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Did I contract HIV or Hepatitis at work?
I am at work and we work with medicine. We unpack the boxes and things of that nature, so anyways as we were working with the boxes someone’s fingers began to bleed and got on the boxes and the openings of the boxes. I believe I touched them many times because I didn’t even realize it was blood on the boxes until someone else pointed it out in their box. So I was wondering did I contract HIV this way because my hands a quite raw because I wash them a lot and there are scabs that wrap around my wrist. Along with a peeled off fingernail and a torn up cutical on my right thumb. Also the back and palm of my hands are pretty cracked as well and we didn’t have gloves. Did I contract HIV or Hepatitis this way? (Some of the smuges were really dark while some were light and it was also one with literally a blotch of blood on it. The boxes filled with the boxes with blood on them had to be passed down before I touched them but it was pretty quick though. The blood was fresh because the employee cut themselves on the boxes I believe.) I’m really worried and scared. Please answer. Thank you for your answers in advance.
You did not contract HIV from the blood. HIV does not do well outside the body and you can be 100% sure you do not have it or at least that you did not get it from that exposure to the blood. The only way to get HIV is through unprotected sex or needle sharing. Move on and relax.
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Thank you for your answer.
Also I know that I am really late but say that it got under my nail and up under my nail was ripped pretty bad, should I go get tested then? Like did that put me at a greater risk? Can I contract it that way? Once again thank you so much for your answer and your patience with me and I sorry for my little knowledge about contacting HIV. I just can’t stop thinking about it.
HIV is effectively dead in air so the only non-sex risk is sharing hollow needles that you inject with. Your situation is a long ways from that, so you had no risk. There is no detail that you can add that will make any other non-sex risks than the one I listed.
If you are still worried, you need to talk to your employer or doctor about this fear of HIV in the workplace, because that risk doesn't exist.
If you are still worried, you need to talk to your employer or doctor about this fear of HIV in the workplace, because that risk doesn't exist.
Thank you for your reply. I have been working on forgetting about it.
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