HIV and AIDS Forum - Environmental transmission of HIV

Conditions and Diseases > HIV and AIDS Forum > Environmental transmission of HIV

TOPICS DOCTOR QUESTIONS

HIV virus

Do you know what causes HIV? Get started by learning the facts on HIV and AIDS here....

Q: Environmental transmission of HIV

asked by: DoctorQuestion on December 21st, 2008

Hi,

Yesterday I went to a bar. After some time I had to use the toilet. I went to the toilet and noticed a couple of red spots on the toilet seat. Maybe that was blood, I am not sure of that.

I sprayed some water on it and then used a piece of cloth to clean the seat. Then I sat on it. I'm now worried about this incident.

The thing that worries me is that I did not use any soap/disinfectant, I just poured some water on the red spots (I do not know if they were completely dry) and then used a piece of cloth to wipe it off. Is there a possibility of transmission in this scenario.

Thanks a lot for your replies.
rcmn

Replies(1)

Dr. Goce Aleksovski , MD

replied on December 23rd, 2008

HIV and AIDS Answer A5123

Most doctors and researchers agree that HIV does not survive well in the environment. HIV left out of the organism greatly reduces in number in only several minutes. Drying of HIV-infected human blood or other body fluids reduces the theoretical risk of environmental transmission to zero.

DISCLAIMER: "Ask a Doctor" questions are answered by certified physicians and other medical professionals who volunteer their time on eHealth Forum. For more information about experts participating in the "Ask a Doctor" Network, please visit our medical experts page. You may also visit our HIV and AIDS , for moderated patient to patient support and information.

The information provided on eHealth Forum is designed to improve, not replace, the relationship between a patient and his/her own physician. Personal consultation(s) with a qualified medical professional is the proper means for diagnosing any medical condition.

This question has been answered by the doctor. This topic is now open for public discussion, however no comments below this point will be answered by a doctor.

Learn About Us

Get Help

Join In

Do More

We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health
information:
verify here.

The site is not a replacement for professional medical opinion, examination, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your medical doctor or other qualified health professional before starting any new treatment or making any changes to existing treatment. Do not delay seeking or disregard medical advice based on information written by any author on this site. No health questions and information on eHealth Forum is regulated or evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and therefore the information should not be used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease without the supervision of a medical doctor. Posts made to these forums express the views and opinions of the author, and not the administrators, moderators, or editorial staff and hence eHealth Forum and its principals will accept no liabilities or responsibilities for the statements made. Schizophrenia health sitemap.
This page was last updated on January 1, 2009.
© 2008 eForums, Inc