Can HIV Be Contracted Through An Open Wound?

Posted on Mon, 9 Mar 2015

Question: Sir , the situation was ..this monday i went fr a blood group test ...further there was my frnd who was working in lab...while drawing blood sample he came in contact with the blood...he asked me to accompany him and he just roughly cleaned the blood with cotton ...m nt sure whether it was a needle prick or not ...aftr 5 mins i was abt to leave frm d lab and we had a handshake ...i forgot that he had blood on his hand and i just used my hand to eat food ...further i scratched my rashes with the same hand ...i just didnt washed my hand after the incident ...m scared frm this incident ...can i be infected ...i didnt had any cut on my hand ...can the virus be active on my hand and can it be injected through the rashes which i scratched? Please help me doctor ...i m vry scared

Answered by Dr. Rakesh Madhyastha (24 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Cannot transmit virus

Detailed Answer:
Hello

Thanks for the query

Most viruses survive only when inside the body, they die as soon as it gets exposed to air. The risk of transmission is less than 1% if there was no open wound on. Scratching or eating would not have caused any infection.

Please dont get scared, wash your hands well with soap.

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Rakesh Madhyastha (3 minutes later)

Sir, i washed my hand with water only after the handshake and further i couldnt see any blood on my hands after handshake...would virus go away with washing hands with normal water and no soap ...further if there were no cuts on my hand can hiv be transmitted in through the scratches? Sir please provide with the detailed answer ...i need ur help pls

Answered by Dr. Rakesh Madhyastha (2 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Follow up

Detailed Answer:
Hello

Washing of hands should be sufficient as you did not have any cuts. HIV cannot be transmitted through the scratches. HIV virus dies immediately once it is exposed to the air, tranmission of HIV is only through exchange of bodily fluids or direct exposure of the HIV infected patients blood for example by blood transfusion. Do not worry about HIV getting transmitted through the scratches.

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Rakesh Madhyastha (6 minutes later)

Sir ...but dry blood has hiv virus active ...does only washing hand with normal water carries away virus? Sir further i wanna know if hiv virus was in my hand ..for how long it could survive? I m sure i didnt had any blood on my hand..as i didnt had blood on my hand can hiv remain alive on my hand? If yes , for how long ? What if i use my same hand to scratch nd blood comes out as a result of that scratch ..can i get hiv infection? Please provide a detailed answer to all my questions

Answered by Dr. Rakesh Madhyastha (4 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
Follow up

Detailed Answer:
Hello

Thanks for getting back

HIV does not survive in open air. It dies almost immediately. So by the time you shook hands it virus would have already died so there is no chance of transmission by shaking hands.
But the time you scratched your hand the virus would have been dead.

Regards

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar