July 30, 2010 - Climbers at Risk for Hepatitis/HIV?
A recent UIAA medical study reports that climbers may be at an increased risk of contracting Hepatitis and HIV. It seems that these blood-borne diseases can be transmitted through blood left behind on climbing holds and that indoor climbers are particularly susceptible to this form of transmission. The study concluded that there is a risk of blood-to-blood transmission in climbing if a climber with a bleeding wound leaves drops of blood on a handhold and another climber with skin lacerations or a comes into contact with this blood. As most climbers suffer from cuts on their fingers and hands, the UIAA Medical Commission recommends that indoor climbers with active bleeding, “be removed from the event as soon as this is practical. Bleeding must be controlled and the wound cleansed with soap and water or antiseptic. Climbing holds with blood stains need to be cleaned and brushed, if necessary with antiseptic or disinfectant. They need to dry out before re-use.”
Is there a single documented incident in which any climber has ever has been infected with either Hepatitis or HIV?
Most likely not if ever.
Any details on this medical study available?
Hepatitis infection seems like a potential risk, due to the length of time in which the virus remains viable in spilled (at least 16 hours.) Contact with blood through broken skin is a known disease vector.
However, publishing on HIV/AIDS climber-climber contraction from spilled blood seems sensationalist and poorly-informed. It doesn’t take a layperson– let alone a credible epidemiologist–long to determine that the risk of HIV contraction is infinitesimal. See, for example, Avert.org:
Whilst HIV may live for a short while outside of the body, HIV transmission has not been reported as a result of contact with spillages or small traces of blood, semen or other bodily fluids. This is partly because HIV dies quite quickly once exposed to the air, and also because spilled fluids would have to get into a person’s bloodstream to infect them.
Scientists agree that HIV does not survive well in the environment, making the chance of environmental transmission remote. To obtain data on the survival of HIV, laboratory studies usually use artificially high concentrations of laboratory-grown virus. Although these concentrations of HIV can be kept alive for days or even weeks under controlled conditions, studies have shown that drying of these high concentrations of HIV reduces the amount of infectious virus by 90 to 99 percent within a few hours.
“Whilst HIV may live for a short while outside of the body, HIV transmission has not been reported as a result of contact with spillages or small traces of blood, semen or other bodily fluids. This is partly because HIV dies quite quickly once exposed to the air, and also because spilled fluids would have to get into a person’s bloodstream to infect them.
Scientists agree that HIV does not survive well in the environment, making the chance of environmental transmission remote. To obtain data on the survival of HIV, laboratory studies usually use artificially high concentrations of laboratory-grown virus. Although these concentrations of HIV can be kept alive for days or even weeks under controlled conditions, studies have shown that drying of these high concentrations of HIV reduces the amount of infectious virus by 90 to 99 percent within a few hours.
Since the HIV concentrations used in laboratory studies are much higher than those actually found in blood or other specimens, the real risk of HIV infection from dried bodily fluids is probably close to zero. Incorrect interpretation of conclusions drawn from laboratory studies have unnecessarily alarmed some people.”
This is an “expert report” not a case or epi study. Their information comes from a literature and google search. They basically say that 1) blood carries diseases so be hygenic when you bleed, 2) cover open wounds, and 3) if you don’t have unprotected sex or use dirty needles don’t worry about it:
“In summary it can be concluded that the main pathways of transmission of blood
borne infections in athletes are similar to those experienced in the general
population, and not through sports. The greatest risk to the athlete for contracting any
blood borne pathogen infection is through sexual activity and parenteral drug use,
and not in the sporting arena. The transmission risk in climbing is even smaller if
compared to contact sports.”