Aa
Blood on toilet paper-maybe
I was in a restaurant bathroom in Italy recently-very nice, very small place and very clean otherwise-and there was some blood on the toilet seat. I needed to go, so I wiped it off with plenty of toilet paper. I didn't worry about it at the time as I was pretty sure 1) I didn't get any on my hands in the first place and 2) I didn't have any open wounds-my hands were pretty chapped and sore from the cold but I had a good look and didn't see any bleeding.
Afterwards I started to worry though that I could have gotten a tiny amount of blood on my hands I didn't notice, then perhaps gotten it on the fresh toilet paper I used to wipe myself with. I didn't see any blood on my hands or the paper though. The blood wasn't dry-most of it was under the seat so I guess harder to dry, but no-one was in the bathroom or leaving it right before me so I guess it had been there for at least a few minutes. Do you think there is any risk if I got a tiny bit of blood on my hand, transferred it to the toilet paper and wiped myself? As I say, I didn't see anything on either my hand or the paper
Afterwards I started to worry though that I could have gotten a tiny amount of blood on my hands I didn't notice, then perhaps gotten it on the fresh toilet paper I used to wipe myself with. I didn't see any blood on my hands or the paper though. The blood wasn't dry-most of it was under the seat so I guess harder to dry, but no-one was in the bathroom or leaving it right before me so I guess it had been there for at least a few minutes. Do you think there is any risk if I got a tiny bit of blood on my hand, transferred it to the toilet paper and wiped myself? As I say, I didn't see anything on either my hand or the paper
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Oh come on. This is obvious from my replies above. Nonsense questions are deleted without reply; let's make that comment the last such one.
Thank you Doctor. I'm really sorry to keep bugging you, last question I promise-do you think this is a low risk or effectively a no risk?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
No, none.
HIV is hard to transmit. Even with unprotected sex, if the male is infected and desposits HIV infected semen in the vagina, the average chance of transmission is only 1 in 1,000 (which is why many spouses of HIV infected people never catch it themselves). Given that, how high could the risk possibly be from the minor exposure implied here?
And further, on the face of it, of course there is no chance that unnoticed blood could have contaminated previously unused toilet paper.
HIV is hard to transmit. Even with unprotected sex, if the male is infected and desposits HIV infected semen in the vagina, the average chance of transmission is only 1 in 1,000 (which is why many spouses of HIV infected people never catch it themselves). Given that, how high could the risk possibly be from the minor exposure implied here?
And further, on the face of it, of course there is no chance that unnoticed blood could have contaminated previously unused toilet paper.
Thanks so much, Doctor, that's incredibly reassuring. Would it make any difference that I'm female and it could have come into contact with my labial area?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum.
HIV has never been known to be transmitted because of any kind of contact with HIV infected blood or body secretions, outside needle sharing or sharp instrument injuries in health care settings; or by any nonsexual exposure in the environment. Certainly obody in the world ever caught HIV in the manner you imply here. Even if there had been fresh, wet blood on the toilet paper, you could not have been infected by its contact with your anal area or hands. This is a silly worry and you should put it out of your mind.
Regards-- HHH, MD
HIV has never been known to be transmitted because of any kind of contact with HIV infected blood or body secretions, outside needle sharing or sharp instrument injuries in health care settings; or by any nonsexual exposure in the environment. Certainly obody in the world ever caught HIV in the manner you imply here. Even if there had been fresh, wet blood on the toilet paper, you could not have been infected by its contact with your anal area or hands. This is a silly worry and you should put it out of your mind.
Regards-- HHH, MD
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