herpes whitlow

[dolphin54]

am writing to see if I can get some reassurance since this is in regards to my daughter.

We were on a boat and one of the guides was putting wristbands on people.  He had a cold sore that was visible.  The wristbands had a part that he was pulling off so they would stick on, he would put the part he took off into the edge of his mouth, then take the wristband and put it on you.  Then I think he took the piece of paper out of his mouth to throw away and would then go on to the next person.  He didn´t actually touch the cold sore while doing this but did touch the paper and possibly his mouth I am unsure, before handling the next wrist band to put on.  So he didn´t directly touch the lesion, then my daughter but may hae touched his mouth, then the wristband and then put it on her.  He was doing this all quickly so within a matter of seconds.  She has no open areas on her wrist as far as we can tell.  I gave her some alchohol to put on her wrist and the band as soon as he left.  Is there any risk of her contracting herpes whitlow on her wrist in this fashion.  Do you know of any cases of anyone contracting it in this fashion of casual contact.  If there is a chance that she might be exposed to risk here could I give her some of my husband´s valtrex to help prevent any chance of transmission and if yes what dose and for how long?  She is 17. I heard that at one time there were studies in giving people without herpes, but with partners with herpes, valtrex or something similar to prevent transmission.  I don´t want there to be any chance of her getting whitlow.

Thank you, Pauline

[gracefromHHP]

herpes isn't transmitted well at all without direct skin on skin contact. there also has to be heat and friction to massage the virus into the skin.

this was no risk at all!

[dolphin54]

Thank you Grace for replying.  I had called the University of Washington research lab before posting here and spoke to someone who answered the phone, and she seemed to think there could be a remote chance of transmission like this.  She said she had never seen it but had read about people transmitting to other people in this fashion, I suppose because if he had some saliva on his hand from touching his mouth or the paper he had in his mouth he could transmit if he then touched my daughter while putting the wristband on her since it was all done so quickly that the virus might not have died yet.

[gracefromHHP]

I'm going to save you the money of posting on an experts forum dear.

this was no risk at all for herpes whitlow!!!

grace