Human Bites and Blood Exposures in New York City Schools

The epidemiology of human bites and blood exposures in urban schools has not been described. The authors reviewed 734 human bite and blood exposure incidents in New York City schools from September 1999 to June 2001. School site, age, gender, body site, temporal distributions, and underlying health status of individuals were reviewed. Nine incidents involved children known or suspected to be HIV-infected. Medical interventions included EMS involvement, emergency room treatment, hospitalization, vaccine administration, laceration suturing, systemic antibiotic therapy, and serologic evaluation for transmission of blood-borne pathogens. These incidents occur with a high prevalence in NYC schools and have potential for serious outcomes.