Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
Avatar universal

Public bathroom toilet and paper towel dispenser

I assume there is no risk to this situation but would like expert confirmation on the chances of contracting HIV from these encounters. 1. When going to the toilet I often wipe the seat to make sure it is clean.  In doing this once I did not see a substance on the seat and it got on my finger through the toilet paper. I think it was urine and i had a cut on my finger.  Can you get HIV this way if the urine had blood in it?  2. My child could not reach the paper towel dispenser so I pulled the lever down to get some of the towel, in doing so I realized the handle was wet.  I had a small cut on my finger that was exposed to the liquid soon after someone used the dispenser before us.  If the water had blood in it can you get HIV with a cut finger?  Should I stop worrying and move on?  Thank you for your time
3 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
239123 tn?1267647614
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
If your contact leneses came into contact with HIV infected blood, you could catch it.  But what are the chances of that?  Of course they are zero for all practical purposes.

Whenver an anxious person dreams up a potential risk scenario, often there is a theoretical potential for it.  That this has never happened and people with normal thought processes don't worry about such things. I recommend agaisnt testing, that you continue with your OCD treatment and counseling, and that you do your best to ignore thoughts about theoretical but essentially zero risk events.  In any case, there is no point in askin about them on this forum.  The answer will always be the same.

This thread is closed.  I won't have any further comments or advice.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Thank you for your response. Very helpful. One last follow up ... I recently put my contacts in my eyes at the gym after touching the wet sink handle without re washing my hands. Any HIV risk there even if trace amount of blood present?  Did not see any though. I have been seeing a counselor about my OCD and it has helped, but was curious about this specific incident.  Thank you
Helpful - 0
239123 tn?1267647614
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Welcome to the forum.

Your opening assumption is correct.  Nobody has ever caught HIV in a public toilet unless they had sex or shared injection equipment while there.  Contact with blood or body secretions in the environment never results in HIV transmission; there would be no risk if you never cleaned the seat before use.  And no, the wet handle and cut on your finger are not plausible as risks, even if the wetness was someone's urine, semen, etc.  Finally, blood in the toilet water also would not be a significant risk.

So no worries at all.  Please don't be concerned about it.

Regards--  HHH, MD
Helpful - 0

You are reading content posted in the HIV - Prevention Forum

Popular Resources
Condoms are the most effective way to prevent HIV and STDs.
PrEP is used by people with high risk to prevent HIV infection.
Can I get HIV from surfaces, like toilet seats?
Can you get HIV from casual contact, like hugging?
Frequency of HIV testing depends on your risk.
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) may help prevent HIV infection.