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Could I have contracted HIV when a colleague grabbed my hand?

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Question - (30 November 2005) 3 Answers - (Newest, 30 November 2005)
A male , anonymous writes:

Hi I need some serious advice and some light on this subject.

I just found out that a collegue of mine has HIV, and she told me that she is taking all the medication, I have become so paranoid about it that its driving me insane, obviously I know that its mainly contracted thru sexual activities, however I've had a few scares about the whole situation at work.

Several weeks ago I was working with her in the bar and she grabbed my wrist while I was pouring water into a glass for no reason, I thought "oh ok". I felt a little uncomfortable but I carried on, only to notice later that she had a cut on her hand and it was recent, and it looked like blood. I panicked. I went to the bathroom I inspected my hands to insure that I had no open wounds, or blood on me. I washed my hands so hard that they turned pink.

A few days later I cut myself and I didn't even feel it until I noticed it was there. Then I even thought this Was this cut around on the day that he grabbed my wrist. I know it's silly, but the shock that I got on that day has made me scared of blood.

My question is, if someone has that virus, and they have a wound that is still recent, and they put their hands in a bucket of water to rinse something and the blood is in there, but not visible, and someone that is not infected also with a recent wound or cut puts their hand in the same water is there a chance of getting infected, if the blood is in the water? I know it's silly and paranoid, but I'm terrified. I'm only 21 and i haven't even slept with people, and I've considered gettin an HIV test becuase of what happened.

Please help with some advice to put my mind at peace. I'm scared out of my wits.

View related questions: at work, hiv

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A male reader, anonymous, writes (30 November 2005):

no, unless you both had cuts on your hand

The only way its contracted it by body fluids, passing from the HIV+ into the HIV- person.

It's not even one in a million chance!

So fear not, unless you both had cuts on your hands ^-^

I may only be 16, but my parents (who have PHD's and are teachers for university) told me so

Hope that helps, and lightens your concerns!

-------------

Alex

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A reader, anonymous, writes (30 November 2005):

Hi, i'm also quite a bit of a hypocondriac (or however you spell it!!lol) so i can fully understand your paranoia! i used to go to this nightclub all the time a few years ago and then this rumer went round that some nutter was purposely going around stabbing people with an aids infected needle, needless to say wen i was in there that nite i was nearly going insane with worry, then this guy we'd been talking to nipped me on the arm to get my attention and i went mad accusing him of stabbing me with a needle until a doorman had to search the poor guy much to his embarassment in front of his mates and found nothing on him!! i went home and was still paranoid though and was convinced that i could see some tiny mark on my arm. The thing is that the mind is a powerful thing and if you allow yourself to get worried about things like this all the time your gunna send yourself mad. The fact is that this woman actually told you that she has hiv, therefore its very unlikely that she would knowingly try to infect you with it or put you at risk of doing so as knowingly infecting someone with the disease is a criminal offense that i think you can go to jail for manslaughter for. Also i think that the virus dies very quickly outside of the body therefore it has to be passed on quite quickly and directly into the blood stream. Catching it from water or through touching old blood on something is i think unlikely to affect you. i really wouldn't worry about it at all, the only real way that your gunna catch this disease from the woman is if you have sex with her or share drug needles which your not gunna do so i'd chill out!

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A male reader, harshbutfair United Kingdom +, writes (30 November 2005):

harshbutfair agony auntChances of you contracting HIV from what you have described sound like 1-in-one-million but to put your mind at rest why not have an HIV test or talk to your doctor?

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