Help ease my fears? Any risk?

[lana8900]

I just need some opinions on whether or not a scenario like this could ever pose a risk.

I work in a restaurant and people cut themselves often. There is one first aid kit on the wall for everyone to help themselves if needed. I have cut myself a few times and these last two times have wondered if there is any way to contract Hep C by touching the kit, that has had old blood on it in the past, and then tending to my wounds.

There was no visible blood on it that I could see, it was dirty though, but my finger that had the small cut did touch the kit briefly while I was reaching for a bandaid. It was a couple of minutes after I had cut myself and I washed up and had stopped bleeding already.

But for the last two times and even for future reference I was just wondering if touching a dirty first aid kit would be a possible route of transmission. Especially when I have been told that the virus can be present even if there is no visible blood. I guess I just worry because blood can get on a first aid kit, then improperly cleaned, and therefore have the virus still on it. Especially because I've seen blood on it before. Then I touch it and transfer it to my wounds, or touch my wound to it by mistake.

(Also wanted to add this in here as well. My coworker once told me she had Hep C. And my mind jumped to a time a few days before where she was talking to me and a few speckles of saliva hit my face, one flew into my eye. Any risk there since her saliva got into my eye and she is infected? Especially if she had brushed or flossed recently and had bleeding gums because of that?)

Thank you so much in advance. I've been extremely stressed out lately and that causes me to get anxious. And getting anxious aggravates my OCD and I turn into an extreme germaphobe. I just worry about what I might bring home to my baby and want to keep him safe.

[Lynn K]

Hep c requires blood to blood transmission so no risk posed by saliva you could drink from the same glass or share utensils no risk.

Hep c can survive on surfaces for a period of time but you would have to have that blood enter your blood stream. Hep c is not that easily transmitted if it was a lot more people would have hep c. The risk from the first aid kit is negligible to nearly non existent I suggest you may want to consider talking with someone about your anxiety issues of being stressed out over things that are very unlikely to occur and even if some how you did catch hep c it is no longer as big of a concern as the new treatments are highly effective so still nothing to worry about

Good luck
Lynn