Is HIV Transmission Possible Through Vomit?

Posted on Sun, 20 Sep 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sun, 20 Sep 2015 Answered on

Mon, 12 Oct 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : Hi, I have a question about a potential HIV exposure. I recently was working with a patient who was HIV+ and had vomit on him. I wore gloves, a mask, but no eye protection. The patient was not actively vomiting when I was assisting him. However, I am still uneasy about potential transmission. Do you think I should be concerned?

Answered by Dr. Pavan Kumar Gupta (29 minutes later)

Brief answer....explained below
Detailed answer...
Hello,
Thanks for the query.
I have read your query and understand your concern.
There are only four body fluids which have enough concentration of HIV virus to transmit.
These are ...blood,semen,vaginal secretion and breast milk.
If any of these fluids go into eyes,then one can think of transmission of virus but again it is very rare as only very few cases have been documented so far.
Since in your case nothing of this sort has happened,apprehension regarding transmission of HIV virus is totally misplaced.
Relax,forget it and enjoy.
I hope it helps,however you are most welcome to revert to me for any further query.
Best of luck
Thanks

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar