Expert: Kristen Brannock, MPH - 10/5/2005

Question
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Followup To
Question -
Hey kristen,
I need your help to cure my worry... its been bothering me and disrupting my life! The other day at work, I noticed some blood on my hand, and I think it came from someone that came into my work and used a pen, then i picked up the pen and got the blood on my hand. The thing is, that day i had a runny nose and kept wiping my nose with my hand. The blood was in the same place that i was rubbing my nose. I am not sure, but its possible that I couldve rubbed the inside of my nose in the same place where the blood was on my hand. Now if some blood did get into my nose, can i get aids this way? Thanks in advance... Please answer, Im going crazy!
Answer -
Technically yes-whenever infected blood enters another person's body, transmission is possible. However, I think it is really unlikely from what you describe. HIV is not that easy to transmit.

Thanks for the reply! I guess the only thing I am left wondering is, you say its unlikely, but should i get tested? I have read that if the blood enters your mucus membranes, you can become infected but i also have read that the virus dies a few seconds after it hits the air. Then others have said that it takes several minutes to die... can you clear this up? I can't help it but im still worried...  

Answer
There is no definitive answer on when HIV dies outside the human body. Experts disagree on this. The conservative answer is that the virus is not dead until the transmitting fluid it is in is completely dry. So, in this case, the virus would be alive until the blood was completely dry.