Expert: Kristen Brannock, MPH - 4/20/2007

Question
Hi, There are two occurrences that i am worried about. Back on march 7 i was playing basketball in a local YMCA and when the game was over when i was walking back to my car i noticed some blood on my arm.  When i got home i washed the blood off and then i looked at my jersey and saw some blood on there as well. I started to freak out,I am pretty sure that i didn't have any open cuts on my arm but i really cant remember. I worry tremendously about everything. The other was on April 3, i was playing basketball again and at halftime i noticed i had a scratch on the top of my pinky and it was bleeding a little bit, i washed it off and then put a Band-Aid on it and then returned to the game. After the game i looked at my jersey and saw that there was a little bit of blood on the side of my jersey.  The blood could have been from me but then i don't know because the scratch was on the top of my pinky. I saw that my friend had some blood on his jerseys as well so somebody was out there bleeding so know i am freaked out again. I worry about everything and the anxiety is killing me. The back of my neck hurts and im tired all the time and i hope its all due to the anxiety. I heard that air will kill the virus and so i was wondering if somebody who gets cut if the blood thats on the cut if thats exposed to the air is that blood loosing its inability to infect someone if they had HIV. Do you think that i need any testing. I have been in the same relationship for 3 years and i was fully tested before the relationship and my girlfriend was a virgin before me, i have never been outside of the relationship and neither has she and we dont use drugs. Please let me know what you think and if i need to be tested

Answer
Air does not kill HIV. Once the transmitting fluid containing HIV is dry, the virus is dead.

Transmission occurs when infected blood, semen, vaginal fluid and/or breast milk enters another person's body. It is highly unlikely that you would be infected in the way you describe.