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Risk STI from Blood open cut?
I had an open wound, about 0.5cm deep, 2cm long, but it didn't bleed much, but it mostly bleed fat from yellow water. I accidentally got someone with an STI to drop a drop of blood into the wound (a friend my nosebleed). I can get STI from it. I hear that STIs live for hours in the environment. I don’t known enough STI virus to spread through the blood??
Thank so much!!!
COMMUNITY LEADER
So to be sure I'm understanding.
Someone with a nosebleed bled directly into your wound? How does that even happen?
There are all kinds of STIs. Do you know what your friend has? My guess is if that they have something that is transmitted by blood (HIV, viral hepatitis), they would be diligent about making sure their blood doesn't get on anyone else. If your friend has chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, HPV, syphilis, molluscum or trichomoniasis, you are not at risk at all, as those are not blood borne. They are only transmitted by actual sexual activity.
If they do have HIV or a viral hepatitis (hepatitis B or C), chances are really good that you wouldn't get it this way. (Hepatitis A is spread via fecal matter, not blood, so that's not an issue here.)
First, how old was your wound? If it had started to scab over or close, that's protecting you from getting anything in it and getting infected.
Second, in order for anything blood borne to transmit, there has to be enough blood present, and enough virus in the blood to transmit. If your friend is undergoing treatment, it's quite likely that there wouldn't be enough virus to transmit to you in a single drop of blood. Even if they aren't in treatment, there probably isn't enough virus present to transmit.
HIV dies very quickly once outside it's human host. Hep B and C can live longer, but I'd be very surprised if your friend has either of those. Most people are vaccinated for hep B now - you probably are, depending on your age - and Hep C is usually transmitted by sharing drug use equipment.
So ask your friend nicely if they have an STI if you've actually heard that they do. Be gentle and honest, and tell them that you heard a rumor that they do. (If it's a rumor, I'm going to guess it's not true - most of the time, it isn't.) Tell them that ordinarily, you know it's none of your business (because unless you are having sex with them, it isn't), and that you aren't judging them, but want to clear it up since they had the nosebleed and their blood got in your cut (which I still don't understand how that happened).
If they say they don't have one, believe them, let it go, and never repeat this story. If you hear the rumor, stand up for your friend.
Someone with a nosebleed bled directly into your wound? How does that even happen?
There are all kinds of STIs. Do you know what your friend has? My guess is if that they have something that is transmitted by blood (HIV, viral hepatitis), they would be diligent about making sure their blood doesn't get on anyone else. If your friend has chlamydia, gonorrhea, herpes, HPV, syphilis, molluscum or trichomoniasis, you are not at risk at all, as those are not blood borne. They are only transmitted by actual sexual activity.
If they do have HIV or a viral hepatitis (hepatitis B or C), chances are really good that you wouldn't get it this way. (Hepatitis A is spread via fecal matter, not blood, so that's not an issue here.)
First, how old was your wound? If it had started to scab over or close, that's protecting you from getting anything in it and getting infected.
Second, in order for anything blood borne to transmit, there has to be enough blood present, and enough virus in the blood to transmit. If your friend is undergoing treatment, it's quite likely that there wouldn't be enough virus to transmit to you in a single drop of blood. Even if they aren't in treatment, there probably isn't enough virus present to transmit.
HIV dies very quickly once outside it's human host. Hep B and C can live longer, but I'd be very surprised if your friend has either of those. Most people are vaccinated for hep B now - you probably are, depending on your age - and Hep C is usually transmitted by sharing drug use equipment.
So ask your friend nicely if they have an STI if you've actually heard that they do. Be gentle and honest, and tell them that you heard a rumor that they do. (If it's a rumor, I'm going to guess it's not true - most of the time, it isn't.) Tell them that ordinarily, you know it's none of your business (because unless you are having sex with them, it isn't), and that you aren't judging them, but want to clear it up since they had the nosebleed and their blood got in your cut (which I still don't understand how that happened).
If they say they don't have one, believe them, let it go, and never repeat this story. If you hear the rumor, stand up for your friend.
2 Comments
I was working in the factory with her, I just had a cut because the cutter accidentally cut the back of my hand, it was about 0.5cm deep and longer than 2cm ... I saw it oozing yellow water and Not much blood had just broken, when she accidentally sat next to me, it was nosebleed, she was scared of blood so she screamed and immediately I took a tissue paper to stop her, when I looked back, her blood It was on my wound. I accidentally read that STIs are spread through blood wounds, such as gonorrhea, syphilis ... I was worried about my cuts because she seemed to have a lot of boyfriends, she was just work with me. I'm from an Asian country and the consulting sites at me told me that the virus can survive for hours in dry blood. In this forum I read that as soon as the virus was released the virus did not spread. Please tell me the truth? I am very grateful that you answered. my English is not good. Sorry for the inconvenience.
I will only, and have only told you the truth.
Gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, HPV and syphilis are only spread through direct sexual contact. Your mouth or unclothed genitals have to come into direct contact with someone else's unclothed genitals (or mouth).
These infections are not spread by blood.
HIV dies very quickly once outside the body, and in order to spread by cuts both of you would need a LOT of blood.
Hep B can spread by blood, but I'd guess at least one of you was vaccinated for it, if not both.
Hep C is spread by blood, but it's almost never spread sexually. Unless your co-worker uses needles for drug use, or has tattoos that she got from contaminated needles, she probably doesn't have hep C. Hep C is a virus that can live for awhile outside of a human, but chances are really good that your friend doesn't have it. Even if she did, she would have to have enough virus in the blood to transmit it to you.
A lot of boyfriends doesn't mean that someone has an STI. You don't know that she is having sex with all of them, or if she is using protection with them. If she uses protection all the time, chances are really good that she doesn't. A person can also have just one partner ever, and get an STI if their partner has one.
It would be understandable if you ask her if she has HIV or hep B or C, but chances are good that she doesn't. Don't accuse her - just let her know that since her blood fell on you, you want to know if you should test, and that you will keep anything she tells you secret, and then do so.
Gonorrhea, chlamydia, herpes, HPV and syphilis are only spread through direct sexual contact. Your mouth or unclothed genitals have to come into direct contact with someone else's unclothed genitals (or mouth).
These infections are not spread by blood.
HIV dies very quickly once outside the body, and in order to spread by cuts both of you would need a LOT of blood.
Hep B can spread by blood, but I'd guess at least one of you was vaccinated for it, if not both.
Hep C is spread by blood, but it's almost never spread sexually. Unless your co-worker uses needles for drug use, or has tattoos that she got from contaminated needles, she probably doesn't have hep C. Hep C is a virus that can live for awhile outside of a human, but chances are really good that your friend doesn't have it. Even if she did, she would have to have enough virus in the blood to transmit it to you.
A lot of boyfriends doesn't mean that someone has an STI. You don't know that she is having sex with all of them, or if she is using protection with them. If she uses protection all the time, chances are really good that she doesn't. A person can also have just one partner ever, and get an STI if their partner has one.
It would be understandable if you ask her if she has HIV or hep B or C, but chances are good that she doesn't. Don't accuse her - just let her know that since her blood fell on you, you want to know if you should test, and that you will keep anything she tells you secret, and then do so.
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