Swallowed HIV+ blood
My friend is HIV positive. I was hanging out with him yesterday after he went to the dentist to get 2 fillings...so i'm not sure if he was bleeding or had open sores. But we shared a drink after he went to the dentist. Now can he transmit HIV to me through possible blood in his mouth into my drink and then me drinking the beverage?? Thanks, i'm really worried. I don't have any open sores in my mouth.
Hi there and thank you for using AIDS Vancouver as your source of HIV/AIDS related information.
No, sharing a drink with you HIV+ friend poses no risk for HIV acquisition.
To acquire HIV, three things are required:
• HIV+ fluid (such as semen or blood),
• A high risk activity (typically vaginal/anal sex or sharing needles), and
• Direct access to your bloodstream.
So sharing drinks with your friend poses no risk of transmission whether he just went to a dentist of not.
The virus dies as soon as it is exposed to the oxygen because it is a weak virus & cannot survive outside of its human host.
For a risk to be present, both you and your friend would need to have open, actively bleeding wounds. This is because HIV+ blood simply taken into your mouth (in the case of kissing with blood involved) is extremely low risk because the HIV+ blood is not entering your blood stream, it is actually entering your digestive tract. If you had open & actively bleeding wounds in your mouth, then theoretically there may be a risk of the HIV+ blood enerting your bloodstream through open wounds in your mouth. Even in a theoretical case such as this, the mouth is full of saliva, a fluid which cannot pass HIV and actually has an enzyme which inhibits the virus from entering the bloodstream. If you swallow the HIV+ blood, your stomach content (the very acidic environment) will actually kill the virus anyway.
In general, the following activities are considered no risk for HIV acquisition:
· Sharing food
· Sharing drinks
· Sharing eating utencils
· Sharing bathrooms (public washrooms included)
· Public swimming pools/hot tubs
· Hugging
· Hand Shakes
· Kissing (even deep kissing)
Hopefully you find the information helpful. If you have any other questions/concerns, please feel free to call/email us.
Stay healthy and keep smiling,
Yoshiko
AIDS Vancouver Helpline Volunteer
E-mail: helpline@aidsvancouver.org
Phone (Mon-Fri 9-4pm): (604) 696-4666
Disclaimer
The AIDS Vancouver Helpline is a volunteer-driven information, referral and support service related to HIV and sexual health. Volunteers are trained in active listening, HIV and sexual health information, and local resources and services. Volunteers are not doctors, nurses, or other licensed professionals. Volunteers do not give advice, and strive to provide service-users with adequate information and appropriate referrals.
Helpline volunteers uphold the agency’s confidentiality and privacy policies. Your calls, forum posts, and emails are anonymous. We welcome you to use a pseudonym or “fake name” when using Helpline services. We will not ask for or track your personal information. To ensure that the Helpline program is providing quality services, the Helpline Coordinator regularly monitors online content (forum posts and emails) and supervises volunteers who are receiving calls.
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