Does Hep C survive if blood has dried?

[paranoidyahoo]

Scenario:

Someone who has Hep C bleeds on to bed comforter.

15-16 hours later a person touches the bed comforter to take to be washed. This person may have touched spot on comforter where dried blood is.

Then the person rubs their eye/scratches an itch etc...

Could any Hep C be transferred from the dried blood spot on comforter on to hand where it could then potentially infect a person.

Thanks for any help you can provide!

[willbb]

Sorry... I meant to say that the transmission rates for people by sexual practices  not in monogamous relationships is in the vicinity of 5%.For those in monogamous relationships the % rates are even less than that.

WILL

[nygirl7]

NO no saliva must be blood to blood contact meaning IVDU or transfusion or something of that nature. Most couples do not pass the disease to each other the chance is very very low that it could happen.

[solidgirl]

Thanks Will!

[willbb]

You will get more of a response if you go to the green"post a Question" and start a new thread there.

In answer to your question transmission between monogamous partners is rare ..the data shows somewhere in the vicinity of 5%.It is blood from an infected person entering the bloodstream of another.

And as far as saliva..not unless the saliva has blood in it  and enters your bloodstream...again very rare.

Hope that helps some

WILL

[paranoidyahoo]

Thankyou Dave.

RGlass: no need for that :)

[solidgirl]

I am involved with a man who has tested positive with hep c.  I am not infected and would like to stay that way.  How likely is infection to occur thru sex?  I have read your forum and a couple others that focus on blood infections.  Is this the most likely way to transmit?  How about saliva?

[spectda]

some people with ocd have a compulsion to itch and scratch until they bleed. Perhaps that is part of the problem.

It is highly unlikely that you have hepc. I am hope you realize that you need help for your ocd. I am sorry it is so difficult for you to accept the fact that you are really not at risk for hep c and give yourself peace of mind.

Asking people on these forums who really do have hep c can be frustrating for you and us because we can't help you with your ocd nor an imagined case of hep c.

Please do yourself a favor and get help for your real problem. Life doesn't have to be filled with fear and anxiety.

Good luck,
Dave

[jusjames]

If I touch a piece of paper that has some dried blood on it with hep c, but my hand is not cut, then I use this hand to itch my face and maybe in doing so I itch a little bit to feverishly and slightly break skin/draw a smidgen of blood....

Did the hep c transfer from dried blood on to my hand that did not have a cut, to then be transferred into my blood through scratching? Or would the hep c not have "jumped" from dried blood on to hand where no blood is present?

you must have fleas to scratch that hard !

[R Glass]

KNOCK IT OFF

[paranoidyahoo]

nevermind, trinity, that scenario is essentially exactly the same as the original question i posed up at the top, and which you answered already.

sorry, just being selectively forgetful in my ocd i think

[paranoidyahoo]

Thankyou for the response again Trinity.

I'm still very curious though about whether the virus must be attached to blood to "replicate"?/live...

Here's another example:

If I touch a piece of paper that has some dried blood on it with hep c, but my hand is not cut, then I use this hand to itch my face and maybe in doing so I itch a little bit to feverishly and slightly break skin/draw a smidgen of blood....

Did the hep c transfer from dried blood on to my hand that did not have a cut, to then be transferred into my blood through scratching? Or would the hep c not have "jumped" from dried blood on to hand where no blood is present?

see what i mean?

I'm just trying to learn as much as I can.

[copyman]

Also, I would like to add if you have an obsessive compulsive disorder seek mental help for it.  OCD is very hard to live with but can be managed with treatment. Best of luck

[Trinity4]

Again, the likelihood of transmission is negligible in all the scenarios you have presented.

Look at it in terms of how many times you have unknowingly touched dried or fresh blood (with cuts or wounds on the hand) that was on doorknobs, counter tops, toilet seats and a multitude of other things yet you remain free of any infectious disease right?  My advise is if you cannot put your lingering concerns to rest, get tested.

Antibody test 3-6 months after exposure or HCV RNA PCR 2-3 weeks after exposure.

Trinity

[paranoidyahoo]

I would however still like to see someone comment on this:

"I guess I'm concerned about a "second hand" transfer? Like dry blood to hand with no cut to door knob and THEN to hand with cut....."

i.e. hand touches dry blood spot, hand has no cut, then that hand touches doorknob/counter top, then a person with cut on hand touched that doorknob/counter top....

does that last touch pose a risk?

[paranoidyahoo]

Thanks you for all your responses-especially you, trinity. I think you answered the question I asked just above me which I was typing before seeing your posting.

[paranoidyahoo]

Ok. But what about the question of if a hand touched dried blood and then touches a door knob. Does the door knob now have Hep C that if someone touched the door knob with a cut on hand they will maybe be infected?

See what I mean? Does the hep c in the dried blood transfer on to the hand with no cut or does it only transfer into blood opening?

I guess I'm concerned about a "second hand" transfer? Like dry blood to hand with no cut to door knob and THEN to hand with cut.....

[Trinity4]

Very unlikey.  Hepc is transmitted through blood to blood contact.  The infected blood must enter the bloodstream for infection to occur.  Even if the blood was fresh and you touched the blood with a scratch or wound on the hand it does not mean the infected blood will enter the bloodstream and most people do not realize it is very difficult to contract HCV through casual contact.

HCV may survive on environmental surfaces at room temperature for at least 16 hours but not longer than 4 days.

In my opinion your risk was extremely low to nill.  If you continue to have concerns, get tested.  I see by your previous posts your screen name suits you.

Trinity

[frijole]

How long does the hepatitis C virus survive outside the body?
The hepatitis C virus can survive outside the body at room temperature, on environmental surfaces, for at least 16 hours but no longer than 4 days.

How should blood spills be cleaned from surfaces to make sure that hepatitis C virus is gone?
Any blood spills -- including dried blood, which can still be infectious -- should be cleaned using a dilution of one part household bleach to 10 parts water. Gloves should be worn when cleaning up blood spills.


Hepatitis C Virus
The hepatitis C virus, or HCV, can live outside the body for up to 4 days. However, many experts think it usually survives up to 16 hours at room

[CoWriter]

It can infect somebody only if some of the infected dry blood can somehow get into somebody's blood stream.

Co

[paranoidyahoo]

In addition, would that hand that touched dried blood spot, also be able to pass hep c on to counter top, chair, door knob etc, where then someone else could touch and then have hep c on hands?

Or when it says that Hep c can survive for days on an environmental surface, does it mean if is still in liquid form or on something plastic etc where it can be rubbed off? For example-a toilet seat... which unlike a bed comforter/sheet, would not absorb the blood?....

Sorry if I'm not making perfect sense here...