[Question #13691] HIV Risk / HIV Transmission Question
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2 days ago
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Hi,
A few days ago I had an incident where I got into a confrontation with 2 men where they got in my face and we were yelling in each others faces profanities. There was no violence/touching/hitting involved. They just got in my face, close to my face and were yelling and cursing me out, and I did the same to them.
Can you get hiv like this?
Can hiv be transmitted to me from this incident?
Thank you.
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
2 days ago
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Welcome to our Forum. Thanks for your questions. I'll be glad to comment. You do not know whether either of the other men involved in your confrontation has untreated HIV and it is statistically unlikely that they did. Even if one did, there is nothing about the confrontation you describe suggests any risk for HIV, even if some of their saliva got onto your face or into your mouth. Exposure to an infected person's spit or saliva has not been associated with risk for HIV. I see no reason for concern and no scientific reason for testing.
I hope this information is helpful. If anything about this response is unclear, please don't hesitate to use your up to two follow-ups for clarification. EWH
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2 days ago
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Thanks so much for your answer.
If there was blood in there spit, would this be a risk?
The cdc says that:
You can get HIV if you have anal or vaginal sex with someone who has HIV without using protection. You can also get HIV from sharing needles, syringes, or other drug injection equipment (for example, cookers) with someone who has HIV. You can pass HIV to your baby during pregnancy, childbirth, and nursing (breastfeeding).
Then they list little or no risk that are theoretically possible.
In your opinion and experience, is unprotected sex, sharing needles, and mother to child the only ways hiv is transmitted from one person to another?
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Edward W. Hook M.D.
2 days ago
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The presence of blood in someone's saliva in this situation would not increase the risk of infection.
We agree that. for all practical purposes, the only meaningful risk factors for HIV are unprotected sex with an infected, untreated person or through injection of contaminated material through sharing needles or sharing drug injection equipment. While there may be a theoretical risk from other sorts of exposure, that risk is similar to the theoretical risk of being struck by lightening and is not something that it is practical to worry about. EWH
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