Hiv infection by contact with a cut

Dear Doctor. Sorry to bother you again. I have asked you a couple of questions in the past and your answers were really helpful to me. These days I was a bit worried not only because of my health, but because my wife is pregnant (6 weeks) and I´m going to be a father of a second child in the next months and I don´t want to be harmful to my wife and new child.

Last week, my collegues and I had different meetings with three different persons. One of them was a police. When we met him, I realized he had a quite large wound on his right thumb, It looked fresh. What worries me is that he and I shaked hands twice and of course his wound on the thumb made contact with my hand. I did not payed attention to it, but an hour after that, I realized I had a tiny cut on my right hand, close or on the area where the tumb is placed when people shake hands. I don´t know anything of my cut, I mean it was very superficial, looked like a tiny scratch or paper cut, but I do not know how I got it, I guess it was so superficial I did not payed attention to it.

Of course, what worries me is the contact I had when shaking hands with that person, and if any fresh blood of his wound made contact with my tiny cut, considering it (the cut) could have been fresh at the moment we shaked hands. I know shaking hands is not a problem for Hiv transmission, but is this situation also a non risk situation?.

These days I was avoiding having sex with my wife. I think I´m fine, but just wanted to be sure and continue with my life.

Many thanks for your time and answer Doctor...

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

If you had read and understood the replies on your questions on the forum last February and March, you would understnd that these events have not placed you at risk for HIV.  In the March discussion, I wrote this:

"Here is all you need to do to be certain you will never get HIV:  choose your sex partners carefully, and don't have vaginal or anal sex outside a mutually monogamous relationship; and don't ever share drug injection equipment with other people.  That's all."

Nobody in the world ever caught HIV by shaking hands, regardless of cuts or other blood exposure on skin.

MedHelp permits a maximum of 2 questions every 6 months on each of the professionally moderated forums (see Terms and Conditions).  The purpose is to prevent domination of the forum by anxious, somewhat irrational questions like yours.  This being your third question in 8 months, it will have to be the last until October 2013.  Before then, any question from you will be deleted without reply and without refund of the posting fee.

There will be no follow-up comments or discussion on this thread.  Continue unprotected sex with your wife and stop worrying so much about HIV.

HHH, MD

[wonchito]

Many thanks Doctor for your answer and time. Sorry for being so anxious... I feel much better now. Once again thanks and all the best for you...