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Can HIV Be Contracted Through Skin Contact With Another's Blood?

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Posted on Tue, 12 Sep 2017
Question: Is it possible for me to contact hiv if someone blood got on my arm 8 hours after I had a TB test ? Is the injection site access to my blood stream ? Please give me a detailed answer
doctor
Answered by Dr. Sankaranantham Murugan (38 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Your HIV risk is negligible.

Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Welcome to HCM.
Thanks for posting your query.
First of all some one's blood is not necessarily an HIV infected person's blood. If it is true you have no risk for HIV at all.
Even if we consider that it was an infected person's blood, HIV can not enter an intact skin.
Contact with someone's blood 8 hours after the testing site has negligible risk as per CDC, XXXXXXX USA. (https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/estimates/riskbehaviors.html) (http://www.thebody.com/content/68450/hiv-transmission-risk-chart.html) As per the above references, even a percutaneous needle stick injury carry a risk 23 per 10000 exposures, not all the exposures.
Contact with a drop of blood has no risk. But over the testing site the risk can be taken as negligible. If it has a high risk, by this time, all the medical lab workers throughout the world would have become HIV positive as they would have come across such situations so frequently. Thank God, it is no so.
Dr S.Murugan
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Sankaranantham Murugan (17 hours later)
So I'm not understanding , should I get tested because it's negligible ? I am wondering when a tb test injection site is consider a close site and can't transmit diseases ? This person status is unknown because I don't know him he was just next to me and needed some help. During me helping him my tb test area was covered in his blood and I have been going crazy since , it this consider broken skin or after 8 hours is it intact ? How many hours would it not be a negligible risk anymore ?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Sankaranantham Murugan (6 hours later)
Brief Answer:
Testing for HIV will relieve the mental tension.

Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Welcome back.
You had not mentioned anything about your TB test. Whether it is Mantoux test or blood drawn for some other TB testing.?
If it is over the Mx test area or needle prick site then your risk is negligible. It the blood dropped in normal skin then your HIV risk is almost 'nil'.
When the risk is negligible there is nothing wrong to have HIV testing 12 weeks after the incident to clear our doubt and rule out this negligible possibility. It will relieve your unnecessary mental tension.
Dr S.Murugan
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Sankaranantham Murugan (26 hours later)
It was a skin test with bubble under my skin. I had a mark on my arm where needle went in but I wasn't bleeding that I know of but his blood was all over my arm and on clothes.
Patient Says: I was also scared that it could be rubbed off his clothes onto my site.
doctor
Answered by Dr. Sankaranantham Murugan (32 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
HIV risk is negligible only

Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Welcome back.
That blood spilled over forearm and clothes is not necessarily a HIV positive blood.
Blood spilled over forearm and clothes has no risk for HIV, except the part of forearm with an inflamed or pricked site which has negligible risk for HIV transmission if it is a positive blood.
Dr S Murugan
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Sankaranantham Murugan

HIV AIDS Specialist

Practicing since :1974

Answered : 3110 Questions

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Can HIV Be Contracted Through Skin Contact With Another's Blood?

Brief Answer: Your HIV risk is negligible. Detailed Answer: Hi, Welcome to HCM. Thanks for posting your query. First of all some one's blood is not necessarily an HIV infected person's blood. If it is true you have no risk for HIV at all. Even if we consider that it was an infected person's blood, HIV can not enter an intact skin. Contact with someone's blood 8 hours after the testing site has negligible risk as per CDC, XXXXXXX USA. (https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/risk/estimates/riskbehaviors.html) (http://www.thebody.com/content/68450/hiv-transmission-risk-chart.html) As per the above references, even a percutaneous needle stick injury carry a risk 23 per 10000 exposures, not all the exposures. Contact with a drop of blood has no risk. But over the testing site the risk can be taken as negligible. If it has a high risk, by this time, all the medical lab workers throughout the world would have become HIV positive as they would have come across such situations so frequently. Thank God, it is no so. Dr S.Murugan