Serial knife stabbings with HIV exposure--implications for post-exposure prophylaxis

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Diseases
• Trauma Surgery

Background:

• Serial stabbing incidents present unique public health challenges, particularly concerning potential infectious disease transmission.
• Assessing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) exposure risk in mass casualty events involving multiple victims and unknown assailant status is complex.

Observation:

• Thirty-three individuals were victims of a serial knife-stabbing incident.
• One victim disclosed their HIV-positive status one day post-incident.
• Thirty-one exposed victims initiated HIV post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP); one declined.

Findings:

• No seroconversions to HIV were detected among the evaluated victims six months after the incident.
• Reliable HIV serostatus information for all victims in such scenarios is often unattainable.

Implications:

• It is advisable to inform victims of serial stabbing incidents about potential HIV transmission risks.
• Considering post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for victims in similar situations is a prudent public health measure.