Hepatitis C Prevention, Transmission and Testing > Am I Infected?
Do I need to get testing?
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jgicani:
Hello, I would greatly appreciate your input as I have been worrying about this non-stop. I was at my dermatologist's office sitting on the exam table. I had my bag with me as well on the exam table. As I was leaving, I noticed a small amount of dried blood on the exam table. I pointed it to the doctor, and he apologized, stating that they sometimes do procedures and blood gets on the table. I myself did not touch the blood, but my bag touched the dried blood and my clothes also touched the dried blood. I didn't think anything of it at that time, but when I got home, I remembered that I have torn cuticles on some of my fingers and thumb. I always get the torn cuticles especially nowadays from washing hands. Some of the torn cuticles are raw/red. I'm afraid that HIV/Hepatitis C from the dried blood on the table got onto my bag or my clothes and then I touched my bag and clothes and then HIV/Hep C got into me through the torn cuticles. Can I get HIV or Hepatitis C from this encounter? Do I need to undergo testing?
Lynn K:
Can I get HIV or Hepatitis C from this encounter? No
Hepatitis C is spread only through exposure to an infected person's blood.
High-risk activities include:
Sharing drug use equipment. Anything involved with injecting street drugs, from syringes, to needles, to tourniquets, can have small amounts of blood on it that can transmit hepatitis C. Pipes and straws to smoke or snort drugs can have blood on them from cracked lips or nosebleeds. Get into a treatment program if you can. At the very least, don't share needles or equipment with anyone else. Sharing tattoo or piercing tools. Nonsterile items and ink can spread contaminated blood. Blood transfusions in countries that don’t screen blood for hepatitis C. Nonsterile medical equipment. Tools that aren’t cleaned properly between use can spread the virus. Blood or cutting rituals. Sharing the tools or exchanging blood can transmit hepatitis C.
Medium-risk activities include:
Sharing or not disposing of grooming and hygiene supplies. This includes razors, toothbrushes, nail clippers, or anything else that could have your blood on it. Cover any open wounds or sores with bandages. Carefully dispose of tampons, sanitary napkins, tissues, used bandages, and anything else that might have your blood on it. Unprotected sex. It’s rare, but you can spread and catch it from sex, especially during menstruation or certain sex practices like fisting. It’s more likely you’ll spread it if you have HIV or another sexually transmitted infection. Pregnancy and birth. There’s a small risk for a mother to pass the disease on to her child before or during birth. The odds go up if the mother has HIV. Needle-stick injuries. Health care workers and caregivers are most likely to get it this way.
Things that Don’t Spread Hepatitis C
It cannot be spread through:
Coughing Sneezing Hugging Kissing Breastfeeding (unless nipples are cracked or bleeding) Sharing utensils or glasses Casual contact Sharing food and water Mosquito or other insect bites That means everyday contact isn’t risky. The odds of it spreading between people in a household are near zero.”
Do I need to undergo testing? No
However, you may want to consider counseling for anxiety related to unfounded fears of contracting illnesses