I was picking up laundry for cleaning and picked up a pair of dirty underwear that belonged to the girl i am living with. On picking it up, it felt wet. I know the girl changed out of the underwear about 5 or less mins prior becasue she had a quick shower. When i touched the wet spot, it made contact with a cut on my finger that i had gotten an hour before (so it was not scabbed over and was still sore and slightly open). Im assuming the wet spot was vaginal fluids. If the girl is HIV+, and the fluids touched my cut after being outside the body for about 5 mins, would transmission be possible?
Hi there and thank you for your question,
In such a case where bodily fluids come in contact with open skin lesions, it can be regarded as theoretically possible for transmission to occur, however, the skin lesion must be considerably severe for the fluid to enter the bloodstream. But then again, even under those circumstance the risk would be extremely low. Moreover, the HIV virus can only live outside the body for no longer than a few minutes. In order for HIV transmission to occur, exchange of a bodily fluid involves an activity such as sexual intercourse or needle sharing in addition to having direct access for the HIV virus to enter the bloodstream.
Stay safe and healthy,
Darrien
AIDS Vancouver Helpline Volunteer
p: (Mon-Fri 9-4pm ): (604) 696-4666
w: www.aidsvancouver.org/helpline
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It wasn't flowing fluid. Just
It wasn't flowing fluid. Just a bit damp and sticky. Should I get tested for this? I wasn't bleeding at the time.
Hello and thank you for using the AIDS Vancouver Helpline,
For this incident alone, I would not recommend testing. In order for a skin abrasion or cut to be an entry point for the HIV virus (in theory) it must be fresh and/or bleeding or "open". Since your cut was an hour old, it does not meet this requirement. This was therefore a negligible risk incident and the possibility of transmission if your roommate has HIV is extremely unlikely. In general, HIV cannot be passed from inanimate objects (towels, toilet seats, kitchen utensils etc.) to you, and that is assuming that the fluid is HIV+.
However, if you have not been tested for HIV before and have been sexually active, you may choose this time to do so. Additionally, if you find that you are still feeling anxious around this experience, an HIV test could work to cure any remaining anxiety. If you have any additional questions, please don't hesitate to contact us again.
In Health,
Julia
AIDS Vancouver Helpline Volunteer
e: helpline@aidsvancouver.org
p: (Mon-Fri 9-4pm ): (604) 696-4666
w: www.aidsvancouver.org/helpline
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