Extremely worried, can you help me please?

[Gemini15]

Hi. Im hoping you can provide answers to my questions below & your opinion on an incident I had. Keeping in mind that I am a virgin & have never injected drugs please tell me if I have put myself at any risk of HIV.

1) A few days back I got a shaving nick on my finger. It was a tiny scratch about the size of a freckle but it bled a little. 4,5 hours later I went to the mall. I touched a lot of surfaces in particular doors. At one point my cut pressed against a door at which moment I had a massive panic attack. It was a glass door and I didn't see any visible fresh blood on it, but my cut wasn't healed, it hadn't scabbed and when I pressed it against a tissue even a few hours later, there was a tiny drop of blood or two. So would this classify as a fresh and open cut? And in case I touched infected blood on the door, am I at risk, do I need PEP & do I need to test? I don't really want to test because it's terrifying & deep down I don't think I have put myself at risk, if this was an incident that could transmit HIV everyone would be at risk everyday right?

2) I have read several times that HIV is not passed from environmental surfaces but I came across an article which is even on your website about a knife fight in which one man in Taiwan got infected by another man in a robbery. Now if the knife infected the man how is this possible since the knife would have been exposed to air at some point right? As you can see, even though I know environmental surfaces cannot transmit HIV, this article worries me hence I am concerned about my incident above.

3) what is meant by direct contact with blood? If two people have heavily bleeding deep wounds and they were to come in contact and rub each other's wounds or bleed directly into their wounds, then is this what is meant by direct contact with blood that poses a risk? Because what confuses me is indirect contact which is said is no risk but if one person has a deep bleeding wound and comes into contact immediately with blood on an environmental surface left from another person, wouldn't that be the same thing ie. direct contact? Then why is it said that environmental surfaces can't transmit HIV?

4) Lastly I'd like to know just how severe the wound would have to be to pose a risk because even superficial cuts & scratches do bleed so wouldn't they also be classified as fresh wounds that could pose a risk? I mean how would I know if my cut is severe enough to be of concern?

I understand I have asked a lot of questions, please don't get angry. I understand you must get silly questions like mine all the time but please take some time out as I need explanatory answers for my concerns. I don't want to have to worry every time I get a little cut or scratch, I just need to clarify everything once & for all so I can move on with my life! I hope you understand & i will greatly appreciate your help.

[Joe K]

You have not had even the slightest risk of infection.  HIV is a very fragile virus.  Its outer surface becomes damaged, immediately when leaving the host; where changes in temperature, pH and moisture levels, alter the HIV outer surface, rendering it unable to infect.  This is why HIV DOES NOT survive on environmental surfaces.

HIV is not transmitted through casual contact, it is transmitted during unprotected intercourse, where the virus never leaves the bodies of the two people.

The risk factors for HIV are ...

Sharing IV drug needles immediately after use.
Unprotected anal and vaginal sex.
Mother to child during or shortly after birth.
Very specific health care situations.

For a wound to present any possibility of infection, it would need to be a deep, gaping wound that was bleeding profusely (google meth mouth).

Use condoms for vaginal and anal sex consistently and correctly and you will avoid HIV infection, it is that simple.

Joe

[Gemini15]

Okay thank you. Your answer has eased my concerns. Please just also explain what happened in the knife fight incident that caused one man to get infected? The case I'm talking about is also on your website and aidsmap as well. How is it that the man became infected with a knife? Isn't the knife an environmental surface?

Also, I know this is a rather silly question but let's assume there was blood on the door, the transparent glass door that I touched. Anyone could tell if there was fresh dripping blood on it right? And if I touched this blood my hand would've become stained and it would've felt wet or sticky right? I'm only looking for reassurance that this didn't happen because I know I didn't see any blood and I didn't feel anything wet on my hand.
Thank you so much once again!

[Joe K]

I am not familiar with the "knife fight incident" and it does not matter as you did not have a risk.  The fact is that HIV does not survive outside of the host and therefore cannot survive on environmental surfaces.

We do personal risk assessments and you have not had a risk.

Joe

[Gemini15]

Okay.
But if anyone else here is familiar with the knife fight I'm talking about please do explain it to me. Thanks.

[Joe K]

I found the story you referenced.  It was determined there was direct blood-to-blood contact, between the attacker and victim that caused the infection.  In this case there were large gaping wounds, bleeding profusely, which allowed the transmission to take place.

Joe