Sore Throat, Fever And Blocked Nose After Protected Sex. Any Risk Of HIV?

Posted on Sat, 2 Mar 2013

Question: A girl with a high risk of HIV had an encunter with me 3 weeks ago, we had protected sex ( very quickly). What does worry me is that a wee while after i fingered her (where she orgasmed) i masturbated my penis. I thought there would be minimal risk after research. But i have had spots appear on back, neck & arm aswell as a sore throat & blocked nose. Very worried. What scares me even more is i had sex with partner a week or so ago & for the last 2 days she had high fever & sore throat (same time as me). Is this all coincedence? Please email, not phone. Thanks

Answered by Dr. Sankaranantham Murugan (2 hours later)

Hi XXXXXXX
Welcome to XXXXXXX

Thanks for posting your query.

You had a protected sex. So the risk for HIV is reduced considerably. By fingering and then masturbating, HIV transmission may be a theoretical possibility if one had sore genital or sore finger. But in day today practice we had not come across a single case like this in the past 25 years of my experience in the field of HIV and even with a needle prick the chances are only 0.3%. If so the chances of getting HIV infection by fingering and the masturbating is very very remote.
So you need not worry about HIV.

Spots over back,neck and arm are not a sign of HIV infection in early stages.
Sore throat may be an accidental infection due to viral or bacterial for anybody is quite possible. If you have sore throat and blocked nose, your sex partner also natural to get the same infection easily. Moreover HIV symptoms could never occur immediately after a sex contact. It will manifest at the earliest possible aronud 4 weeks after the exposure.
So don't worry about the rarer possibilities.

As it is already over 3 weeks, it is better for you to have HIV P24 antigen test or a HIV DNA PCR test and rule out the remote possibility and you can relax.

Good luck to you.
Dr S.Murugan.

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

Follow up: Dr. Sankaranantham Murugan (41 hours later)

Thank you for your response. It has been a difficult few days, I decided to go for the most comprehensive tests for hiv on Saturday. I will hear results on Friday. The incidencent happened on the 17th, but I have just discovered I had a a cut on my finger 5 days before hand, more than a paper cut but less than a wound. This has me worried despite my doctor stressing that it is so unlikely. I showed my doctor your assessment & she is in 100% agreement with you.

What worries me is not my symptoms, but my partners, she has every sign of acute hiv after 2 weeks. But what does reassure me that it was just a virus is that she passed the sore throat & blocked/runny nose to me & my daughter. I did feel comfort until I was reminded I had a cut on the finger I used on the lady.

I am worried, but thanks again for your help

Answered by Dr. Sankaranantham Murugan (11 hours later)

Hi XXXXXXX
Welcome back with your follow up questions.

I am able to understand your concern.

Early acute infection of HIV cannot be differentiated from ordinary 'FLu' or a viral fever, unless the blood test indicated a clinician is able to diagnose.
But still I assure you that the chances of getting HIV through fingering is very very remote possibility only, even if you have a minimal cut injury on your finger. How I am saying this is that we are handling so many HIV patients and HIV children with bare hands with every possibility of wounds in the fingers and lot of external manifestations over the external body, especially fore arms of these infected individuals and in spite all of these we are free from HIV.

So there is nothing to worry and wait for the results to see them negative.
Dr S.Murugan

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