POZ Community Forums
HIV Prevention and Testing => Do I Have HIV? => Topic started by: smoovdoc on July 30, 2006, 05:05:42 am
-
I am currently on a business trip in India. A few days ago, against my better judgment, I went with a few friends to a whore house. I rented a room with a prostitute, but fortunately, I was too scared to do anything. However, the prostitute did finger herself. Immediately after fingering herself, she touched my face for maybe 10-15 secs. I'm not sure if I had any cuts or not, but I am scared that I may have had a cut and her might have gotten infected from her vaginal fluids. I have two questions. First, am I at risk? Secondly, if I were to get tested in the US, would the particular strain prevalent in India be detected by the anti-body tests in the US? Thanks for your help.
- Worried in India.
-
smoov,
You've been posting to these forums for over a year - you should know by now that what you describe is absolutely NOT a risk for hiv infection. NO WAY.
You don't need to test.
Please read through the links provided in the Welcome Thread (http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=220.0).
Ann
-
If I were to get tested, would the particular strain show up on anti-body tests in the US? Also, my friend had intercourse with one of the prostitutes. During the intercourse his condom broke. I haven't spoken to him since - he's extremely worried though. What would you recommend for him to do?
-
smoov,
Your friend needs to test 12-13 weeks after the incident. YOU, on the other hand, do NOT need to test.
There is no weird sub-strain or whatever going around India that wouldn't be picked up on the standard ELISA tests - provided it is taken 12-13 weeks after the risky incident.
Ann
-
So about 3 mos ago, I was in India on a business trip. Two of my coworkers wanted to go check out a whore house, so I went along. Although I did not have sex, the prostitute did finger herself and then touched my face afterwards. I had a small cut on my face. I've done a lot of research on this and I've found out that nearly 50% of the prostitutes in Bombay (where I was at) are HIV infected. I'm worried sick that I might have gotten it from her fingering herself and then touching my face. Approx 2 weeks after the incident, I had flu-like symptoms. I'm really scared and I'm too scared :( to even get tested. Am I at risk at all?
-
smoo,
For a start, don't start new threads each time you come here. I've merged your new thread into your original thread - where you should post all your additional thoughts or questions. It helps us to help you when you keep all your additional thoughts or questions in one thread.
If you need help finding your thread when you come here, click on the "Show own posts" link under your name in the left-hand column of any forum page.
Please also read through the Welcome Thread (http://forums.poz.com/index.php?topic=220.0) so you can familiarize yourself with our Forum Posting Guidelines. Thank you for your cooperation.
You did not have a risk of hiv infection by any stretch of the imagination. Read the Welcome thread like I asked you to the first time you came here. You should know this stuff by now.
Ann
-
So I've gotten an ELISA HIV-1 test done. It came out negative. BUT, I am still worried about HIV-2. I know HIV-2 isn't common in the US but it is common in India, where I had the incident.
I think my fears might be irrational. They might be related to the guilt from going to a whore house (even though I didn't do anything). Just the fact that I was there makes me feel like a horrible person & that I am doomed to die because of it.
Is my fear reallly irrational though? As I mentioned, 50% of prostitutes in Mumbai are HIV positive (http://www.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/050725/25aids.htm). So there's a good chance that she was positive. And I can be sure that I got some of her vaginal fluid on my face since she fingered herself and then touched my face. I also had a small cut on my face from shaving earlier that morning. Given these facts, shouldn't I be worried? To Andy or Ann or whoever: if you were in my situation, would you get yourself tested?
-
smoo,
How many times do you have to be told that you did not, in any way, shape or form, have a risk of hiv infection? It's hardly surprising you tested negative.
You don't need to test for hiv 2. For a start, you didn't have a risk. Secondly, hiv 2 is NOT common in India. The only place on earth it is found in any quantity is Western Africa. That's a long way away from India.
You didn't have a risk. There is nothing more we can do for you here. Regardless of how visiting a sex worker makes you feel, feelings aren't facts. The fact is, hiv is not a punishment and you didn't have a risk of hiv infection.
If you continue to feel as though you should be punished, I suggest you get yourself some counseling. You don't have to live like this.
Ann
-
I got tested yesterday using OraQuick and it came out negative. The person that tested me used a finger-pricking device for the test. I am worried that he might have used a used lancet when he pricked my finger for blood. Am I am just out of my mind!?! I don't remember seeing him change the lancet from the device before he used it on me. What if he just forgot?
-
He didn't forget. You wasn't at risk.
-
OK. It's time to call a halt on this going nowhere.
You've spent more than a year on this site and you're still wringing your hands emotionally over a non-risk for HIV.
We've done whatever we can to answer your questions informatively.
This is not an HIV situation. I have no idea what is driving your unwarranted concern. I'd say it's time for you to get some professional help privately to find out what's up. We can't do that for you.
Consider this a warning before you get a time out.
-
1.) "Roughly 50% of female sex workers in Mumbai are HIV positive." (http://www.asiasource.org/asip/ngos_health.cfm)
2.) Out of the HIV infected sex workers, approximately 10% of the infected sex workers have HIV-2.
3.) HIV-2 is less virulent than HIV-1 and therefore the window period may be much longer. International Journal of STD & AIDS, Volume 11, Number 1, 1 January 2000, pp. 31-37(7)(http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/rsm/std/2000/00000011/00000001/art00006)
My risk:
1.) I got vaginal fluid of female sex worker on my face. Based on the stats above, the chances of the vaginal fluid containing HIV-1 is 45% (.5 * .9). The chances of the vaginal fluid containing HIV-2 is 5% (.5 * .1).
2.) The risk of infection from exposure not involving a puncture or a cut (such as a splash of body fluid onto the skin or the mucous membrane) is less than 0.1%. http://www.cdc.gov/oralhealth/infectioncontrol/faq/bloodborne_exposures.htm
3.) So my risk of HIV-1 is .0045% or about 1 in 22,222 (.45 * .001) and my risk of HIV-2 is .0005% or about 1 in 200,000 (.05 * .001).
4.) I got tested at 4 months post-exposure by HIV 1/2 rapid test. Test at 4 months is about 95% accurate for HIV-1, so the chances that I am infected by HIV-1 and the test did not pick it up is .00025% or 1 in 400,000 (.05 * .000045). HIV-2 has chance of delayed seroconversion, so I will assume that there's a 50% chance that the 4 month test did not pick it up, which means I'd have a .00025% or 1 in 400,000 (.5 * .000005).
Combining my risks for HIV-1 and HIV-2 together and the fact that I've been tested at 4 months, there's a 1 in 200,000 chance that I'm infected. AND I STILL CAN'T STOP WORRYING!!!!!!
-
I am in a similar situation as you. I am concerned about having gotten HIV-2 from a sex worker when I was on a trip to India. Since HIV-1 is much more common than HIV-2, there have been few studies concerning the HIV-2 window period. I've only been able to find two studies concering this issue. The first one determined that the window period was 37 days with the most sensitive test, but a lot of the tests didn't pick it up, suggesting a longer window period. (http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=3040740) Another study found an individual that was infected with HIV-2 but anti-body tests did not pick it up even 8 months after. (http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/rsm/std/2000/00000011/00000001/art00006) I'm really at my wits end with the whole HIV-2 deal. I'm gonna get tested in 6 weeks (it'll be 6 month mark for me) with a hiv1/2 elisa. I guess I'll just have to live with the possibility of a false negative.
-
smoovdoc, please keep all your thoughts and questions in your own thread.
-
smo,
I removed your hijacking post from another thread and placed it here, in your own thread. This thread is the only place you should be asking questions or making comments.
You have been told repeatedly that you have not put yourself at risk for hiv infection. You do not need further testing. You are conclusively hiv negative.
Andy gave you a time out warning the other day but you have totally ignored him. You have given me no choice but to give you the time out you were warned about. Please use this time to get some face-to-face help with your anxiety. We can do no more for you here.
Your time out will be for 28 days. You will not be able to post during this time. Do not create a new account to get around your time out, because if you do, you will be permanently banned, no questions asked.
Ann