STORM2K

3rd-grader stuck 19 schoolmates with needle
Friday, April 29, 2005 Posted: 5:45 PM EDT (2145 GMT)

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (AP) -- A third-grader stuck 19 schoolmates with her mother's diabetes blood-testing needle this week, and one pricked student tested positive for HIV on a preliminary test, officials said.

Health officials said the virus could not have been contracted from the needle stick, and they noted that preliminary tests can yield false positives.

The risk to students who were stuck after the possibly infected child depends on factors including the depth of the stick, health officials said.

The 8-year-old stuck her Taylor Elementary schoolmates Wednesday at the school's breakfast, at lunch and in the classroom, using a needle that was about one-third of an inch long, on the end of a device that looks like a pen, school officials said. They were unsure why the girl did it.

She was suspended and will probably be moved to another school, said Paul Vallas, the school district's chief executive.

Most of the students involved were taken to a hospital for testing and treatment, school officials said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk of HIV infection after a needle stick is low, with an average of one in 300 cases leading to infection.


Oh my another terrible story of childs doing wrong things.

MOVED TO ANOTHER SCHOOL? i sure hope the poor baby wasnt handcuffed by the cops

that poor baby may have killed another person, if she caused them to become affected. Whatever happens to her, happens, and it is well deserved (and I do mean ANYTHING, including torture... if you are old enough to affect one with HIV, you are more than old enough to be tortured for your actions)

hiv would not show up that quickly from the prick. that poor child had to have gotten it somewhere else.

unless of course the student has pulled a stunt like this before

Torture!? on an 8-year-old!? I can't believe what I'm hearing!

I seriously DOUBT she actually knew the seriousness of what she was doing. It was a bad thing, yes, but most likely she thought it would be a funny joke to poke people with a needle so they will think a bug bit them or something.

Reasons why you keep your medical stuff locked up.

8 year olds today know the consequences of sticking a needle into someone. There has been enough education on that subject. When I was 6, I knew that was a very dangerous thing and something that was absolutely verboten

Education isn't the same everywhere...and if she did know about it, she probably thought "as long as I don't poke too hard."

The preliminary test that they give for HIV is called the Elisa test. And it is true that it yields many false positives. My understanding is that the little girl who committed this act was not infected with HIV. It seems as if one of the students that were pricked may have already had the virus. If that is the case, the students pricked after her would have the risk of contracting the virus. Risk of transmission is actually lower than one might expect. Let's all just pray for these young children and their well-being. As for the 8 year old behind all of this, I don't even know what to say.....

Jennifer

This has been all over the local news as you can imagine.

The fact that it took almost the entire day without having that taken away from her is outrageous!