pLEASE HELP VERY SCARED ABOUT HIV TRANSMISSION

[jw299]

Hi Dr HHH. I was hoping you could help me put my fears at ease.  This is what happened.  I work at a vet clinic and was helping with a dog who turned around and bite the owner.  The owner stared to bleed and was till holding onto the dog.  A minute or 2 later i was holding the dog and am i am now worried that i may have gotten some of the owners blood on me off the dog, becuase he had been holding the dog while.  I don't remeber seeing any blood on me , but I am scared that i washed any blood off before I noticed and I have serveral cuts on my hand (some scabed hangnails, a few scratches and 2 paper cut like cuts ( none of the bleeding still or anything).  I noticed afterward the vet had gotten some blood on her becuase shehad been holding the dog as well.  There was blood on the muzzle we put on the dog and it is very possible I touched that part of the muzzle when lifting the dog off the table.  I am really scared and I am not even sure if  got blood on me at all.  I will tell you that I have had an HIV test before all of this and it was negative. I feel as though I have lost all comfort and reassurance inmy negative hiv status now becuase of this incident.  I will also tell you I tend top suffer from severe healthanxiety.  Please tell me what i should do-should iget retested or am i  being totally paranoid. What are the chance of getting HIV through cuts on the hand and arms.  Do the cuts have to be bleeding, deep and large for transmission to take place?  My husband is very frusterated with my anxities, especially because the owner of the dog was an elderly man.  Please help  Jill

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

I knew you meant the owner's blood, not the dog's.

I meant exactly what I said about HIV infected blood.  Of course I'm not recommending anyone rinse their hands with HIV infected blood.  But if that happened, most likely HIV would not be transmitted.  Even when health care workers get stuck with sharp instruments contaminated with HIV infected blood, fewer than 1 in 100 get infected.

You have correctly identified the only health problem here and HIV isn't it.  "I need reassurance" isn't going to be enough.  For most people with the sort of thought processes, reassurance by itself doesn't eliminate the irrational fears. Most likely you are going to continue to be irrationally fearful of HIV until you get professional assistance.

I will have no further comments on this thread.

[jw299]

Hi Dr HHH, the blood was the owners not the dogs.  I know you can't get HIV from a dog-also i washed my hand in soap and water following holding the dog.  I do not understand you comment about when you rinse you hands in blood know to carry HIV and not get infected?  What did you mean by this. I understand your comment about needing counselling -i totally agree i am neurotic.  I know the chances of  contracting hiv this way are soo small-i was just really worried that if i had goten blood on me and not known and washed it off it could've been passed through any one of my cuts.  I really appreciate your compassion though.  I guess i need reassurance

[H. Hunter Handsfield, M.D.]

I don't mean to belittle your fears.  But HIV by dog bite?  When you aren't even sure blood even touched your skin?  When you rinse your hands in blood known to carry HIV and not get infected?

No chance.  The scenario you outline is so astromically improbable that you can and should just forget it.  I can understand your husband's frustration.  He is right and you are wrong.  If you cannot make your left brain understand and overcome the emotions of your right brain, it might indicate a need for professional counseling.  It is not normal to be so irrational about things like this.  I bring that up out of compassion, not criticism.

Best wishes--  HHH, MD