Is this possible?

[bhadwa]

My roommate recently found out that he is positive and is waiting for other tests so that he can start his meds.
Ever since his diagnosis, one doubt is killing me.
We live in a city highly populated by mosquitoes and getting bitten by several mosquitoes and swatting them with bare hands is a normal thing here.
I am into martial arts so I often suffer open wounds and bruises on my arms and legs and there are several abrasions on my palms.
I remember swatting a fully engorged mosquito on my open wounds on more than one occasion and splattering blood all over it.
Now if this blood happens to be from my friend who is HIV+, what are my chances of getting infected?
We share the same room and on a normal day we swat about 20 mozzies before going to bed.
Please help

[Jim Allen]

Hi

No risk whatsoever, absolutely none.

HIV isn’t transmitted By hugging, shaking hands, sharing toilets, sharing dishes, kissing, through saliva, tears, or sweat or by mosquitoes, ticks or other blood-sucking insects.

Here's what you need to know in order to avoid hiv infection:
Use condoms for anal or vaginal intercourse, correctly and consistently, every time, no exceptions.

Keep in mind that some sexual practices which may be described as ‘safe’ in terms of HIV transmission might still pose a risk for transmission of other STI's, so please do get fully tested regularly and at least yearly for all STI's including but not limited to HIV and test more frequently if unprotected intercourse occurs

Also note that it is possible to have an STI and show no signs or symptoms and the only way of knowing is by testing.

More information on HIV Basics, PEP, TaSP and Transmission can be found through the links in my signature to our POZ pages, this includes information on HIV Testing

Kind regards

Jim

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[bhadwa]

Thank you Mr.Jim
The CDC website states the following
"Contact between broken skin, wounds, or mucous membranes and HIV-infected blood or blood-contaminated body fluids. Deep, open-mouth kissing if both partners have sores or bleeding gums and blood from the HIV-positive partner gets into the bloodstream of the HIV-negative partner."
The blood entered both broken skin and wounds on my body several times.
There is a lot of misinformation out there.
Can I forget all about it and continue unprotected with my girlfriend and not worry about putting her at risk?

[Jim Allen]

?

You sir are a fool. If you are engaging with anyone in unprotected sex you are on a sure path to catching HIV and/or other STI's. Use a condom !!!

Stop reading things you don't understand and out of context. Stop reading the CDC, the theoretical debate and posting they have is pure "irrational heading towards hysterical" when it comes to HIV.

HiV is fragile and difficult to transmit so much so that well nobody has been infected by it outside the human body through contact and we know back to basics that HIV has an outer protein/receptors that are needed to remain infectious and they corrodes in contact with air, so it can no longer infect.

This poses a great problem to study it, and laboratory studies such as the ones at the CDC labs have to use unnaturally high and artificial laboratory-grown concentrations under precisely controlled and limited laboratory conditions to even study it, as it normally simply does not survive long in outside the body.  (Ask a lab how they do it, if you want to know more on how they artificially grow HIV as that part is beyond me)

Now the fact that in labs they can keep HIV viable outside the body has caused some people to misunderstand this to mean environmental risk is possible.
This is not the case as the labs use artificial conditions and concentrations of HIV many times greater than than anything ever found in patient specimens, the amounts of virus studied are simply not found in nature, and again no one has been infected with HIV this way.

Move on with you life and start using condoms and testing yearly for STI's and HIV.

HIV firstly needs to be present for it to be a risk and in sufficient quantity for it to transmit, it also than needs an effective route, and it must also reach cells which are susceptible to infection.

All 4 conditions must be met and sexually inside the human body otherwise it is not infectious.
 
Your concerns did not even meet 1 of the biological requirements.
The only concern you should have is the sex with your GF that is a true real world risk!!

Jim

[bhadwa]

Sir my girlfriend and I get tested regularly and we have been together for nearly 5 years. Sometimes we like to do it unprotected because we trust each other.
Coming back to my situation,
Don't you think that poz blood that had just been ingested by a mosquito would be shielded in its digestive tract from air and other elements that could corrode the outer protein?
Now if this blood came in direct contact with a wound on account of a fully engorged mosquito being squashed directly on the wound, would not some virus manage to make it to the blood stream? I hear all it takes is one virion to facilitate transmission.

[Wade]

No,No and No !!!
Use your common sense, the entire word would be infected if the virus were transmitted like this. Jim has answered your question correctly and thoroughly.
It's ridiculous scenarios like this that scare and spread ignorance.
Do not post about this again or you will find yourself banned.

Wade

[Jim Allen]

Sir my girlfriend and I get tested regularly and we have been together for nearly 5 years. Sometimes we like to do it unprotected because we trust each other.

Only thing I will add is that trust does not prevent STI's its that simple. That is how I got HIV, not protecting myself and trust.

Your posts are simply ludicrous. As wade said move on.

[Jim Allen]

Hi

I see you lurking and buying a subscription, i am not sure why so let me be clear.

You had no risk from your roommate whatsoever and this has been explained to you in detail.

The fears you have are simply irrational, outdated and bordering on insulting. HIV is not transmitted in the way you fear, seek face to face support as in a therapist or mental health care support if you can't move on by yourself, so they can help you deal with your irrational fears. It is however beyond what we can assist you with in this setting.

Now I am warning that whatever you do or do not we are not here to debate your irrational fears and this "what if" nonsense. As for your GF you have been advised to practice safer sex and test at least yearly for HIV and STI's, if you choose not to that is up to you again it is not up for debate.

I will warn only once, subscription or not, rules apply and so simply do not post or ask about the no risk situation again with your flatmate again, or the risks you choose to take with your girlfriend at all again or it will lead to an intimidate ban.

I say this from a point of kindness as you just need to move on now, 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.

Jim

[bhadwa]

This has nothing to do with my roomie or my gf, hear me out please
I may sound silly but here's what happened yesterday and I am scared, please bear with me.
I bought a cigarette from a one of those run down roadside stalls in my city
After I lit the cigarette and smoked it half way, I saw what clearly appeared to be blood on the white stub (the part that goes between the lips) There is no doubt it was blood and it touched my lips and probably my gums too.

I don't know when or how it got there, clearly not from my mouth as I didn't have bleeding gums or anything of that sort, chapped lips due to winter but never bleeding.

I realized the only way fresh blood could get on the stub was that the vendor had an open wound on his fingers and pulled out a cigarette for me from the pack.I just failed to notice the blood before putting the cigarette between my lips.
There is no other explanation.

Is there a risk from this incident? Is testing warranted?

PS. This is a great community and I am overwhelmed by the support you guys extend. Is there any way I can contribute apart from paid subscription?

[Jim Allen]

No and already answered.

Don't post again about outside the body risks. You will be banned

Stop reading things you don't understand and out of context. Stop reading the CDC, the theoretical debate and posting they have is pure "irrational heading towards hysterical" when it comes to HIV.

HiV is fragile and difficult to transmit so much so that well nobody has been infected by it outside the human body through contact and we know back to basics that HIV has an outer protein/receptors that are needed to remain infectious and they corrodes in contact with air, so it can no longer infect.

This poses a great problem to study it, and laboratory studies such as the ones at the CDC labs have to use unnaturally high and artificial laboratory-grown concentrations under precisely controlled and limited laboratory conditions to even study it, as it normally simply does not survive long in outside the body.  (Ask a lab how they do it, if you want to know more on how they artificially grow HIV as that part is beyond me)

Now the fact that in labs they can keep HIV viable outside the body has caused some people to misunderstand this to mean environmental risk is possible.
This is not the case as the labs use artificial conditions and concentrations of HIV many times greater than than anything ever found in patient specimens, the amounts of virus studied are simply not found in nature, and again no one has been infected with HIV this way.

Move on with you life and start using condoms and testing yearly for STI's and HIV.

HIV firstly needs to be present for it to be a risk and in sufficient quantity for it to transmit, it also than needs an effective route, and it must also reach cells which are susceptible to infection.

All 4 conditions must be met and sexually inside the human body otherwise it is not infectious.
 
Your concerns did not even meet 1 of the biological requirements.
The only concern you should have is the sex with your GF that is a true real world risk!!

Jim

[bhadwa]

Sir is this not somewhat similar to receptive oral which is a theoretical risk?
Wouldn't the active virus that got on my chapped lips make this a risky exposure?

I understand it was outside the body and all that but can I put my life at stake based on the assumption that all the virus in the blood would be dead by the time it got on my lips and entered my mouth? Can I really put this behind me and live normally?

Can you please tell me why this wouldn't happen based on your expertise rather than general statements like the HIV is fragile? I'd like to know what is it exactly that renders HIV non infectious outside the body and how quickly does this happen?

PS. How can I contribute to the community?

[Jim Allen]

Banned
  Already answered and warmed several times.

Stop seeking a risk when you simply have none at all.

HiV is fragile and difficult to transmit so much so that well nobody has been infected by it outside the human body through contact and we know back to basics that HIV has an outer protein/receptors that are needed to remain infectious and they corrodes in contact with air, so it can no longer infect.

Jim

[bhadwa]

I guess I deserved than ban
But there is another incident that has been bothering me.
Recently I had to take a piss real bad and I had no option but use a public toilet that was infested by 100s of mosquitoes
They were literally everywhere
So I did my business and when I got home I found a dead mosquito and blood under my foreskin while taking a shower!
I am scared shitless now to say the least
Suppose this mosquito had just bitten a poz person and then happen to be trapped under my foreskin and subsequently happened to smear blood in that area, what are my chances?
I have read that mosquitoes carry infectious HIV particles for quite some time after a blood meal.
PS. Please don't ban me I am really worried and I can't handle being shunned everyone I try to talk to

[Jim Allen]

HIV isn’t transmitted By hugging, shaking hands, sharing toilets, sharing dishes, kissing, through saliva, tears, or sweat or by mosquitoes, ticks or other blood-sucking insects.

Already answered and warmed several times.

No it is not possible at all, if mosquitoes could carry HIV than 2/3 of the planet would have HIV. HIV is fragile unlike other viruses and highly difficult to transmit and only in very limited conditions.

There is no third Time Out - next time 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.

Your fears are utterly irrational and are driven by nothing but fear itself, speak to someone face to face , stop reading rubbish online.

Jim