father questions

[father112]

Hello, doctors. Thanks for the good job.
Here is my case. 8 weeks ago I had sexual intercourse while drunk with two CSW.I was first with one, then we called another one to join us. I remember that when I was with both vaginal intercourse was protected, but ,of the time I was alone with the first one, I can't remember if there was any vaginal sex and if it was protected or not.
After the event I became a little worried and avoided any sex with partner, although I know catching HIV is very unlikely. Even the CSW is reassuring : a Colombian immigrant of 28 here in Spain, has a 13 year old son, works always in the same clean brothel and she gave me her phone
At that time, my regular partner was about 8 months pregnant . Few days before delivery, she gets down with a fever, vomit and diahrrea. It lasts 2 days. I gave it no importance. But now our 20 days daughter has a lot of thrush in her tongue. I got concerned, but I keep calm thinking that I can’t infect her without having sex. Now, one week after treatment with nystatin, the thrush doesn’t go away and I am really beginning to freak out. So, though I know that generally HIV is not spread via casual contact,and maybe I’m acting irrationally, I’d like to know if given my special circumstances there is any risk involved in the following situations:

1) Is there any way that I could have infected my partner without having sex before giving delivery given the facts that she is pregnant and that I would be with an high viral load? I could have shared drinks, dishes, kissed her, etc.

2) I was present at delivery. Could I have infected my baby or her mother at that moment given the sensible situation? I obviously hold my baby just after delivery. I don’t remember having myself any cuts or sores.

3) As the baby’s immune system is still immature, is it possible that I infected my newborn baby with the usual actions that parenting requires? Cleaning her, curing her belly button, holding her after some blood was extracted.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Glad to help. Enjoy your fatherhood.  EWH

[father112]

Hi again,

I've just got my results from a reputed Lab. As you anticipated, it's negative!  The paper from the lab says : "HIV 0/1/2 Ab + Ag p-24 Non Reactive. EIA Chemiluminescence". What a good news!

I understand I have to take this as prove that I've been not infected, haven't I?. It's been 11 weeks and 4 days.

Thanks for the time, Dr Hook. You're words were an inmense help to me when I was worrying I had infected my newborn daughter. Thanks again.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

No, HIV is transmitted to adults, including preganant women only through sexual contact or injection of infected material deep into tissue.  You really have no reason to worry about causal contact.  EWH

[father112]

Sorry, i posted from a phone I'll try to be more precise.
You responded to me that you considered unlikely that i infected my partner and child because "the time course of event". You didn't mention that without sexual intercourse one can't infect anybody.
So is it possible to infect a pregnant woman without having vaginal unprotected sex?  

Sorry for the inconveniece.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

Sorry, your question is not clear.  EWH

[father112]

Thanks for the reassuring response. I'll get tested as soon as I can, I'll let you know.
But your answer leave me woth a doubt regarding the precautions. You mention solely the "the time course of events" to discard the possibility of infecting my daughter. So, even with absence of sex, would there be a possibility of infecting my partner in the very unlikely case of being infected myself ?

This is my las question. Thanks for your time.

[Edward W Hook, MD]

.Welcome to the Forum.  I'll try to help with comments however the best thing you can do at this time to relieve your concern is to get tested for HIV.  At this time, no matter what sort of test you have, the results will be definitive and when you see that your test result will be negative you can then be sure that you did not give your wife HIV and the both her recent illness and your child's thrush are coincidence, not HIV.

The exposure you describe is low risk.  Although you do not remember all of the encounter, what you remember was condom protected and thus no risk.  Why would other sex be condom protected if your first sex was not?  Furthermore, the time course that you describe is simply too quick for you to have gotten HIV and then given it to your wife and for her to then give it to your child not make the baby sick.  All of this is far more compatible with coincidence than infection.  

As for your specific questions:
1) Is there any way that I could have infected my partner without having sex before giving delivery given the facts that she is pregnant and that I would be with an high viral load? I could have shared drinks, dishes, kissed her, etc.
See above- the time course of events is too quick to have lead to infection.

2) I was present at delivery. Could I have infected my baby or her mother at that moment given the sensible situation? I obviously hold my baby just after delivery. I don’t remember having myself any cuts or sores.
No, you could not have infected your child at delivery by holding your child.

3) As the baby’s immune system is still immature, is it possible that I infected my newborn baby with the usual actions that parenting requires? Cleaning her, curing her belly button, holding her after some blood was extracted.
No, even with a baby's immature immune system you could not have infected her through usual parenting activities.

Please don't worry.  it is natural to worry about your new born but your fears are groundless.  As I suggested, a test for HIV at this time will be definitive and should relieve your concerns and allow you to enjoy your role as a father.  EWH