Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

exposure via nonintact skin

i helped a young man - who is a friend of my son. he came over to the house with  two cuts on his hand - and several scratches. the majority of the blood was dried - but there was a small gash (maybe 1 inch in length) that had some "fresh" blood inside of it. i had the young man (21 yrs. old) run his hand under water for a min or two. then i poured a bottle of hydrogen peroxide on it. then i used a paper towel to dry off his hand. i then put a bandaid and a butterfly on his hand. i only saw a very small amount a blood - maybe a drop or two on the butterfly. immediately afterwards i washed my hands with soap - and rinsed them through some bleach water. the young man doesn't have a job - has 3 children with 3 different women. so i would say he may or may not have hiv. he said he didn't think he did. at any rate - i don't think i got any blood on my hands - but i'm not for sure. i examined my hands afterwards - and noticed i had a hangnail on one of my thumbs.
i thought the prudent thing to do was to get tested. i went to the health dept. @ six weeks -- they administered the uni-gold recombigen test - which was negative. after wards i was reading the handout they give you -- and it indicated that that particular test only tests for hiv-1 not hiv-2.
my question would be - how reliable is this particular test? and with my risk, whatever it may be-- should i go back for a test that includes hiv-2 now, or just wait until 90 days to get tested for both? i ache and figured it was just from stress - but thought i would see what you thought.
2 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
Avatar universal
you had no real risk to begin with, and don't worry about hiv-2. you are negative and have a great life.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
All your fears are baseless and anxiety driven. Your risk looks non existent in the situation you explained. Nothing to worry about,,,
Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the HIV Prevention Community

Top HIV Answerers
366749 tn?1544695265
Karachi, Pakistan
370181 tn?1716862802
Arlington, WA
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
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.