A student was stuck by a hypodermic needle late Thursday afternoon after reaching into the change dispenser of a Pepsi machine located in Peck Hall.
The senior reached into the coin return box after purchasing a drink, and pricked her right thumb around 3:45 p.m. by a needle that she was not aware was there said MTSU Police Chief Buddy Peaster.
The student was treated at Middle Tennessee Medical Center, where she was later released.
“Evidently, she put the needle in a bag and took it with her to the ER,” Peaster said. “It might be a one-of-a-kind thing or it might be something very serious.”
Police have said that it is too early to determine whether foul play is expected.
MTSU police picked up the syringe from MTMC after being contacted by the victim; the needle has been logged in as evidence at the station.
Peaster also warned students to pay attention in general around campus, even in the most mundane of tasks.
“If you’re stuck by an unsterile needle, you’re contracting any disease that person it’s been in contact with has,” said Dr. Pat Spangler, medical director of MTSU Health Services. “If a needle has been laying there a long time out in the air, there’s not a big chance of bodily fluids.”
Spangler said that the first disease medical centers usually check for patients who’ve been pricked by needles is tetanus, though all blood-borne diseases or bacterial infections are also considered.
Spangler also said that it is possible to contract HIV through needles, though the possibility is low. Studies show it is much more likely to contract HIV and AIDS through sexual intercourse than by being pricked by a needle
Anyone with information about the nature of this incident should call MTSU police at 615-898-2424.
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