on this site?

11 years 6 weeks ago
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ChickMag:

C'mon, just a little fun.

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11 years 6 weeks ago
 
Posts: 4935

Emperor

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Here's something to lessen your paranoia: in China, many places re-seal things taken out of packages in order to save money. Yeah, needless to say, needles are probably fair game as well. As for what I'm going to do? NOPE, NOPE, NOPE, NOPE, NOPE. I got my checkup done back home in America, and they accepted that.

 

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Thanks Hulk, it helps to level down my worry so much and if you read the article from Mr_spoon answer you may see why I feel Zen about all. As you say: Nope, no way to get their syringes through my veigns.

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Emperor

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/oct/25/aids.china

 

Here's a little something to lighten up the mood.

Enjoy!

 

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Wow, I had no idea about the extent of these sort of dangers. I just can't believe it. Yeah it's terrifying indeed. I can't believe it. Thanks for letting me know. 

11 years 6 weeks ago
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Hulk:

And that's the story of why I've avoided Henan province, and anyone associated with Henan. Stupid? Yeah, but... damn.

11 years 6 weeks ago
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Mr_spoon:

But all "Being a douche"-ness aside, I've done the medical checkup a few times before.

It's nothing to be afraid of.

I mean, I am scared shitless of needles as well, but closing my eyes and listening to music was a pretty efficient way to live through it.

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Posts: 9192

Emperor

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I was going to say you that you could insist that needles and syringes be additionally sterilized. BUT NOT NOW.  I thought HIV only lasted a short time outside the body,, gotta love google. not sure if you can read a link sooo I C&P...

 

Questions regarding the survival of HIV are frequently raised by people who come into contact with spilled body fluids. Fears over the casual transmission of HIV have also led many people to be concerned over the risk of contact with spilled blood, dried blood or other body fluids, even in microscopic quantities.

It is important to bear in mind that whilst HIV may live for some time outside the body, HIV transmission has not been reported as a consequence of contact with spillages of blood, semen or other body fluids, although many healthcare workers do come into contact with HIV-infected body fluids. Nevertheless awareness of the possible persistence of viable HIV in body fluids will encourage observation of infection control procedures.

Laboratory studies which have looked at the survival of HIV have found that:

  • HIV is sensitive to high temperatures but not to extreme cold. Experiments have shown that HIV is killed by heat, but temperatures over 60°C are needed to achieve reliable killing of HIV.
  • Levels of virus remain relatively stable in blood at room temperature, and HIV may persist for at least a week in dried blood at 4°C. Blood containing HIV used for laboratory experiments is stored at –70°C without any loss of viral activity.1 2
  • HIV may survive for up to four weeks in syringes after HIV-infected blood has been drawn up into the syringe and then flushed out.3 A study of blood gathered from more than 800 syringes filled with small amounts of HIV-infected blood and stored for various periods found that HIV could be isolated from 10% of syringes after eleven days where the quantity of blood was less than 2µl, but 53% of syringes where the quantity of blood was 20µl. Longer survival of HIV was also associated with lower storage temperature (less than 4°C); at higher temperatures (27 to 37°C) survival was not detected beyond seven days.
  • HIV is very sensitive to changes in alkalinity or acidity – pH level – and pH levels below 7 or above 8 are unsuitable for long-term survival of HIV. One reason why HIV transmission may be less likely in healthy women is due to the acidity of vaginal secretions.2 4
  • HIV may survive in dried blood at room temperature for up to five or six days provided that the optimum pH level is maintained; drying of blood does not seem to affect the infectivity of HIV.2
  • Sewage is highly unlikely to pose a risk because infectious HIV has never been isolated from faeces or urine.5 However, research by Thames Water has shown that HIV can survive for several days in sewage in the laboratory.6
  • HIV does not survive as long as other viruses in sea water.6
  • Infectious HIV has been recovered from human corpses between eleven and 16 days after death in bodies stored at the usual mortuary temperature of 2°C. It is unclear how long infectious HIV may persist in corpses left to decay at normal room temperature, but HIV has been cultured from organs stored at 20°C up to 14 days after death. HIV was not detected in significant quantities later than 16 days, implying that buried corpses or those preserved for long periods pose less of a risk to undertakers and pathologists.7 8
  • No studies have investigated the survival of HIV in semen outside the body as such, but studies which have sought to culture HIV from semen in the laboratory have often found it difficult to do so, indicating the low quantities often present in semen.

 

 

 

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Hey TedDBayer thanks so much for all these detailed update and for the time you took to write it. It's so good to know about all these environmental risks especially in this Country, China where the lack of hygiene poses serious threats to life at long and short pace. For sure, you need to be very well informed and that's what' happening just now via your post as well as previous posts. There's also the paranoia hulk was trying to lessen it, which he did it :), that with all these sort of dangers you need to not become suspicious, too much suspicious. Well, today the boss asked me to do the blood test and I told her that I won't do I it at all. She then for the first time said "you must" instead the usual "you should do it". It pissed me so much off that I staired at her and prompted her: "even if you're to tell me 10 times per day that I must to do the bloody test, I won't do it. There's a high probability of risk of infections through needles in Hospitals in China that I am not willing to take it. Mug my words!" She didn't like and I enjoyed it so much indeed. So tomorrow I will go, not today to do any further tests but not that bloody one. But I am thinking to gear up with anti-radioactive suit to avoid any contact with possible infected places at the hospital. Note my joke:) though it's serious.

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The hospitals here in town always unpack the needle in front of the patient. My wife was recently hospitalized and had an IV for a week, where they probably have used a total of 20 needles (the first nurse needed 7 attempts in hitting the right spot, not criticism, just explanation of the large amount of needles) Everything about this process seems perfectly "normal". The needles go to the trash, a dumpster with a "medical waste" label. The thing then is, what Hugger writes, that stuff gets repackaged. Having a "medical waste" dumpster might be the safe way to dispose of needles, but it is also a great help to those who wants to repackage things. 

 

A thing I have heard some people doing is, e.g. go to Hong Kong, go to a pharmacy, pick up supplies, bring home to the hospital. 

 

What is the reason for this blood test? Is it job or visa related ? If it is just an annual health check offered by your employer, then I would not do it. 

 

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Hey Scandinavian, yes it's an annual check that It took. Me by surprise at my school. Of course I won't do it.

11 years 6 weeks ago
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Scandinavian:

I did the health check last year for visa purposes, to get a spousal visa this is needed, and no way around. the clinic that did it is also where the locals need to go to apply for travel visas to leave the country.

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