Help from a doctor or nurse would be greatly appreciated.?

Question

Can HIV live outside of a body for 20 minutes? My friend wants me to find all the info I can on the internet about HIV because he had s*x with a girl (with a condom), but he fingered her before. They finished and he rubbed his eyes because he said he was tired. Once he touched his eyes though, he realized the fluid on his finger wasn't totally dry. I know wet fluid should be considered dangerous, but I also know that HIV can't survive well outside of the body. It was still moist/kind of wet or whatever but it had been 20 minutes. Is he ok?

Answer 1

Once the body fluid totally dries HIV dies fairly quickly, it can live for several hours to days if its still wet (think towel soaked in blood or other body fluids). He should get to the ER and get tested now and start on the prevenative medications.

What is HIV?

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the virus that causes AIDS. This virus is passed from one person to another through blood-to-blood and sexual contact. In addition, infected pregnant women can pass HIV to their baby during pregnancy or delivery, as well as through breast-feeding.

These body fluids have been proven to spread HIV:

· Blood

· s***n

· Vaginal fluid

· Breast milk

· Other body fluids containing blood

These are additional body fluids that may transmit the virus:

· Cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the brain and the spinal cord

· Synovial fluid surrounding bone joints

· Amniotic fluid surrounding a fetus

What is AIDS? What causes AIDS?

AIDS stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. An HIV-infected person receives a diagnosis of AIDS after developing one of the CDC-defined AIDS indicator illnesses. An HIV-positive person who has not had any serious illnesses also can receive an AIDS diagnosis on the basis of certain blood tests (CD4+ counts). A positive HIV test result does not mean that a person has AIDS. A diagnosis of AIDS is made by a physician using certain clinical criteria (e.g., AIDS indicator illnesses).

Infection with HIV can weaken the immune system to the point that it has difficulty fighting off certain infections. These types of infections are known as "opportunistic" infections because they take the opportunity a weakened immune system gives to cause illness.

Many of the infections that cause problems or may be life threatening for people with AIDS are usually controlled by a healthy immune system. The immune system of a person with AIDS is weakened to the point that medical intervention may be necessary to prevent or treat serious illness.

Today there are medical treatments that can slow down the rate at which HIV weakens the immune system. There are other treatments that can prevent or cure some of the illnesses associated with AIDS. As with other diseases, early detection offers more options for treatment and preventive care. How is HIV passed from one person to another?

HIV transmission can occur when blood, s***n (including pre-seminal fluid, or "pre-***"), vaginal fluid, or breast milk from an infected person enters the body of an uninfected person.

HIV can enter the body through a vein (e.g., injection drug use), the a**s or r****m, the v****a, the p***s, the mouth, other mucous membranes (e.g., eyes or inside of the nose), or cuts and sores. Intact, healthy skin is an excellent barrier against HIV and other viruses and bacteria.

These are the most common ways that HIV is transmitted from one person to another:

· By having sexual intercourse (anal, vaginal, or oral s*x) with an HIV-infected person

· By sharing needles or injection equipment with an injection drug user who is infected with HIV

· From HIV-infected women to babies before or during birth, or through breast-feeding after birth

· HIV also can be transmitted through transfusions of infected blood or blood clotting factors. (However, since 1985, all donated blood in the United States has been tested for HIV. Therefore, the risk of infection through transfusion of blood or blood products is extremely low. The U.S. blood supply is considered to be among the safest in the world.)

How effective are latex condoms in preventing HIV?

Studies have shown that latex condoms are highly effective in preventing HIV transmission when used consistently and correctly. These studies looked at uninfected people considered to be at very high risk of infection because they were involved in sexual relationships with HIV-infected people. The studies found that even with repeated sexual contact, 98-100 percent of those people who used latex condoms correctly and consistently did not become infected.

What are the factors that determine my risk of getting infected or reinfected with HIV?

Five main factors determine risk of HIV transmission:

1. Prevalence of HIV in the community. If HIV infection is very rare in the population of people with whom you have s*x, it is pretty unlikely that you’ll get infected. But if HIV is common in the community (as it now is in almost all urban g*y communities…about 1 in 7 urban men who have s*x with men have HIV), then it’s easy to get infected.

2. Number of Partners. If you have s*x with very few people, your chances of getting HIV are lower than if you have s*x with many.

3. Number of encounters with each partner. HIV doesn't get transmitted every time you have s*x, even if one person is HIV+ and one is HIV-. But if you have s*x many times with a person who is infected, that increases the risk. It’s like Russian Roulette.

4. Level of risk in each specific behavior. Di

Answer 2

I'm a nurse, and although your friend can't know for sure, he's probably fine. HIV cannot survive outside of the human body very long. HUMAN Imunodeficiency Virus. There is always a chance from the slightest amount of contact, but if the woman he slept with did have HIV, it would probably take more than that to do anything.  Although HIV is spread by bodily fluid, not all bodily proposes the same amount of risks as others.  An example would be that you can't contract HIV from kissing a person who has it, unless you or that person had an open sore in the mouth or bleeding gums.  Your friend should take the necessary precautions but he will probably be fine.