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Can HIV Be Transmitted Through Water Used By An Infected Person?
I was working on a car with someone who has HIV he cut himself and may have gotten some blood in a bucket that i was using to wet sand some paint. I had a small cut on my thumb and put my hand in the water a few times before i relized it. The water and was about 2-3gallons of water and had some paint residue from sanding in it. should i get tested
Thu, 8 Mar 2018
Hello,
HIV virus dies in seconds of coming in contact with air. So, even if we consider the water got contaminated with infected blood, even then the risk of transmission is in minimal category.
The risk is very rare but theoretically possible. If the person is on antiretroviral therapy and HIS RNA load is low, then the risk reduces further. If your wound was not actively bleeding and it was just a cut, then stop getting worried. Remain relaxed.
In my opinion, there is no need to get afraid. To remain on safe side, you can get HIV 1/2 antigen antibody test done at around one month which will rule out the infection.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Seikhoo Bishnoi
HIV virus dies in seconds of coming in contact with air. So, even if we consider the water got contaminated with infected blood, even then the risk of transmission is in minimal category.
The risk is very rare but theoretically possible. If the person is on antiretroviral therapy and HIS RNA load is low, then the risk reduces further. If your wound was not actively bleeding and it was just a cut, then stop getting worried. Remain relaxed.
In my opinion, there is no need to get afraid. To remain on safe side, you can get HIV 1/2 antigen antibody test done at around one month which will rule out the infection.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Seikhoo Bishnoi
I find this answer helpful
Hello,
Short answer: You do not need to worry.
Detailed answer:
HIV is an extremely vulnerable virus and it can survive for very short period of time (within seconds) outside the body. In your case, even though you had a small cut on your thumb and the other person's drops of blood have fallen into the bucket, it is impossible for you to have been infected. The amount of water in the bucket is quite large (about 9 liters) and the blood with HIV has been diluted very much and the concentration of virus is very low.
On the other hand, HIV virus cannot survive in water. The contact of your hand (and cut thumb) with water also minimizes the risk of transmission of HIV. Therefore, I think that it is 100% impossible that you could have contracted HIV.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Ervin Toçi
Short answer: You do not need to worry.
Detailed answer:
HIV is an extremely vulnerable virus and it can survive for very short period of time (within seconds) outside the body. In your case, even though you had a small cut on your thumb and the other person's drops of blood have fallen into the bucket, it is impossible for you to have been infected. The amount of water in the bucket is quite large (about 9 liters) and the blood with HIV has been diluted very much and the concentration of virus is very low.
On the other hand, HIV virus cannot survive in water. The contact of your hand (and cut thumb) with water also minimizes the risk of transmission of HIV. Therefore, I think that it is 100% impossible that you could have contracted HIV.
Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further.
Regards,
Dr. Ervin Toçi
I find this answer helpful
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