Any risk?

[Whatever80]

I had a cut on my bum and I used a public toilet that was very busy (was standing in a line).

now say someone with a herpes outbreak had sat on the seat before me, is it possible to contract the virus through my cut?

should i be worried? do i need to seek out testing?

much thanks

[franklinandbash]

Having a cut does not change our advice.

[franklinandbash]

My opinions are completely with what Grace said.  It takes more than just contact with the virus on the given object to get herpes.

[gracefromHHP]

they've actually done a study where they put active herpes virus on someone's arm and they were never infected. it takes more than just coming into contact with actual virus to get infected as I've said previously in this post.

the virus doesn't die immediately when exposed to air. depending on the surface and the conditions in general, it can live for up to a day or more. another object coming between the virus has nothing to do with it.

[franklinandbash]

No need to doubt Grace's expertise. Please feel free to post to Terri Warren if you feel as if any information here is not accurate. :) Grace has been around this virus for quite some time and is a true expert :) what people post on yahoo and wikipedia isn't always accurate. No need to worry about this. Never think you're that one  of a billion person who gets this or that  If you're that lucky you should play your local lotto as your odds are much better.

[gracefromHHP]

please by all means if you doubt the information I posted, pay to ask it to Terri Warren, our herpes expert here on medhelp.  

it's really not worth disagreeing with me for something that as far as we know, has never, ever even happened!!  If it is any risk at all, it's so low that it certainly is rarely worth worrying about let alone arguing about.

grace

[Whatever80]

Okay, I think I understand. Thanks!

[gracefromHHP]

there has never been a documented case of herpes infecting anyone from a toilet seat. It also takes more than just coming into contact with active herpes virus to get infected ( not that there was likely to be any active herpes on the seat in the first place ) - it takes some heat and some friction. Just sitting down on a toilet seat and having a cut in the skin is not going to result in infection with herpes. It's also very low risk for infection from every other germ out there that can be found on a toilet seat too.

wiping the seat before using it won't do squat for preventing any sort of infection.  

think of all the people you know who use public toilets every single day of their lives between work, shopping, eating out etc - how many of them have contracted ANY sort of infection from doing so?  

Feel free to pay to post to Terri Warren, the herpes expert here on medhelp if you doubt my reply.

grace

[Whatever80]

Thanks for the response there

i posted this question on a few forums just to get a general consensus. it actually seems that u are one of the few that says you CAN'T get it this way. i'll post some things the other responses say

"In theory this virus will die very quickly once the temperature drops or the moisture around the virus dries up, but a scenario can be suggested where the temperature and moisture holds on long enough for the virus to survive outside the body for several minutes. This could arise where an infected person leaves the virus in droplets of warm urine on the toilet seat and someone uses that toilet seat within a few minutes and has a cut that comes in contact with that pool of warm urine. To avoid this scenario wipe the toilet seat before using."

and most of the others say that a cut in the skin is one of the few ways you CAN get it from a toilet seat


hope you know i am in no way harping on you! LOL i just want to know who is right so that i don't have to worry about these things down the line. i happen to use public bathrooms a lot and just recently started worrying about this!

[gracefromHHP]

this is absolutely not a  risk for herpes. no need for any testing or worry about herpes!

grace