Strippers are dangerous....

[DamnStripper]

So I'm on a business trip with clients when we hit a local San Diego strip club.

At the end of the night my client buys me a lap dance (I avoided all all night).  The stripper while dancing takes my hand and rubs my pointer finger on her open vagina.  No insertion into her vaginal hole, but she spread her labia and rubbed my finger around there.  I was pretty disgusted and immeditately went to the bathroom to wash my hands.  It was then when I noticed that I had a relatively fresh cuticle cut on the same finger (maybe 2 hrs old, but still red; dried blood).

I've been paranoid ever since.  Granted I came down with a cold 3 days later (it's now a week later and I'm still sick -- head cold, runny nose, cough, sneezing, phlegm, swollen neck gland, etc.) which didn't help, but I'm chalking that up to little sleep and many plane rides over 3 action-packed days.  

I'm freaking out over my exposure, and I've told my wife what happened so my conscious isn't playing too much havoc on me (she's ok with it).  I'm just frightened that I've contracted HIV.  Can you provide me with details about the available tests I can take (and when) so that I can be 100% sure I'm HIV free?

Thanks,
DamnStripper....

[waringblender]

I like the doctor's comment about "may or may not be dangerous."  It is not individuals who are risky; it is behavior. Somebody can be infected with several STDs simultaneously and still engage in safer sexual practices and practices that don't put their partners at ANY risk. Someone else can be free of any STDs and engage in risky behavior.

[DamnStripper]

Thanks a lot.  Figured this would be your response.

Appreciate the attention to my question.  No more strip clubs for me.

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

Strippers may or may not be dangerous, but the one you met was not behaving dangerously.  HIV simply is not transmitted by fingering, regardless of nicks or cuts on the hand.  You don't need HIV testing on account of this event, but if you want to do it anyway for anxiety relief, have any of the standard, routine antibody tests at least 6 weeks after the event.  Whatever test your own provider uses routinely will be just fine.  Or visit your local health department.

No ongoing discussion, please.  There is nothing more you can say that would change my opinion or advice and I won't have any further comments.  Good luck--- HHH, MD