hiv through partially dried blood on smudged paper

[sinarest]

I am a nurse by profession. I am terrified with this incident that happened to me. I was going through a patient's lab card who was suffering from extensive lichen planus. He was HIV and Hep C + ve. After looking at his card i went to the nurses station and was pressing against an acne lesion on my right forehead which was fresh and bleeding. Suddenly i remembered that i was handling this card so i washed my hands and went and saw the lab sheet and saw partially clotted blood on the card. The patient had come from the lab just 10 mins back after an LFT which was also abnormally high. Even when i was seeing the card this time the blood wasn't fully dry. I was so worried that i used the same finger and hand region to press against my wound. (I practically held my against my hand against the wound for more than 30 seconds). I was very upset. Then a colleague of mine said that she saw me use sterilium lotion after seeing the card which i honestly don't remember . I still am thinking she is trying to comfort me.(Even when i use sterilium i take only 1 or 2 pressings and clean for 10 seconds max).  My question what are the chances that i would have been infected from this situation and would sterilium have helped if i had used as my friend is saying.(Because she is very sure about it but not me though). How long would HIV survive on a smudged paper? Please help me.... (TEAK... would be thankful if you can say some thing too).

[nursegirl6572]

HIV cannot be transmitted in this manner.  You have nothing to worry about.

[7heaven7]

I'm sorry, you're not an inanimate object, I meant to say outside it's living host :)

[7heaven7]

Just before TEAK gets back to you let me give you some words of reassurance too.

Not only would the virus have been in active by that time it came into contact with you, but, every time the virus is spread from one inanimate object to another it significantly loses infectiousness every time. Let's count; 1- from patient to card   2- from card to hand 3- from hand to acne lesion.

No way. take care.

[been_there123]

Hey hey just calm down a bit alright...

You’re going to be fine. The virus cannot replicate in this manner.

HIV blood to blood is the path for passing the virus.

HIV would have to be in the fresh blood and fully active, which after it leaves the body it becomes increasingly harder to contract due to its exposure to the air and harsh conditions.

HIV would have to come in contact with certain cells that it can infect immediately after it enters your body, and the concentration would have to be very high in order to pass from the card to your pimple.


You are not at risk here, as a matter of fact you could have rubbed that bloody card all over your pimple bleeding or not and still be fine.

You did not have a significant exposure.
Please be careful at work and take care