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Can HIV Be Transmitted Through Human Saliva?
Question: sir, I am a male of age 33. I was travelling by my bike today. One person who was ahead me spitted from his mouth. Some drop of it fell on my face and inside my mouth(a very few amount of it felled). My mouth was having an wound. I am afraid if that person is HIV infected then is there any chance that I will also be infected in this way ? Suppose that person is also having some wound in his mouth (I don't know whether he is having any wound in mouth or not) and blood comes with his spitting , then can such a little amount of blood mixed saliva can infect me by HIV through the wound in my mouth ? Please help me sir I am much tensed from that time.
Brief Answer:
Risk for HIV is almost nil. No test necessary.
Detailed Answer:
Hi,
Welcome to HCM.
Thanks for posting your query.
HIV will not spread through human saliva. Saliva, urine, stools, tear and sweat are not infectious whereas blood, semen, vaginal fluid and other inner body fluids are infectious.
Even if it was happened as you imagined, that is if the individual who had spitted is HIV positive and if he had oral ulcers and the spit contained blood stain saliva, the portion of it had entered your mouth and if it happened to enter through your wound in the mouth was a remote theoretical possibility practically never occurred so far and your risk for HIV is almost nil in this way.
Such things are happening everywhere in our country as many bus passengers are spitting while travelling and it splashed to the two wheeler riders and pedestrians. Nobody got infected so far in this way. Moreover HIV is not spread as an air-born infection.
Nothing to worry at all.
Dr S.Murugan
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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