Since the last time we spoke I seeked therapy and am doing better with my hiv anxiety. I had two situations happen to me and I wanted to ask you and not google per therapy guidelines.

1) I think I came in contact with drying smeared blood. I was at a warehouse was filling out a form as soon as I took my hands off the binder they gave me I noticed some droplets and a red smear that had smeared on my hand with eczema. I don’t know what it what definitely looked like blood though and though I didn’t see it freshly coming out of someone , it did smear on my hand with eczema. It was a small amount.

2) I recently went to get my 6 months rapid hiv test at a new std clinic. There was dried blood on the medical drape sheet on the table I noticed it and asked the tester to change that  before performing my test. He threw that sheet away and then with the same gloves prepared the new sheet. He also didn’t change the padding underneath the sheet. I eventually asked him to change his gloves but he has already touched a bunch of test items and gauze and everything.  Is this risky for cross contamination? It was a very busy clinic mostly for high risk populations. Can dry blood cross contaminate another object (Guaz) which then is contacting my open wound from the test prick?

Best

So the gauze that came in contact with a contaminated surface then came contact with my pin prick wound a couple time is not a risk ? I was just concerned because it was a busy day and it was specifically an hiv testing facility and they rubbed the gauze on my pin prick a few times.

So from what you’re saying there is no risk from cross contamination on gauze. Does the same apply to the pad underneath the medical paper towel? I didn’t see exactly what it was but there was a pad or a bib of some sort under the medical paper towel, they changed my paper towel as I said but didn’t change the bib underneath which could’ve also been contaminated ?

  Unfortunately last year  before I attended therapy I had read all these scary articles about survival of hiv in dried blood and things that are now back to haunt me which is why I wanted to double check with a professional such as yourself because getting tested over and over again if something doesn’t have a risk is actually against therapy so I don’t want to get tested for this event if there is no risk and I’m starting to date someone so I want to make sure I’m not putting them in danger. 

Thank you