HPV transfer touching genitals, then your own genitals

[richard5555]

Hi Doctors,

I wanted to ask about the likelihood of transferring hpv by touching / caressing the outside of a vagina (which resulted in contact with vaginal fluid), And my own genitals with the same hand. In this case, if it makes any difference, there was about 20 seconds time, before i touched my own genitals.

The other reason i ask, is that there are a lot of alarmist websites claiming hpv transfer in this scenario is both easy and commonplce now. Before i had imagined this likelihood to be unlikely.

I'd love to know what you think doctors, also i was wondering what the contagious lifespan of hpv is, if on my hand from a result of contact.

Thanks again

[Tofu_8242]

From what i've read, HPV can theoretically be transferred by the means in which you describe, although there isn't a definitive statement on this.

I saw a response here by Dr. Hansfield (a renowned infectious disease expert) that, in general, genital HPV is passed on only by direct skin to skin contact and not fingering and the like.

To be safe, I adhere by the statement that it CAN be passed by the means you described, but much less effectively than direct skin to skin contact.

Also, to clear things up: HPV does not reside in sexual fluids, only on epidermal skin cells. It's a very superficial-dwelling virus.