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Can STD Be Transmitted Through Saliva?

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Posted on Thu, 20 Nov 2014
Question: hey doctor,
i m extremely worried that i have been exposed to stds in the following cases.Please let me know the risks.
First of all,i would like to share some details with you.
Age: 22 yrs.
i have taken hepatitis B vaccine when i was a kid.but nothing after that.I m not sure if those hepatitis B vaccine are still effective now at the age of 22.

Incident 1.
I have a habit of chewing my lips.So day before yesterday i cut my lips up so bad that they started bleeding heavily.So i stopped chewing on them.Yesterday at around 12 i again accidently chewed on them and they started bleeding again.
Some fifteen minutes later,i was walking towards a shop when an extremely sick looking person with red eyes waiting to get his medicines in the medical shop spit his saliva and accidently some part of it fell on my lips.
What if this person had bleeding gums which i think is very likely and has stds...his saliva(some little part) fell directly on my lips.
what XXXXXXX the risks of transmitting the following stds:
HIV(extremely worried)
Hepatitis C( extremely worried)
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis A
HPV
HERPES
Syphylis!
please let me know the risk and should i be worried!
i have heard the hep c virus is extremely small and even little drop of bllod and saliva can have millions of viruses in it.
please let me know the risk!
doctor
Answered by Dr. Bharatesh Devendra Basti (31 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
no risk.

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thank you for query. I am Dr Bharatesh D Basti answering your query.
You are getting to anxious about the incident.
You do not know the status of person.just old and eyes does not make him positive for all diseases. He may be negative for all.
Saliva usually does not transmit by the mode described .the chances that blood will be mixed in it is rare.
Hiv, hep b and c, syphilis, herpes are all rarely transmitted by this method .just a cut does not make you fully at risk .if blood present in saliva comes in contact with your fully open wound there may be little risk which is most unlikely. The wound in your lip would have already formed partial scab. There is almost no risk.
You can relax and forget the episode.
You can get back for any clarification
Thank you
Dr Bharatesh Basti
Dermatologist and venereologist
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Bharatesh Devendra Basti (19 minutes later)
"The wound in your lip would have already formed a partial scab"
the incident of spittting happened fifteen minutes after my lips were bleeding..how could it form a partial scab in fifteen minutes...

Consider that the person was positive for all(hypothetical situation)...especially hepatitis C and hiv..
please tell me the risk of each disease then..
"if blood present in saliva comes in contact with your fully open wound there may be little risk which is most unlikely"..
little risk means one in 10 or one in 1000 or 10000...
and please just tell me if the person was positive for all the stds(i know impossible)..and his spit falls on my cut on the lip and it has saliva and blood both in it..then whats the chance of transmission?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Bharatesh Devendra Basti (9 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
less than 1 in 100- 1/1000

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thank you for follow up query.
Our body mechanism immediately stops bleeding within minutes.so clot will be formed which does play a role .
Assuming he is positive for all diseases and has blood in saliva and fully bleeding wound, then the likely chances are 1 in 100 to 1 in 1000 for hiv, hepatitis b and c , herpes.syphilis may be still lesser chances. There is no perfect mathematics here and no perfect studies to rely on such incidents.
You can get back for any clarification
Thank you
Dr Bharatesh
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Bharatesh Devendra Basti (15 minutes later)
If the saliva had no blood in it...then what are the chances of
HIV

Hepatitis C

Hepatitis B

Hepatitis A

HPV

HERPES

Syphylis!


If you were me would you be worried..
should i get tested or get on with life without worrying?
can i continue having unprotected sex with my girlfriend?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Bharatesh Devendra Basti (5 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
no chance.

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thank you for follow up query.
There is almost nil chance.
No need of testing .
I would not have worried for such situations and continue my life normally.
You are getting too anxious.
Forget it and get involved in activities which you like.
You can get back for any clarification else please close the discussion and rate
Thank you
Dr Bharatesh
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Bharatesh Devendra Basti (7 minutes later)
what are the "practical chances" of all the stds mentioned?
Hepatitis C
Hepatitis B
Hepatitis A
HPV
HERPES
Syphylis!
doctor
Answered by Dr. Bharatesh Devendra Basti (3 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
almost nil or none

Detailed Answer:
Hi
Thank you for query.
It is almost nil or none chances.
you can get back for any clarification
Thank you
Dr Bharatesh
Note: Consult a Sexual Diseases Specialist online for further follow up- Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Bharatesh Devendra Basti

Dermatologist

Practicing since :1998

Answered : 1764 Questions

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Can STD Be Transmitted Through Saliva?

Brief Answer: no risk. Detailed Answer: Hi Thank you for query. I am Dr Bharatesh D Basti answering your query. You are getting to anxious about the incident. You do not know the status of person.just old and eyes does not make him positive for all diseases. He may be negative for all. Saliva usually does not transmit by the mode described .the chances that blood will be mixed in it is rare. Hiv, hep b and c, syphilis, herpes are all rarely transmitted by this method .just a cut does not make you fully at risk .if blood present in saliva comes in contact with your fully open wound there may be little risk which is most unlikely. The wound in your lip would have already formed partial scab. There is almost no risk. You can relax and forget the episode. You can get back for any clarification Thank you Dr Bharatesh Basti Dermatologist and venereologist