HIV exposure or not (expert pls help)

[nok6e]

The accident which is driving me crazy is that, while having my HIV RAPID TEST.
The physician used new syringe to take my blood. After removing the syringe he pressed my vein with a cotton swab. The same time I found drops of blood on table as well half of teaspoon blood near drops.  This could be of previous patient or have been accidentally. There was 1-2 minute time between me and previous patient. My concern is that if he kept the cotton swab on the blood and pressed my vein.

(1)   Can I be infected?
(2)   Should I go for test

I asked on other site they said that time is sufficient for deactivation of virus so no need to test.

But as I asked helpline they said low risk and asked for testing.

I am getting mixed response u just tell me what should I do (please)?

[RapidRod]

1. No
2. No

HIV is unable to reproduce outside its living host (unlike many bacteria or fungi, which may do so under suitable conditions), except under laboratory conditions; therefore, it does not spread or maintain infectiousness outside its host.

[Ann]

Nok,

Hiv is a fragile, difficult to transmit virus that is primarily transmitted INSIDE the human body, as in unprotected anal or vaginal intercourse where the virus never leaves the confines of the two bodies.

Once outside the body, small changes in temperature, and pH and moisture levels all quickly damage the virus and render it unable to infect. For this reason, you were in no danger from the blood on the table.

Here's what you need to know in order to avoid hiv infection:

You need to be using condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, every time, no exceptions until such time as you are in a securely monogamous relationship where you have both tested for ALL sexually transmitted infections together.

To agree to have unprotected intercourse is to consent to the possibility of being infected with an STI. Sex without a condom lasts only a matter of minutes, but hiv is forever.

Have a look through the condom and lube links in my signature line so you can use condoms with confidence.

ALTHOUGH YOU DO NOT NEED TO TEST SPECIFICALLY OVER THIS INCIDENT, anyone who is sexually active should be having a full sexual health care check-up, including but not limited to hiv testing, at least once a year and more often if unprotected intercourse occurs.

If you aren't already having regular, routine check-ups, now is the time to start. As long as you make sure condoms are being used for intercourse, you can fully expect your routine hiv tests to return with negative results.

Don't forget to always get checked for all the other sexually transmitted infections as well, because they are MUCH easier to transmit than hiv.

Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, and you will avoid hiv infection. It really is that simple!

Ann

[nok6e]

Thanks both of you. you have cleared my tension. as i had already been said that hiv don't survive long outside the body. but as i later had a chat with a counselor on hiv helpline he said it requires to dry. as well  some sites says it deactivates 90-99% once expose to air that information was hurting me. becoz accident of mine was just 1-2 min. later, if the remaining active virus enters my blood stream via latest punctured (vein) wound. these 7-8 days has been hell for me. 


THANKS now i feeling better.

[nok6e]

Can exposure to air deactivates 100% virus in blood amount of a teaspoon in 1-2 minutes? i am afraid because it was not a little cut on finger but latest punctured vein.

[jkinatl2]

Can exposure to air deactivates 100% virus in blood amount of a teaspoon in 1-2 minutes? i am afraid because it was not a little cut on finger but latest punctured vein.

Of course it does. I am sorry your HIV counselor gave you incorrect advice.

HIV simply can not remain infectious outside the human body, even for a second. While I sort of get the counselor's misunderstanding, there is a WORLD of difference between an INERT virus and an INACTIVE virus.

ANY exposure to oxygen, temperature, pH and chemical changes outside the body make the virus incapable of attaching itself to a receptor cell. Without those EXTREMELY frail means of attachment, the virus presents NO danger to anyone.

As a matter of fact, it took scientists almost a decade of studying and manipulating the virus to create an artificial laboratory environment in which it remained active and infectious long enough to even study it, to figure out how, exactly it infected human cells.

Were the virus as robust as the HIV counselor suggested, we would have found treatments for it LONG prior to 1997. We would also have a pandemic that is exponentially worse than it is, since family members and partners and friends have been taking care of people with HIV/AIDS since the beginning, blood and body fluid spills included.

Using theoretical data that is twenty years out of date frustrates me. Having HIV counselors without a basic understanding of virology and biology/epidemiology is also less than helpful.

You had no risk.

[nok6e]

Thank u sooooooooo muuuuccccchhhhh..................

Now i feel good.

One more and last question. Do any amount of hiv infected blood like 200 ml, Will take more time for deactivation than less amount.

[RapidRod]

Thank u sooooooooo muuuuccccchhhhh..................

Now i feel good.

One more and last question. Do any amount of hiv infected blood like 200 ml, Will take more time for deactivation than less amount.

No. HIV is unable to reproduce outside its living host (unlike many bacteria or fungi, which may do so under suitable conditions), except under laboratory conditions; therefore, it does not spread or maintain infectiousness outside its host.

[Ann]

Nok,

You are just NOT going to become infected from blood lying around on an environmental surface. It's never happened before and it's not happening to you.


If you read the Welcome Thread before posting like you're supposed to, you will have read the following posting guideline:

Anyone who continues to post excessively, questioning a conclusive negative result or no-risk situation, will be subject to a four week Time Out (a temporary ban from the Forums). If you continue to post excessively after one Time Out, you may be given a second Time Out which will last eight weeks. There is no third Time Out - it is a permanent ban. The purpose of a Time Out is to encourage you to seek the face-to-face help we cannot provide on this forum.

Please consider yourself warned!

Ann

[nok6e]

Sorry i don't want to be banned. It is my fear which is asking so many question. I have read some where it requires hiv blood to be dry to be inactive. Some where i read it takes minutes to deactivate 90-99% not completely. Whereas in my case it was 1 minute and blood was not dried. So tell me

i will not post further. Thanks

[Ann]

nok,

The blood doesn't have to be dried. This has already been explained to you at great length.

Re-read your entire thread. Our answers are not going to change and we're not going to keep repeating the same things over and over again.

You did NOT have a risk for hiv infection!

Your Time Out warning still stands.

Ann