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Does Touching Transmit HIV?
Question: Hello Doctor,
Hope you are doing fine. Below is my situation.
While I was driving a bike without helmet, the person driving before me spit in road, his spit was in red colour( may be guthka supari or blood) Some of his spit splashed on my face and in my eyes. I stopped and clean my face and eyes.
I am worried if it is blood. Assume he is HIV positive. If his blood enter my eyes. Does this transmit HIV? Please help.
Hope you are doing fine. Below is my situation.
While I was driving a bike without helmet, the person driving before me spit in road, his spit was in red colour( may be guthka supari or blood) Some of his spit splashed on my face and in my eyes. I stopped and clean my face and eyes.
I am worried if it is blood. Assume he is HIV positive. If his blood enter my eyes. Does this transmit HIV? Please help.
Brief Answer:
HIV transmission risk is negligible
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thanks for posting your query.
Sorry for the extreme delay in my response as I was in outstation in attending a conference at Goa.
HIV is not spreading through air born droplets, or through saliva. The HIV concentration in saliva is not adequate enough to cause a new infection. Saliva contains an enzyme called as lysozyme which is also inimical to the virus. As expected, transmission is possible if the saliva was contaminated with blood. But in such condition also, if it contacted the intact skin or mucus membrane then the HIV transmission risk is negligible only.
Not to worry.
Dr S. Murugan
HIV transmission risk is negligible
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Thanks for posting your query.
Sorry for the extreme delay in my response as I was in outstation in attending a conference at Goa.
HIV is not spreading through air born droplets, or through saliva. The HIV concentration in saliva is not adequate enough to cause a new infection. Saliva contains an enzyme called as lysozyme which is also inimical to the virus. As expected, transmission is possible if the saliva was contaminated with blood. But in such condition also, if it contacted the intact skin or mucus membrane then the HIV transmission risk is negligible only.
Not to worry.
Dr S. Murugan
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Saisudha Kotla
Thanks for the reply Doctor. One last question.
Does HIV transmit through drinking in water bottle with refridgerator cool and chilled water? Assume if some blood or semen mixed in that water and stored in refrigerator. I am little worried when I saw a red colour stain in water
Does HIV transmit through drinking in water bottle with refridgerator cool and chilled water? Assume if some blood or semen mixed in that water and stored in refrigerator. I am little worried when I saw a red colour stain in water
Brief Answer:
HIV transmission risk through refrigerated drinking water is nil
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Welcome back.
How can you expect blood and semen in a drinking water bottle in the refrigerator?
HIV cannot thrive outside the body fluids not more than few seconds. so not at all worry about that.
Fortunately in XXXXXXX the HIV incidence fallen down to 0.21%. If it could be transmitted in the ways you had mentioned, we would not be able to arrive at this rate of success.
Dr S. Murugan
HIV transmission risk through refrigerated drinking water is nil
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Welcome back.
How can you expect blood and semen in a drinking water bottle in the refrigerator?
HIV cannot thrive outside the body fluids not more than few seconds. so not at all worry about that.
Fortunately in XXXXXXX the HIV incidence fallen down to 0.21%. If it could be transmitted in the ways you had mentioned, we would not be able to arrive at this rate of success.
Dr S. Murugan
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
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