Blood on door handle

[TreTre2012]

My worst fear happened tonight.  I was at work and I was walking up to the door, which opens using a steel door bar instead of a handle.  After touching the bar, I touched an inch and a half of blood!!!!!  I can only hope it was dry but some of it was still very very red.  Two of my coworkers confirmed it was blood and one of them cleaned it off.  Please tell me my risk if it touched my fingers and shirt.  My belly is huge from being pregnant and I think it may have touched it.  I know that's not a risk but what if it transfers onto something else?  Also, my hands are very very dry and irritated.  Please help me get through this nightmare.

[nursegirl6572]

TreTre...this is your OCD talking, you already KNOW this wouldn't be a risk...you've asked just about every "what if:" HIV scenario.

FEAR is fear, it is not fact. FACTS are you would never be at risk in this type of situation, because as we already discussed, you can NOT get HIV from environmental surfaces.  You may want to reread the lengthy explanation I posted about the requirements necessary for transmission to occur.  May help you to read that again.

Just think, you will soon be able to get back on your meds, and you won't have these fears.  They will be more manageable.

[RainLover71]

It wasn't a nightmare because the air would render the HIV virus inactive & therefore unable to infect you.

[Teak]

Not an HIV concern. HIV is unable to reproduce outside its living host (unlike many bacteria or fungi, which may do so under suitable conditions), except under laboratory conditions; therefore, it does not spread or maintain infectiousness outside its host.