Co-Worker Bled on Me

[rizzmurf]

Drs:

Today at work, a co-worker, who likes to play around, grabbed my arm, then the back of my neck rather rough shaking me, and may have slapped me in the chest. (this was all in jest). I was on my way to the bathroom at the time. When I got to the bathroom, I looked at saw a blood spot on my chest/shirt, which I wiped off with a paper towel and water.  I approached him and asked if he had a cut on his hand, which he indicated he did, from over the weekend, bailing hay as he put it. He showed me the large cut, around two inches long on the palm of his had. He indicated he didn't think he was bleeding, and apologized.  When I got home and took my shirt off, around my neck were several other blood spots on the shirt. Some had gone through my shirt. I do have pimples on my back, one of which I rubbed the scab off in the shower this morning.

Do I have any risk here for HIV? Would you recommend testing? or a Prophylactic? I have a baby and a wife that I would not want to infect?

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Your anxiety has gotten the best of you. This will be my final answer.  I said before "neither your wife nor your family are at risk from you in any way related to the events you have described."  "any way" includes your son putting  things you touch in his mouth and drinking from a straw.  

This thread is now over.  EWH

[rizzmurf]

I apologize, but as a clarification, you indicated contact with me by my family even with blood possibly on me posed no risk to my wife and child. I assume that still applies say if my son put anything I touched in his mouth, such as his bottle or straw for drinking? Thank you again. I will not continue to post after this, I just didnt think I ask before, and didnt know if it was encompassed by your earlier assessments.

[rizzmurf]

Thank you very much. You have helped ease my mind greatly, i am happy to not have a medical concern here, as you put it, and pose no risk to my wife and child. Having a wife, plus an infant is a blessing that i would never want to endanger. i noticed a typo from me. His hand not "had"  was cut. I assume you understood what I meant.

Take care and Best regards!

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Correct, neither your wife nor your family are at risk from you in any way related to the events you have described.  EWH

[rizzmurf]

Forgive me for a last clarification: you are saying i will not infect my wife through unprotected sexual contact with her? A well as I shouldn't worry about things I may have touched prior to washing, as thy will not infect my family?

I will not ask anything else Dr. I just want to be safe.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Yes, it includes your bare skin, even where you may have had an open pimple. Thus PEP is not needed and there is no reason whatsoever to worry that you might have gotten something that you could give your wife of child.  this includes should either of them have incidental contact with your blood stained shirt.  EWH

[rizzmurf]

Because one of my fears is that my son picks up something that I touched after touching my shirt, or I touched something I had contaminated then touched him. Which has already happened. Thank you for your time, and excuse the parental anxiety.

[rizzmurf]

Dr. Hook,

Thank you for your comments. They help a lot. By surface contamination, does that include my bare skin?  You indicated no need for testing, I take it PEP is also not warranted? Should I continue normal relations with my wife (unprotected sex)? Any concerns over contact with my child? Lastly, should I have any concerns over things I touched, prior to and after taking the blood stained shirt off,  cell phone, remote controls, etc? If so cleaning suggestions?

Thank you again!

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Welcome to the Forum.  We receive many questions of this sort.  It's perfectly normal to be worried both about yourself and your family in situations like this.  Fortunately, you do not need to worry about risk for infection from the events you describe.   There are several reasons I say this:

1.  Most people do not have HIV (or hepatitis B or C, the other relatively common blood borne infections).  For instance, unless he uses IV drugs or has had sex with men, the likelihood that this man had HIV is less than 1 in 10,000.  The figures are of similar magnitude for infectious hepatitis B or C.

2.  Even if he did happen to be infected, this risk of infection from surface contamination with infectious blood is virtually zero.  For infection to occur the infectious blood would need to be introduced deep into tissue such as into a deep needles stick or cut.  The breech in the skin represented by your acne does not change your risk.

My advice.  Don't worry.  There is really no medical reason for concern or for testing.

I hope these comments are helpful to you. EWH