What Are The Risks Of Herpes After Non Penetrative Sexual Activity?

Posted on Mon, 9 Mar 2015

Question: Hello. My question is what are my risks at receiving herpes from a handjob? I know that there are really no risk, but what if she were to come into contact earlier in the day or even right before and then touch me? Is there no riskin because the virus dies if there is no immediate skin to skin? She also had no active lesions on her hands.

Answered by Dr. Noble Zachariah (4 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Unlikely to get infected

Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome to HCM and thanks for your query.
Herpes spreads by the fluid from a herpetic lesion coming into contact with mucosa or broken skin.
If she is not infected or there was no fluid from a herpetic lesion on her hand, there is no risk of infection.
Take care

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad

Follow up: Dr. Noble Zachariah (13 minutes later)

But isn't a lesion being on her hand incredibly rare to begin with? I guess my biggest fear would be her touching another man that may have had it right before she performed the act on me, but even then if the virus got onto her hand. Wouldn't it die almost immediately from exposure to air?

Answered by Dr. Noble Zachariah (2 hours later)

Brief Answer:
A hand can have infected fluid from other parts

Detailed Answer:
The virus does not survive if the secretion dries up. It is not the exposure to air that kills it. Unless she was providing the service to two of you simultaneously or sequentially with the other person having vesicular lesions, there is little chance of infection from the other person.
However if she has an active lesion on any part of her body from which she picked up the virus and was having it on her hand while she was performing the act, you could be infected.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad