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What Are The Chances Of HIV Transmission Through Body Fluids?
Question: I have birth to twins via csection 2 weeks ago....I was at the hospital visiting babies today (they are still in NICU born at 30 weeks, they are now 32 weeks).
I used public restroom, I looked closely before using to make sure it was clean and put down 2 seat liners....I used bathroom and wiped....small amount of blood from myself was present and I know this is normal...finished and pulled up panties, only then did I see a small speck of something (blood) on front of panties, I had pulled panties past and over my healing incision....now I am scared that I have possibly contracted something....HIV...Hepatitis....should I avoid touching babies...I am so scared, please advise
I used public restroom, I looked closely before using to make sure it was clean and put down 2 seat liners....I used bathroom and wiped....small amount of blood from myself was present and I know this is normal...finished and pulled up panties, only then did I see a small speck of something (blood) on front of panties, I had pulled panties past and over my healing incision....now I am scared that I have possibly contracted something....HIV...Hepatitis....should I avoid touching babies...I am so scared, please advise
Brief Answer:
Don't be scared
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking the question. I am Dr Matin , answering your question.
Don't be scared .HIV can't be contracted in this this scenario as by your version it was a very tinny amount(spot) of blood and your CS incision would have healed up well ago the 15 days (as you had a CS 2 weeks ago) Secondly in all probabilities it was a dried blood and we know that the open environment is not hospitable to HIV.
HIV simply is not transmitted through dried blood. A body fluid carrying HIV needs to come out of someone's body and go directly/immediately inside of your body through an open wound or ulcer or abrasion . This only happens in very specific cases like sex or sharing needles during drug use.
It is true that blood-borne pathogens ,Hepatitis B/C virus are heartier and survive longer outside the body than HIV but their survival depends on ambient room temperature, humidity, viral strain, etc but in your scenario Hep B/C transmission is unlikely and we have not come across any body getting infected this way. I guess you could have vaccinated against Hep B , which also excludes any probability of contracting Hep B
So don't be scared and show all all attention to your infants .
Hope this helps
Don't be scared
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking the question. I am Dr Matin , answering your question.
Don't be scared .HIV can't be contracted in this this scenario as by your version it was a very tinny amount(spot) of blood and your CS incision would have healed up well ago the 15 days (as you had a CS 2 weeks ago) Secondly in all probabilities it was a dried blood and we know that the open environment is not hospitable to HIV.
HIV simply is not transmitted through dried blood. A body fluid carrying HIV needs to come out of someone's body and go directly/immediately inside of your body through an open wound or ulcer or abrasion . This only happens in very specific cases like sex or sharing needles during drug use.
It is true that blood-borne pathogens ,Hepatitis B/C virus are heartier and survive longer outside the body than HIV but their survival depends on ambient room temperature, humidity, viral strain, etc but in your scenario Hep B/C transmission is unlikely and we have not come across any body getting infected this way. I guess you could have vaccinated against Hep B , which also excludes any probability of contracting Hep B
So don't be scared and show all all attention to your infants .
Hope this helps
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Vinay Bhardwaj
so in this scenario, the blood (even if it was from someone else) would have had to be transferred first to the toilet, then to my panties) and you are saying that HIV just would not survive that long outside of the body?
Do you think this scenario warrants any follow up testing? Is it OK to touch babies tomorrow and not worry about this anymore?
Do you think this scenario warrants any follow up testing? Is it OK to touch babies tomorrow and not worry about this anymore?
Brief Answer:
No worries !
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for posting a follow up question.
No, I guess that is not the correct interpretation.
What meant over here is that for HIV to be transmitted the body fluid carrying HIV needs to come out of someone's body and go directly/immediately inside of the body through an open wound or ulcer or abrasion and that has to between two living human beings ( and not even animals or nonliving things. that's why the name' HIV -Human Immunodeficiency Virus).
In your scenario the presence of suspected HIV+ blood of somebody lying over there on an 'inanimate thing' (toilet) excludes HIV transmission and even if that blood came in contact with you, it would have been lying there in the toilet for some time to be in 'dried' state and as stated before HIV being so fragile, dies immediately(within minutes) coming in the contact of environment. So no follow up tests from my side for HIV.
I am sure, you must have been vaccinated against HBV (Hep B) .
You may touch your babies without any fear or apprehension.
Hope this helps.
Be safe and happy.
No worries !
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for posting a follow up question.
No, I guess that is not the correct interpretation.
What meant over here is that for HIV to be transmitted the body fluid carrying HIV needs to come out of someone's body and go directly/immediately inside of the body through an open wound or ulcer or abrasion and that has to between two living human beings ( and not even animals or nonliving things. that's why the name' HIV -Human Immunodeficiency Virus).
In your scenario the presence of suspected HIV+ blood of somebody lying over there on an 'inanimate thing' (toilet) excludes HIV transmission and even if that blood came in contact with you, it would have been lying there in the toilet for some time to be in 'dried' state and as stated before HIV being so fragile, dies immediately(within minutes) coming in the contact of environment. So no follow up tests from my side for HIV.
I am sure, you must have been vaccinated against HBV (Hep B) .
You may touch your babies without any fear or apprehension.
Hope this helps.
Be safe and happy.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Ashwin Bhandari
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