Aa
HIV from testing?
I went to a public STD clinic in NYC yesterday to get tested for HIV and the person who performed the test did not wear gloves. It was the Oraquick blood test where they ***** your finger. Thankfully she couldn't find the vein in my arms so she didn't draw any blood beforehand (which is apparently the procedure for administering these kind of tests). It was early in the morning and she had tested 3 people before me. I think I heard her wash her hands but who knows. Is there any way I could have been exposed to HIV?
NO. HIV is transmitted via unprotected anal or vaginal sex and sharing works with other IV drug abusers.
Teak, if microscopic amounts of blood were present on her hands, do you think it wouldve been infectous enough had it come into contact with my broken skin on my knuckles? I've read conflicting information about how long HIV lives in an outside environment.
Yes do move on you were never at risk. The gloves aren't to protect you they were to protect her.
Teak, Lizzie, I know I need to move on. It's just that it's very disconcerting that the counselor did not follow the mandatory precautions and perform the test on me without wearing gloves. Also something I failed to mention was that I had a small breakout of eczema that had been bleeding about 30 minutes before I tested. I'm almost certain that the counselor touched my hand so since eczema is broken skin, perhaps the virus could have gotten in that way.
Is there really no risk even if, say, the counselor had micrscopic amounts of blood on her hands? She never touched my finger (where it was pricked) directly but she did wipe it with a alcohol wipe (or something like that) and place a cotton pad on the wound.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the HIV Prevention Community
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
Can I get HIV from surfaces, like toilet seats?
Can you get HIV from casual contact, like hugging?
Frequency of HIV testing depends on your risk.
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) may help prevent HIV infection.
