Expert: Terry B - 4/20/2007

Question
Hi. I know this may sound like a silly and even "stupid" question; however, I am completely freaked out. Today I went to the restroom (not at my house) and noticed blood in the bottom of the toilet (i.e. someone had their period, flushed, but there was still red at the bottom of the bowl). Typically, I would have flushed the toilet before I used it, but my stomach was really upset (I have IBS) so I went and towards the end some water splashed up on me. Do you think I could have HIV now? I am completely terrified and have always been very safe...I hope that this isn't HIV/AIDS. Can you please help?

Thank you.

Answer
Dear Jenny:

Peace. Short answer: Backsplash from the toilet can't transmit HIV.  

More detail so you can develop a method of assessing risk:

1) Chances of the person who used the toilet before you being HIV infected are less 35% in even the areas of highest HIV prevalence;
2) While blood is among the fluids that could transmit HIV (along with semen, vaginal secretions, breast milk), any blood "at the bottom of the bowl" is tremendously diluted and your splash would have come from the top;
3) Your skin and mucous membranes provide some barrier against infection (not a direct exposure to open wound or mucous membrane);
4) The duration of your exposure (assuming you wiped or washed the area) to the splash was brief, and;
5) the size of area exposed was small.

The above considerations should help you in assessing HIV risk in the future; in the meantime, it is good practice whenever possible to avoid similar situations as you described not because of HIV risk but to better protect against other more easily transmitted illness.

The best to you and yours.

Sincerely,

Terry