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STDs (Expert Forum)
Attacked by some crazy guys. Now worried about HIV.
Answered by
University of Washington
Seattle - WA
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IMPORTANT
This forum is limited to questions about STDs other than HIV/AIDS. For questions about HIV prevention, or if you have general questions about safe sex (e.g., condoms, how to protect yourself from HIV and STDs), please visit the HIV Prevention and Safe Sex Forum
Some of the most common types of questions concern the risk of HIV or STD after a particular sexual exposure, and about symptoms that might or might not be due to HIV. If your question is along these lines, please visit the HIV Prevention and Safe Sex Forum.
This forum is limited to questions about STDs other than HIV/AIDS. For questions about HIV prevention, or if you have general questions about safe sex (e.g., condoms, how to protect yourself from HIV and STDs), please visit the HIV Prevention and Safe Sex Forum
Some of the most common types of questions concern the risk of HIV or STD after a particular sexual exposure, and about symptoms that might or might not be due to HIV. If your question is along these lines, please visit the HIV Prevention and Safe Sex Forum.
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Attacked by some crazy guys. Now worried about HIV.
by vivianLee, Aug 18, 2005 12:00AM
Dear Doctor,
Last night, when I was taking a walk on a street's sidewalk with my husband, I was hit by some fluid bag on my naked left arm, which was thrown out from a driving car passing us. The guys laughed crazily after they hit me using that fluid bag and drove away quickly before I realized what happened. The car's speed was so fast that the fluid bag broke once it hit on my arm. Lots of unknown fluid came out and wet both my left arm and my left side of skirt. After I got back home 7 or 8 minutes later, I noticed the fluid on my arm was almost dried up, but the skirt was still wet. My left arm also got red due to the hit by the fluid bag. But I had no any other open sores or cuts on my left arm or left side body at that time.
Now I begin to worry because I couldn't tell what this fluid was (seemed to have no smell). What if the fluid in the bag contained some HIV positive guys' body fluid, such as blood, urine, semen or saliva? Will I be infected by this directly contact/exposure of large amount of HIV contaminated fluid for about 7-8 minutes? I am in my 34th week's pregnancy now. I really don't want anything bad happen to me or my baby. So please give me some information to help me calm down! Thank you!
Last night, when I was taking a walk on a street's sidewalk with my husband, I was hit by some fluid bag on my naked left arm, which was thrown out from a driving car passing us. The guys laughed crazily after they hit me using that fluid bag and drove away quickly before I realized what happened. The car's speed was so fast that the fluid bag broke once it hit on my arm. Lots of unknown fluid came out and wet both my left arm and my left side of skirt. After I got back home 7 or 8 minutes later, I noticed the fluid on my arm was almost dried up, but the skirt was still wet. My left arm also got red due to the hit by the fluid bag. But I had no any other open sores or cuts on my left arm or left side body at that time.
Now I begin to worry because I couldn't tell what this fluid was (seemed to have no smell). What if the fluid in the bag contained some HIV positive guys' body fluid, such as blood, urine, semen or saliva? Will I be infected by this directly contact/exposure of large amount of HIV contaminated fluid for about 7-8 minutes? I am in my 34th week's pregnancy now. I really don't want anything bad happen to me or my baby. So please give me some information to help me calm down! Thank you!
Doctor's Answer
by H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D., Aug 18, 2005 12:00AM
, Aug 18, 2005 12:00AM
If the fluid wasn't blood or obviously bloody, the chance it contained enough HIV to infect you is close to zero. Even in infected persons, the virus doesn't appear in substantial amounts in urine or saliva, for example--and it seems unlikely the creeps got ahold of blood plasma, for example. And if there was enough liquid to splash, it clearly wasn't semen or genital secretions--and undoubtedly you would have recognized their characteristic odors. On top of all this, even with blood from an HIV infected person, the chance of infection if you didn't get a definite, bleeding cut is very low.
To some extent this is speculation, but when even vaginal sex between an infected and uninfected person carries only a 1 in 1000 chance of transmission, this sort of exposure clearly has a very low risk even if the material was a body fluid. It was surely an unpleasant event and I'm sorry it happened to you. But I really wouldn't worry about HIV risk.
The only other thought I have is to call your local police dept. Not that they'll do anything, surely they won't; but you might find that this event is part of a pattern, i.e. conceivably they might know what the liquid is based on other citizens' reports.
Good luck-- HHH, MD
To some extent this is speculation, but when even vaginal sex between an infected and uninfected person carries only a 1 in 1000 chance of transmission, this sort of exposure clearly has a very low risk even if the material was a body fluid. It was surely an unpleasant event and I'm sorry it happened to you. But I really wouldn't worry about HIV risk.
The only other thought I have is to call your local police dept. Not that they'll do anything, surely they won't; but you might find that this event is part of a pattern, i.e. conceivably they might know what the liquid is based on other citizens' reports.
Good luck-- HHH, MD
But I have another concern: since I couldn't clean up my arm and body untill 7-8 minutes later after I got home, do you think this long-time contact/exposure with the fluid would increase the chance of virus entering my system even my skin is intact and healthy?
My husband said it is lucky that those crazy guys didn't hit that fluid bag onto my belly directly. Otherwise, my baby would get hurt, which might be worse.
HHH, MD
Thanks a lot for your patience and your knowledge!
Is petechia hit by the fluid bag also a kind of open wound? Does it increase the chance of being infected? Thanks.
But I get the feeling you're still pretty worried, despite this reassurance. If so, have an HIV test in a month or so; I have told many other questioners on this forum that a negative test result probably will be more reassuring than anything I can say.
HHH, MD