If you accidentally spill a blood or semen sample (w/ HIV) in your skin, will you have also an HIV?

Like working as a nurse or medical technologist, if the blood or semen sample (which is positive of HIV) is spilled on your skin, especially thin skin such as arms or face, will you have a high chance of having one?

Hi there,

There is a theoretical chance of infection, yes. HIV enters the body through open cuts, sores, or breaks in the skin; through mucous membranes, such as those inside the anus or vagina; or through direct injection. If you did not have any open cuts or sores you should be fine. HIV is not an easy virus to catch and it is very fragile: the virus dies upon caontact with air. If you were accidentally pricked with a needle, as can happen in health care settings, then you have more of a cause to be concerned. For those who do happen to find that they are in that situation (accidental needle prick) and are able to get to a health care facility or their doctor within 72 hours, doctors will put that person on PEP treatment. There is no guarantee that PEP will prevent the infection from happening simply because there is no way to determine whether the person had been infected or not nor is there any way to determine that IF they were in fact infected that PEP "cured" it.

There is a "window period" which is the time it takes the body to produce antibodies after HIV infection has begun. For the vast majority of those who will test positive, antibodies to HIV will develop within 4-6 weeks after exposure. Some will take a little longer to develop antibodies. Since PEP starts within 72 hours of possible exposure, antibodies have not had a chance to develop. Regardless, after PEP treatment for a month, doctors will want to retest at 3 months time to confirm diagnosis either HIV+ or HIV-.

Hope this helps.

Cheers.

yes,high percentage,oh my, u must get help quickly,no joke.

No. Unless you have an open wound.

i dont think that if its unbroken skin it will affect you. but if it goes into a sore, open wound, eye, and possibly mouth you will get it. if it in any way gets into your bloodstream you will get it.

its possible, if one has a cut or wound on the skin - but it is highly unlikely. hospitals are supposed to have policies in place where this kind of accident is reported. so this should be reported to the supervisor.

if you live in the US, you should notify the superior

in hospitals, they usually have procedures that a person has to go thru, such as taking drugs for prevention for several months, take the hiv test after a few months, because it takes time for the virus to develop in the body, etc

it is possible that the person can get infected

HIV can be transmitted by blood/ semen but it must come into contact with the blood in your body. It can NOT penetrate skin unless it is damaged (i.e open cut) or if you spill some in your eyes, for example.

no as long as u didnt have no cuts on ur skin

yeah sadly STDs are absorbed through the skin.

you are in bad shape my friend.