[Question #3207] Blood on hands?
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91 months ago
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Hello to you all. It may be a silly question, sorry in advance, but i was wondering what is a possibility of me getting infected. I went to a hotel's restaurant the other day and touched the door handle. Then, about 5 minutes later, I was eating some candy with my bear hands without washing them prior (stupid, I know, just got distracted). There were a lot of people who were entering the restaurant right before me, in front of my eyes. If their blood got on the handle (like from a cut of one of them) , I touched it and then eat my candy without washing hands about 5 minutes later-would there be a possibility of transmission? I have a bad tooth in my mouth as eating candy made it a bit sensitive. Thank you. PS If some blood transmitted from handle to candy and to my mouth, I would have the "iron taste" in my mouth, right? I did not feel that....
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
91 months ago
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Welcome to the forum. Thanks for your question.
No worries at all about this sort of event. HIV is NEVER transmitted in this fashion. If HIV could be passed by this sort of thing, HIV/AIDS would be a hundred times more common than it is and would not be classfied as an STD. Even if you swallowed an ounce of HIV infected blood, you probably would not catch it. The small amounts of blood that conceivably could get into your food never transmits HIV. All you need to do to prevent getting HIV is to have only safe sex with partners at low risk and avoid sharing drug injection equipment with other persons. That's all.
So nothing to worry about at all! I hope these comments are reassuring for you, but let me know if anything isn't clear.
HHH, MD
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91 months ago
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Thank you very much! Very reassuring. I will just forget about that experience :)
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H. Hunter Handsfield, MD
91 months ago
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I'm glad to have helped. Thanks for the thanks -- that's why we're here!---