Do I need to get testing?

[jgicani]

I have been thinking about this non-stop and hope that you can give me some guidance.  The plumber was recently at my house to unclog the shower drain.  As he was leaving, his plumbing snake wire touched mine and my family member's towels on the railing.  At that time, I didn't think much of it.  But now I'm thinking what if that plumbing snake wire was in someone's toilet bowl before he came to my house and what if that toilet bowl had blood in it.  That blood/body fluids could have gotten on the plumbing snake wire and then touched the towels.  My child uses her towel to dry her face (which means contact with her eyes) and I use my towel to dry my private areas (contact with my penis).  I keep thinking of the worst case scenario - is it possible to get HIV or Hepatitis C in this way?  Is testing warranted? 

[Lynn K]

Is it possible to get HIV or Hepatitis C in this way? 

No


Is testing warranted?

No

You may want to consider counseling for medical anxiety.

[Lynn K]

HOW HIV IS TRANSMITTED
HIV is transmitted through the following bodily fluids: Blood, Semen, Pre-seminal fluid (pre-cum), Breast milk, Vaginal fluids, Anal mucous

When you have sex with someone who is HIV-positive (infected with HIV) the virus can enter your system through small tears in your vagina, anus, penis or – rarely – your mouth. Open sores caused by sexually-transmitted diseases (STDs) such as herpes and syphilis can make it easier for HIV to enter your system.

HIV can be transmitted through contact with the blood, semen, genital fluids, or breast milk.

If you are an injection drug-user, HIV can be transmitted when your blood comes into contact with another person’s blood through sharing needles. HIV can pass from mother to child while a woman is pregnant or through breast milk. In rare cases, healthcare workers have come into contact with body fluids and become infected. Effective screening has made HIV infection via blood transfusion or organ donation extremely rare.

HIV is NOT transmitted through the following bodily fluids: Saliva, Vomit, Feces, Nasal  fluid, Tears, Sweat, Urine

Transmission / Exposure
How is hepatitis C spread?
The hepatitis C virus is usually spread when someone comes into contact with blood from an infected person. This can happen through:

►Sharing drug-injection equipment.

Today, most people become infected with hepatitis C by sharing needles, syringes, or any other equipment used to prepare and inject drugs.

►Birth.

Approximately 6% of infants born to infected mothers will get hepatitis C.

►Healthcare exposures.

Although uncommon, people can become infected when health-care professionals do not follow the proper steps needed to prevent the spread of bloodborne infections.

►Sex with an infected person.

While uncommon, hepatitis C can spread during sex, though it has been reported more often among men who have sex with men.

►Unregulated tattoos or body piercings.

Hepatitis C can spread when getting tattoos or body piercings in unlicensed facilities, informal settings, or with
non-sterile instruments.

►Sharing personal items.

People can get infected from sharing glucose monitors, razors, nail clippers, toothbrushes, and other items that may have come into contact with infected blood, even in amounts too small to see.

►Blood transfusions and organ transplants.

Before widespread screening of the blood supply in 1992, hepatitis C was also spread through blood transfusions and organ transplants. Now, the risk of transmission to recipients of blood or blood products is extremely low.

Hepatitis C is not spread by sharing eating utensils, breastfeeding, hugging, kissing, holding hands, coughing, or sneezing. It is also not spread through food or water.