I am from North America and do not have any history of STIs.

A few days ago, I went to a Supermarket to buy some snacks. Suddenly, I noticed red watery stuff on the side of my middle and index fingers. I though it may be blood and wiped it away with my thumb. After about two minutes, I rushed to the washroom and washed my hands thoroughly with soap and water. I am sure, I got this from some surface or from a grocery item. I did not touch or have contact with anyone. So, for sure, I got this red liquid on my fingers indirectly (from a surface). Also, I did not touch any other areas of my body.

Now I am really worried about the risk of getting HIV from this incident cz I think I came in to contact with someone's blood. By the way, my hands were dry, but there were no visible cuts or wounds.

1.What is the risk of getting HIV from this incident if the red liquid on my fingers were HIV-positive blood?

2.If there were small cracks in the dry skin not visible to the eye, can I consider my skin as intact?

3.As my hands were dry, can HIV-infected blood absorb through the skin and infect me with HIV?

4.Do I need any testing at all? 

5. Is it safe to resume sex with my partner?

Appreciate your advice on this. Thanks!

I'll start by saying I am skeptical there was any blood contact. I have trouble figuring out how there cold be enough blood on a market surface (food, counters, etc) to be visible on your fingers. Equally important, blood has a very typical appearance -- if were blood, it seems likely you would have said that, not "red watery stuff". And "watery" is not a good description of blood.

But let's say it was blood after all. Still there is no realistic risk of HIV. In the 40+ years of the worldwide HIV/AIDS epidemic, there has never been an HIV infection reliably attributed to blood contact in the environment'; if it occurs, it is exceedingly rarely. Second, if it was blood, what is the likelihood it was from an HIV infected person? Near zero, especially if you're in the US or other industrialized country. Third, blood contact on intact skin is entirely risk free.

Those comments start to cover your numbered questions, but to assure no misunderstanding:

1. "What is the risk...?" Zero or close to it, even if the substance was blood.

2. Over the years there must have been millions of exposures of skin to HIV infected blood, and since cuts and nicks in the skin are very common, many of these had to involve such contact -- and still no known cases. And anyway, any skin defect so small you couldn't see it would not risk HIV even if exposed.

3. Dry versus wet makes no known difference in absence of risk of skin contact with blood.

4. You should not be tested for HIV.

5. There is absolutely no reason to avoid sex with your partner.

Do your best to put this event out of your mind and not worry further about it.

I hope this response is helpful. Let me know if anything isn't clear.

HHH, MD

Thanks for the answers. Yes I am from Canada and I have following follow up questions.

1.I see your answer for the question 1, was "1. "What is the risk...?" Zero or close to it, even if the substance was blood.". 

But I red few posts in this forum where it stated that blood contact on intact skin in the environment is  no risk events.

or does it mean my risk is even less than a no risk event (which is close to zero)?

2.I am not sure it was blood, may be something else, but I am worrying of the risk if it is blood. It was not a large amount just on the side of 2 fingers' and  , I did not have much time to examine it, but as I slightly remember the red thing was not sticky like blood. As I am getting treatment for HIV contamination OCD, what is the scientific reasoning behind these kind of exposures(in environment) to be sure I am not gonna infected with HIV?

Regards!

2. ...which probably it was not. But I have explained why this is no risk even if it WAS blood. Re-read my comments above. The "scientific reasoning" is that there has never been an HIV infection known to have been acquired by such contact. Since that's the case, the biological reasons don't matter.