Expert: Terry B - 9/16/2006

Question
Hello,

First of all I want to say THANK YOU for your quick and serious response.  I sincerely appreciate it.  I have a follow up question if you wouldn't mind.  I know there are symptoms of HIV that occur directly after initial infection, called ARS(I believe this is right).  About 5-7 days after the below exposure I had a sore throat and a cough.  Does this sound suggestive of HIV symptoms, and it so so soon after exposure?  I am unsure of when these symptoms would occur.  If you feel I should be alarmed please let me know, or if I am being slightly paraniod.  THis incident happened 6 weeks ago, so in you opinion what should I do next?

Thank you!
Sincerely, T
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Followup To

Question -
Hello,

I am wondering, if I cut the inside of my mouth 20 minutes after having a male ejaculate in in, does that put me at a higher risk of getting anything? WOuld the sperm, or virus still be active in my mouth, or would the air/saliva have killed it by then?

Thank you!

Answer -
Dear Tonya:

Peace to you.  Your question is interesting, there has not (to my knowledge) been research done on how long HIV remains infectious in the mouth.  We know that HIV can exist in host cells for long periods if kept moist (think of test tubes and petri dishes).  As noted in some earlier question/answers here, a break in the skin does increase your risk, and HIV is only one of several sexually transmitted diseases.

As part of my community education training many years ago, the instructor showed how to discreetly slip a condom into one's mouth and how easy it is to slip it over an erect penis (penis model for demonstration, of course!) while the man is distracted to provide yourself greater protection.  

Oral sex is thought to be generally less risky; based on this one exposure, your chances of a negative HIV test are great, but you benefit yourself and partners (knowledge vs. anxiety, accessing treatment and counseling, prevention education) by seeking voluntary counseling and testing as soon as possible.

I hope this is helpful, and wish you the very best.

Sincerely,

Terry B

Answer
Dear Tonya:

Thank YOU for your attention and quick followup!  Paranoia is baseless fear - something you can avoid with testing.  As for symptoms of initial HIV infection, this is based often on recall from long before diagnosis occurs; usually described as flu or mono-like symptoms, with swollen lymph nodes and a possible rash in some case, no recalled symptoms in others.  As you can probably guess, a cough and sore throat can be due to a cold or a myriad of other possibilities.  

I believe the effort to find a counseling center and be tested is well worth the energy, and the potential rewards (knowledge, peace of mind, and/or access to treatment) are well worth any risk of embarrassment or inconvenience.

So.... see someone capable of doing an examination and diagnosis for whatever might be ailing you, and/or get tested and reap all the benefits that come with that.

Sincerely,

Terry