Hi, I am a healthcare worker in a prison and 8 weeks ago had a needlestick injury. I received all relevant treatment at time, however Ive gone on to have shingles, headaches and lethargy, very unlike me. Should I be worried about bbvs? The source is low risk as far as we can tell by medical notes.  Could it just be coincidence that I got shingles and am still feeling the effects of them 4 weeks later???
Hello and welcome to Chat Doctor, A needle stick injury can transmit only the blood-borne diseases. There are many viruses which are transmitted by blood route. HIV, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, CMV are the common viruses transmitted by blood route. Shingles is caused by varicella zoster infection. This virus is not transmitted by blood route. Shingles is caused by reactivation of dormant virus in the nerve ganglia. A fall in immunity leads to reactivation of the virus and manifestation of shingles. You need to visit your doctor for anti-viral treatment. If you are suspicious of acquiring any blood-borne infection, you can get the tests for these infections. Thanks and take care Chat Doctor.