[Question #9086] Fingering Concern

36 months ago

I know you guys have constantly stated that fingering is a no risk activity for all STIs, including hiv. And that remains the case even if you have a cut on your finger. But what if the cut is only 7 or 8 hours old? I recently fingered a female of unknown sti status and earlier in the day I had been picking at my fingernail and caused it to bleed. The fingering took place 7 to 8 hours later.

H. Hunter Handsfield, MD

36 months ago

You've been asking question after question about obviously zero risk exposures, and warned about repeated anxiety driven questions. Yes, the answer is the same with recent cuts on the finger. As you already understand, there have been no known HIV transmissions by fingering, and there must have been millions of such events in the presence of recent finger cuts or wounds, and still there have been no known HIV transmissions.

This will have to be your last such question about exposures that everybody knows are zero risk. Just remember this: without a penis inside another person's vaginal or rectum, HIV is not transmitted sexually, or with such rare exceptions that they can and should be ignored. This includes any and all other exposures that may enter your mind: oral sex (which has been discussed in one or more of your previous threads), touching, kissing, fingering, hand-genital contact, or anything else you may think of. From here on out, if you have a sexual exposure that does not include unprotected vaginal or anal sex, we will enforce the clinic policy and delete your question without reply (and without refund of the posting fee. Thanks for your understanding.

HHH, MD

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