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Please help on my recent risks with HIV...
Hi,
I have been on a travel trip to bangkok and got some serious questions, could you please help if these are high risks for me and if I will need PEP over these situations ...please help...
1>. At the airport, after eating at a food court near the airport, I have bleeding gum in my mouth. Then I came to the airport WC, spit out and notice blood. Then I use tap water there to wash my head and mouth-wash several times. I am afraid because water tap in this region might be impure, I had bleeding gum at that moment, and some oral ulcers in my mouth. Google said the tap water in this city is not clean enough and I am afraid it might also be contaminated with hiv virus...
2>. We booked a trip with a local tour-guide/driver and he showed us around the places. At lunch he introduced us a local restaurant, and ate together with us. At one time, while eating, he used his spoon to share with us some food on a dish, invite us to eat. I ate the food some seconds after that. I also had oral ulcers that moment and sometimes have bleeding gums while eating. I am afraid he might have left infected blood or saliva with blood on that food (brown roasted meat so I could not remember clearly any blood spot color), and the infected body fluid get in my mouth wounds.
3>. While I was walking on the street of bangkok, I bought from street vendor some fruits (watermelon) (packed in a nylon bag) and eat them & swallow watermelon seeds. I also bought a plastic bottle of pomegranate juice (assumedly handmade) and drink, due to too hot weather. I was having some oral ulcers in my mouth, and sometimes I got bleeding gum also. Because the watermelon and the pomegranate juice are both in red-ish colors I could not check for blood spots on them but I am scared that the seller might cut their hands during preparation of these fruits & juices and their bloods dropped on the fruits & juices which I had eaten and consumed. I am so scared that it’s a high risk for HIV contraction because my mouth have wounds (as said above) and these bloods could have touched my wounds... It's terrified that I learnt the hygiene is not good for these street foods in thailand and the rates of infection here is very high...
Please help me, I am so nervous... thank you...
I have been on a travel trip to bangkok and got some serious questions, could you please help if these are high risks for me and if I will need PEP over these situations ...please help...
1>. At the airport, after eating at a food court near the airport, I have bleeding gum in my mouth. Then I came to the airport WC, spit out and notice blood. Then I use tap water there to wash my head and mouth-wash several times. I am afraid because water tap in this region might be impure, I had bleeding gum at that moment, and some oral ulcers in my mouth. Google said the tap water in this city is not clean enough and I am afraid it might also be contaminated with hiv virus...
2>. We booked a trip with a local tour-guide/driver and he showed us around the places. At lunch he introduced us a local restaurant, and ate together with us. At one time, while eating, he used his spoon to share with us some food on a dish, invite us to eat. I ate the food some seconds after that. I also had oral ulcers that moment and sometimes have bleeding gums while eating. I am afraid he might have left infected blood or saliva with blood on that food (brown roasted meat so I could not remember clearly any blood spot color), and the infected body fluid get in my mouth wounds.
3>. While I was walking on the street of bangkok, I bought from street vendor some fruits (watermelon) (packed in a nylon bag) and eat them & swallow watermelon seeds. I also bought a plastic bottle of pomegranate juice (assumedly handmade) and drink, due to too hot weather. I was having some oral ulcers in my mouth, and sometimes I got bleeding gum also. Because the watermelon and the pomegranate juice are both in red-ish colors I could not check for blood spots on them but I am scared that the seller might cut their hands during preparation of these fruits & juices and their bloods dropped on the fruits & juices which I had eaten and consumed. I am so scared that it’s a high risk for HIV contraction because my mouth have wounds (as said above) and these bloods could have touched my wounds... It's terrified that I learnt the hygiene is not good for these street foods in thailand and the rates of infection here is very high...
Please help me, I am so nervous... thank you...
Also I forgot to mention that I visited a kebab stall on the street and buy a kebab which was made and rolled using bare-handed of the seller... It was dark so I could not recognized any blood spot on the bread and also while biting it my mouth had canker sores and bleeding gum sometimes... Can you please help advise on this risk also?.......
COMMUNITY LEADER
PEP is only recommended in a real high risk situation, having unprotected sex with a known HIV+ partner for instance. In your mouth, saliva is there which carries several enzymes capable of inactivating HIV instantly. Do not freak out un-necessarily, your risk does not shift from zero even by an iota, no matter what scenarios related to oral contact, you bring here for discussion
Thanks for your reply. I understand eating or drinking is okay, but under assumption that the mouth have no sores/bleeding... What make me worried is because my mouth had some canker sores in mouth&tongues and also sometimes I got bleeding gums while chewing. I read some documents stating that these sores/wounds in mouth make it high risk for infection so I am so nervous... Do I need pep treatment I am so scare....
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