[Question #8422] New Incident of Concern
 |
44 months ago
|
Hello and sorry to have to be back but I’ve since had a new incident and I wanted some clarification on if it’s an actual risk or not.
This past thanksgiving I had a regular family dinner and while greeting some extended family including a teenage cousin who had some acne. A mixture of active, popped, scabbed, bleeding, open pimples on his face. I grabbed his face to squeeze it in the greeting and maybe seconds later went to fish an eyelash out of my eyeball. Full on finger touching eyeball. I realized only afterwards how stupid it was to do so without washing my hands.
Considering he had some open “wounds” (pimples) on his face that I probably touched with my hands and then touched my eyeballs with the same hand, how risky was this encounter? Would you recommend testing?
Thank you and happy holidays.
|
44 months ago
|
To be clear there was bloody pimples as well. Some scabbed and some seemingly fresh but I can’t be sure.
 |
Edward W. Hook M.D.
44 months ago
|
I’m sorry you felt the need to return to the Forum following the innocuous, no risk event you describe. It makes me doubt that you have sought Counseling for to your HIV-related OCD/anxiety as suggested.
This was a no risk of it. First, you do not know that your cousin has untreated HIV, something that is very very unlikely. Second, even if he did, transmission of HIV from an infected person to an an uninfected person through transfer of material, including material from a bleeding pimple, does not put you at risk for acquisition of HIV. This includes the fact that you went to remove an eyelash from your eye following touching his face.
This was a no risk event. There is no need for testing. Please seek counseling. HIV is far less widespread than you seem to believe and not terribly easy to transmit. You are worrying entirely too much. EWH
--- |
44 months ago
|
Thank you doctor, I am looking into therapy because this way of thinking is very hard to control. It’s just also unfortunately hard to get immediate counseling with my insurance as well. I still have a month left until an appointment.
So just to be sure even if blood from his pimple got onto my finger and then that finger touched my eyeball only seconds after (without wiping or washing off the finger beforehand) there is no risk and no need to test? I also scratched a pimple of my own on my back a while after, is that not a risk either? Thank you.
|
Edward W. Hook M.D.
44 months ago
|
Correct, even if blood was on your finger when you touched your eye, this would be a no risk event. EWH ---
|
44 months ago
|
And even if it was almost immediately after touching the bloody pimple?
Thank you again so much and hopefully therapy works out for me next month.
|
Edward W. Hook M.D.
44 months ago
|
Final response. If there was a time element to my assessment, I would have said so. No risk means no risk. No need for concern, no need for testing. EWH ---