[Question #13556] HIV Risk
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1 months ago
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I read on CDC website that HIV risk is there if food containing HIV blood come in contact with the mouth sores or bleeding gums. My case is not same but similar; accidently I might have drank left over water from the same glass from a HIV infected person within 5-10 minutes, 3 days back. I am having existing root canal infection and little swelling from last 10 days. The HIV infected person is also having dental issues and may be bleeding gums. Considering possibility of blood from HIV person in water cup what is the HIV risk. I am a married person and like to get request advice on the HIV Risk
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
1 months ago
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Welcome back, but this question basically continues the conversation with Dr. Hook, just ended a few hours ago.
You have misinterpreted what you found on the CDC website -- or at least have greatly overreacted to it. You need to be aware of hypothetical transmission routes versus actual risks in the real world and how often they occur. In the 40 years of the known worldwide HIV/AIDS pandemic, there has never been a case known to be transmitted by shared eating utensils, drinking glasses, etc. And of course there must have been millions maybe billions of such events, often involving people who had recent dental extractions or other sores in the mouth. The world's busiest HIV/AIDS clinics never have patients who did not have the standard intimate contacts that resulted in HIV infection: unprotected sex, shared drug injection equipment, and so on. Never -- it doesn't happen! As further evidence, HIV is never transmitted in the households of infected persons: even after years of sharing toilets, kitchens, eating utensils, etc, etc, no household members ever become infected (assuming they are not also sex or needle-sharing partners). Finally, even when infected persons deny the standard risks, on further evaluation it always turns out they were wrong -- either intentionally untruthful or forgetting or not knowing about truly risky events that had occurred.
People concerned about various health issues -- whether HIV or other health threats -- can be easily misled by indiscriminate online searching. There is a strong tendency to selectively "see" and/or misinterpret information that inflames their fears and to miss or even not look for other information that would be more reassuring. If you delve more deeply into CDC's HIV/AIDS information, you can find plenty of statements that agree with mine above -- i.e. the kinds of exposures that actually have resulted in HIV transmission. Probably you should simply stop all online searching about HIV transmission risks. But if you continue, do no react to initial information that frightens you and continue looking. Also stick entirely with professional or professionally moderated websites, and for sure avoid those created by and for people with HIV or at risk (like Reddit for example).
I hope this information settles your fears. Let me know if anything isn't clear.
HHH, MD
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1 months ago
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Thank you for the detailed information sir, appreciate! This is just my anxiety and fear that I am trying to deal from last 18 months or so, every time I find something and goes through the HIV test to pacify my anxiety. This time I will take your word and will not go for testing.
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1 months ago
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Sir, for one of the question in this forum you replied that testing results after 3 day of exposure is good enough. If I test after 4th day of exposure will it be good enough?
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
1 months ago
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You might have misunderstood something you found on the forum. Three days after exposure probably is OK for gonorrhea testing but not HIV, which was the main focus of your question. There is little point in testing for HIV that soon, except as a baseline negative result to show the tested person wasn't infected before the exposure. HIV testing with the PCR RNA ("viral load") test is conclusive after 11 days. The standard and more commonly used AgAb blood tests are nearly conclusive at 4 weeks and 100% after 6 weeks.
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But you still don't need HIV testing until and unless you might be exposed sexually or by shared drug injection equipment.
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