Dr. Basti Bharatesh Devendra
Dermatology
The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.
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Patient's Query
Hello doctor,
I stepped in an elevator today, and there was this reddish fluid on the floor, which I think was blood, so I stepped on it accidentally. I was also wearing baggy pants, so the lower part of my pants leg was also touching the floor. When I came home 15 minutes later, I took my shoes and socks off and started walking barefoot in my apartment. Then I realized that the lower part of my trousers was touching my feet, which also had touched the blood on the floor. And I have a 1 cm non-bleeding wound on my feet, which I think started healing and closing a little bit. Can I get HIV (human immunodeficiency viruses) or other blood-borne diseases in this scenario? Could you please explain it to me?
Best wishes.
Hi, Welcome to icliniq.com.
Thank you for the query. Intact skin is an effective barrier to HIV. If there are bleeding wounds, there are possibilities of transmission of HIV. If the wounds have healed or are non-bleeding, the chances of HIV Transmission are nil. Firstly all that is red need not be blood. All blood need not be HIV positive. So the chances of transmission of HIV by given description is nil.
Patient's Query
Hello doctor,
Thank you for your reply.
I am sending a picture (attachment removed to protect patient identity) of my wound. Could you tell me if this possesses any risk? I did not have direct contact with blood. The blood came onto my pants which then touched my wound and feet 10 minutes later. Does that decrease my risk?
Best wishes.
Hi, Welcome back to icliniq.com.
Thank you for the follow-up query and wishes. Best wishes to you too. I have seen the photo (attachment removed to protect patient identity). It appears to have begin healing. There appears to be no contact directly with the blood. HIV does not survive beyond few minutes in the environment. So the chances of HIV transmission in your scenario are nil. I wish you safe and good health.
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Dermatology
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