Exposure

[Qweuiop]

Hi,

1) My concern is over having two people lick my severely sunburnt ear – is sunbunt skin considered broken and is this a route for transmission via the saliva (or even blood) of a positive person? Or is sunburnt skin technically intact with only a shallow top layer that peels without affecting the skin’s ability to protect from infection?

I’ve been told my risk was non-existent but various symptoms continue to cause me concern: bad flu five and half weeks after exposure, a subsequent dry cough that lasted 8 weeks, followed by a break of 7 weeks before I picked up another cough that is now in its fifth week; and low-grade fever that feels like it has persisted for 6 months.

2) Do fourth-gen lab tests in the UK detect both 1 and 2 and other rare strains? I was told by the clinic that they do but cannot find much information online. My exposure/non-exposure was in sub-Saharan Africa.

3) I tested negative at 10 weeks through a UK lab-test (assume this is fourth-gen?). I asked to test again at 12 weeks but was advised against it because – as the doctor put it – the lab test used in the UK in practice picks up almost all infections by weeks 4-6, and certainly by week 8 – it is a combination of outdated information, legal conservatism and standardised medical testing that keeps government window pegged at 12 weeks.  Any thoughts?

[Joe K]

Licking an ear is not a risk for HIV infection.

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 healthcare situations.

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

Your negative result at 10 weeks is conclusive as you never had a risk.

Joe

[Qweuiop]

Thank you for you reply.

Do you have any comments on bad sunburn as a possible route of transmission (broken skin or not) and do you know if fourth-gen tests pick up strains 1, 2 and other rare varieties?

I can accept that a no risk situation coupled with a negative result means that I am conclusively negative but these thoughts keep coming back.

[Jeff G]

Thank you for you reply.

Do you have any comments on bad sunburn as a possible route of transmission (broken skin or not) and do you know if fourth-gen tests pick up strains 1, 2 and other rare varieties?

I can accept that a no risk situation coupled with a negative result means that I am conclusively negative but these thoughts keep coming back.

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.
 
You did not have a risk and you tested negative . The test you used test for all strains so you are covered .

[Qweuiop]

Hi again,

I know this isn’t a hand-holding service for hypochondriacs, so I apologise in advance for this follow-up vent. I will be seeking help to manage my irrational fixation on the idea that I have been infected and that this has been missed by modern testing and trained assessors.

While I can step back momentarily and appreciate that I am negative, as soon as I dwell on what I perceive to be symptoms I again fall into a circle of questioning my result.

My symptoms following a very short and intense flu five and a half weeks after my (non-)exposure were a chronic dry cough, what felt like a low-grade fever, and a rash underneath dry, cracked knuckles. After a classic episode of self-diagnosing through google, I convinced my self that I had been infected, went through ARS, and had already progressed to the next stage of the illness.

I tested three days after this fixation began / ten weeks and one day after my exposure. In the week between testing and receiving my result I had night sweats on two consecutive sleeps, lost close to 10% of my body weight, and generally felt unwell—in hindsight these were all likely byproducts of anxiety.

My anxiety was temporarily relieved after I received my negative result for three main reasons:

1)   my confusion over testing period windows
2)   my confusion over the test picking up all strains of the virus considering the source of my anxiety was in sub-Saharan Africa
3)   my confustions over whether or not sunburnt skin is considered broken skin/an open wound

If I may begin to answer my own questions:

1)   fourth-gen lab testing windows would certainly pick up infections post-ARS/sero-conversion (flu) had that in fact been what I went through at five and a half weeks. In any case (without bringing up the politics around window periods) they pick up all infections by the ten-week mark for those not under immunosuppressants, chemos, IV users etc.
2)   As noted by Jeff above, they do test for the rarer varieties of the disease. But does this really include all of the strains?
3)   Sunburnt skin, even if it peels or blisters, is still too shallow to be a route for transmission.

This then brings me to the point of symptoms—which I know you do not discuss. My first chronic cough lasted eight weeks roughly (my GP advised this is in line with typical recoveries from self-limiting viral infections). After a respite of around five and a half weeks, I then caught another sore throat, which left me with a cough for about three weeks. I then had a break of two days, before coming down with a sore throat, runny nose, and then a cough that is now in its third week. (I’m not sure if the second and third coughs are in fact one and the same!). My concern comes from my doctor telling me that recurring coughs and colds are a worrying symptom. I have also felt like I have had a low-grade fever ever since my flu.

It has now been 170 days since my exposure. I didn’t bother giving full details of my exposure above, since I have read through enough threads to know that me being fully clothed in the situation I was in was no risk. My fixation was only really on the issue of the sunburnt ear.

A closing point is that, following ARS, symptoms tend to disappear for a while. In my case, a persistent cough, or recurring coughs and sniffles in the period I’ve had them would likely be caused by other factors that have contributed to a weakened immune system – a few which I can think of: poor diet, a very stressful job, lack of exercise, a work environment and journey to work where I’m exposed to many different people in a confined space, and a history of sore throats, chest infections, and chronic dry coughs. 

[Jeff G]

Please talk to your doctor and tell them that you are having irrational fears and ask for some help with your mental health issues . We can do no more than what we have done already and that is give you the facts .

Please do not buy a subscription to continue to ask questions because as much as we would love to we can't help you . You do not have HIV ... Im wishing you the very best .