[Question #1527] environment

93 months ago

sir,

1) i was travelling with my friend on my motorcycle and road was not proper . i lost the control of motorcycle. me and my friend both fell down. we both had wounds in legs and hands . i think his wounded hand had touched my wounded hand and also i think his wounded hand had touched my eyes also . what do you say hiv risk?/

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

93 months ago

Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your question.

Of course there is no HIV risk if your friend doesn't have HIV. Why don't you tell him your status (presumably you believe you don't have it) and ask him his. Maybe you'll find he also is worried.

But even if you can't do that, there's really no risk. Nobody in the world has ever been known to catch HIV from an event like this. I cannot say the risk is zero, if indeed his blood came into contact with your freish and bleeding wound or eyes. But even then, the risk would be extremely low. You needn't worry about this. I recommend you not be tested and if you have a regular sex partner, you continue your normal relations. There will be no risk.

I hope this has helped. Best wishes-- HHH, MD

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93 months ago

Thanks for your response . I was worried about it.

A) in your response you said nobody got infected like this even though risk is not absolutely zero .by this you mean this rarely happens .

B ) Does the amount of blood makes difference in your advice?? I mean if i was exposed to large amount of fresh blood , would recommend testing in that case? would you recommend to have regular sex with my wife ?

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

93 months ago

You misunderstood. I gave you the reasons not to worry about this. Do you really think you're going to be the person in the whole world infected like this? As I said before, it has never been known to happen. If there were truly a lot of blood exposure to open wounds, the standard policy would be for both you and your friend to be tested for HIV and other blood borne viruses, like hepatitis B and C. But if I were in your situation, I would not be tested and would continue unprotected sex with my regular partner.

The only thing that might change this might be if you are in a part of the world with especially high rates of HIV, such as sub-Saharan Africa. In that case, I strongly suggest both you and your partner be tested now.

If you remain in doubt, I suggest visiting a local doctor or public health clinic. Or follow my advice above about talking to your friend about his HIV status. Why not, for goodness' sake?

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93 months ago

sir ,

i am sorry , out my worry i asked you like question. i beg your pardon. Here in gulf (middle east ) i cannot ask my friend about his hiv status. it is considered as an insult to him. i understood your explanation that it rarely happens even if i am exposed to large amount of fresh blood

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

93 months ago

I thought there might be a cultural issue in regard to HIV. But there's good news for you as well: HIV is extremely rare throughout the middle East and the gulf states. Even in the free sexual atmosphere of Dhubai, for example, HIV remains very rare. So the chance your friend has HIV is almost zero. You really needn't worry about this.

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