# 3rd grader sticks 19 with needle...one tests positive for HIV **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 29, 2005, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3rd-grader-sticks-19-with-needle-one-tests-positive-for-hiv/301733 "2005-04-29T16:27:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3rd-grader-sticks-19-with-needle-one-tests-positive-for-hiv/301733/21 "2005-04-29T20:42:37Z")
Ok, seriously, how does a kid stab 19 other kids before any adult notices and intervenes? ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3rd-grader-sticks-19-with-needle-one-tests-positive-for-hiv/301733/22 "2005-04-29T21:00:04Z")
Not all 10 year olds are that bright. They may have seen the needle and probably said, “Ok, now try it on me!”. You know kids… ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3rd-grader-sticks-19-with-needle-one-tests-positive-for-hiv/301733/23 "2005-04-29T21:45:16Z")
When I had gestational diabetes, the sharp thing I used for sticks was TINY- that was the point (so to speak)! The manufacturers know that the smaller the stick, the less painful it is. And mine didn’t resemble a hypodermic, which is I think what most people picture when they hear “stuck them with a needle.” Mine looked like this- [http://www.lifescan.com/products/meters/ultra.html](http://www.lifescan.com/products/meters/ultra.html) Mountain out of a molehill, and throw in some AIDS transmission ignorance and good old fashioned hysteria while you’re at it. Ack. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3rd-grader-sticks-19-with-needle-one-tests-positive-for-hiv/301733/24 "2005-04-29T21:47:16Z")
Sorry, I should have linked to this, which is the lancet or “needle”- [http://www.lifescan.com/products/accessories/lancets/](http://www.lifescan.com/products/accessories/lancets/) Funny plastic stick thing, with a teeny weeny needle sticking out of it. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2005, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3rd-grader-sticks-19-with-needle-one-tests-positive-for-hiv/301733/25 "2005-04-29T22:22:54Z")
**Blalron** , **The Unkempt One** Having lived in Philly for the past few years, I don’t blame the teachers. Philadelphia schools do not have enough teachers. The teachers aren’t given enough supplies. I doubt that they get an adequate amount of sleep. A quick glance would have shown a group of chattering, giggling kids and a small, brightly-colored piece of plastic. This looks normal and safe, and the teachers shift their attention back to watching for bullying, knives, guns, and the older students committing sexual assaults. ---
**Author:** ![irishgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@irishgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/irishgirl)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3rd-grader-sticks-19-with-needle-one-tests-positive-for-hiv/301733/26 "2005-04-30T14:08:19Z")
Or the HIV tests were for baseline values. If I got a needle stick injury in the hospital they would do tests on me and the patient. If patient checked out clean, most of the worry would be over, but I’d still take HIV prophylaxis and wait 6 months for further definitive testing. If I tested positive within hours of a needlestick, while the patient did not, it would be assumed (probably correctly) that they did not give me HIV and I would be unable to claim compensation from anyone for my infection. This is either false positive, or that kid has pre-exisitng HIV…and you’d worry about the OTHER kids. But with anti-retrovirals their risk decreases to about 1 in 1000. At least it was HIV and not Hep C, which can survice outside the body and is much more likely to be passed on from a needlestick than HIV. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3rd-grader-sticks-19-with-needle-one-tests-positive-for-hiv/301733/27 "2005-04-30T14:44:36Z")
> [@Lord Ashtar](#): > > Sure, and when I was a kid I poked at other kids with pens and pencils. It just never occured to me to bring something from home to poke them with. Probably, mom saw to it that “little pokey girl” (hee! **Eonwe** ) was familiar with all her diabetic equipment, in case LPG had to give mom an emergency injection or something, but neglected to add the “And don’t fool around with this stuff!” disclaimer. LPG may have pocketed the lancet after giving mom a skin test or seeing her give herself one, and here we are. ---
**Author:** ![Neurotik](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/91b2a8/32.png) [@Neurotik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neurotik)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3rd-grader-sticks-19-with-needle-one-tests-positive-for-hiv/301733/28 "2005-04-30T15:03:36Z")
> [@Blalron](#): > > Ok, seriously, how does a kid stab 19 other kids before any adult notices and intervenes? Given the amount of moronic things we did at recess that the teachers never caught on to, I’m not surprised. Remember, this isn’t a “stabbing” in the sense that anyone’s going to get hurt from the needle wound. It just feels like a sharp pinch and a tiny drop of blood at the most results. ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3rd-grader-sticks-19-with-needle-one-tests-positive-for-hiv/301733/29 "2005-04-30T20:37:50Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > One thing that confuses me, however, is how fast they could test someone for the virus. I thought it took at least several weeks to incubate. If no other kids are infected, coud it be that they’re testing too soon? They can give you tests within a few days of exposure that can _positively_ confirm the presense of HIV. I’d guess they tested the kids for HIV so they could say “It’s okay, we tested the kids for HIV and they all came back negative.” and thus the parents would be reassured… even though it really takes two test 6 months apart with no “risky” behaviour between to get a high confidence negative. The 6 month wait is based on the response time of the human immune system, not the test used. It’s CYA tactics, either way. ---
**Author:** ![istara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e79b87/32.png) [@istara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/istara)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2005, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3rd-grader-sticks-19-with-needle-one-tests-positive-for-hiv/301733/30 "2005-04-30T21:12:43Z")
It strikes me that if the kid does have HIV, the needle girl saved his life. Because he almost certainly contracted it elsewhere, and it might have gone undetected indefinitely. Now at least he can get the drugs and medical care necessary, AND avoid transmitting it to anyone else. Still a fucking stupid thing for any kid to do though. Though a friend of mine did her teacher training in an innercity hellhole school, and one kid used to bring in used junkie hypodermics from his mother and her many boyfriends. She never went into teaching when she graduated, the experience was so horrific. (This was in Coventry, UK). ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3rd-grader-sticks-19-with-needle-one-tests-positive-for-hiv/301733/31 "2005-05-01T04:14:22Z")
Well, the article does not say _when_ the kids were tested. It could have been the same day or the day after the ‘stabbing’. Two days after, _at the latest_. The results of that testing wouldn’t mean much, would they? ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3rd-grader-sticks-19-with-needle-one-tests-positive-for-hiv/301733/32 "2005-05-01T13:10:47Z")
> [@spooje](#): > > Well, the article does not say _when_ the kids were tested. It could have been the same day or the day after the ‘stabbing’. Two days after, _at the latest_. The results of that testing wouldn’t mean much, would they? If they were tested two days later with a test that looks for the presence of the virus, not the antibodies to the virus, it could detect any HIV contracted from the needle sticks. (As mentioned previously as well, retesting would be a good idea.) If it was earlier than that, they should have been using a test that looks for antibodies to HIV, which would be establishing a “baseline” to see if anyone was previously infected. ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3rd-grader-sticks-19-with-needle-one-tests-positive-for-hiv/301733/33 "2005-05-01T16:52:15Z")
> [@Lord Ashtar](#): > > I really can’t imagine why a kid would do this. Hell, I can’t imagine why anyone would do this. When I was in the 11th grade (1981/2), a girl in my class decided it would be great fun to stab people in the shoulders, arms, backs, and backside with a [compass](http://clast.gallaudet.edu/images/compass.jpg) during school Mass. Did her victims speak up and complain? No – they were afraid of her because she was the class bully, and afraid she would ‘get them.’ \* Why did she do it? No idea – other times she was caught by teachers pulling stunts like this, she would complain, ‘I was just having fun!’ \*Did I whip round and smack her silly when she tried to stab me? Absolutely. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3rd-grader-sticks-19-with-needle-one-tests-positive-for-hiv/301733/34 "2005-05-01T21:37:32Z")
> [@Ms Boods](#): > > When I was in the 11th grade (1981/2), a girl in my class decided it would be great fun to stab people in the shoulders, arms, backs, and backside with a [compass](http://clast.gallaudet.edu/images/compass.jpg) during school Mass. Did her victims speak up and complain? No – they were afraid of her because she was the class bully, and afraid she would ‘get them.’ \* > > Why did she do it? No idea – other times she was caught by teachers pulling stunts like this, she would complain, ‘I was just having fun!’ > > \*Did I whip round and smack her silly when she tried to stab me? Absolutely. 11th grade and she was still pulling shit like that? Jesus-was she also a little slow? ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Boods](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5e9695/32.png) [@Ms\_Boods](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Boods)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2005, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3rd-grader-sticks-19-with-needle-one-tests-positive-for-hiv/301733/35 "2005-05-01T22:24:56Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > 11th grade and she was still pulling shit like that? Jesus-was she also a little slow? Nope – she was one of the brightest ones in the class, I’m afraid. I was at school with her for several years, and she was constantly doing things like this. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Nader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Darth\_Nader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Nader)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3rd-grader-sticks-19-with-needle-one-tests-positive-for-hiv/301733/36 "2005-05-09T23:15:55Z")
It’s happened again, folks. [Harlingen police say the attack happened Monday at Memorial Middle School.](http://www.team4news.com/global/story.asp?s=3320466&ClientType=Printable) The newest fad, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![lizardling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lizardling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizardling)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3rd-grader-sticks-19-with-needle-one-tests-positive-for-hiv/301733/37 "2005-05-10T00:47:09Z")
Getting stuck by needles is funny? :eek: I’m not especially needlephobic, but it’s certainly not one of the ways I’d choose to pass the time in class. Hell, at that age my dad had to chase me through the house and bodily pin me down to give me eyedrops. (Let us not speak of what happened during visits for vaccinations.) ---
**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3rd-grader-sticks-19-with-needle-one-tests-positive-for-hiv/301733/38 "2005-05-10T01:28:39Z")
As an RN who has twice (twice!) stuck herself with a used needle from a KNOWN HIV+ pt (2 different pts, several years apart)–I can attest to the rarity of transmission this way. It’s been at least 7 years since the last “sharps injury” and I havne’t sero-converted yet. Smacked myself upside the head a fair bit, but no other injuries to report. 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/3rd-grader-sticks-19-with-needle-one-tests-positive-for-hiv/301733.md?page=1)