Expert: Kristen Brannock, MPH - 2/20/2004

Question
  Hello,

   I would like to get your opinion and answers about my situation, for which when I asked what is
chance for transmission answers were : "teoreticaly is possible, but very low","chance could be 1 in
million, aproximetly" etc.Here is what I asked :
   "What is chance for transmission if i touched fluid containing virus before putting condom
on?There wasn't contact between fingers and penis, only fingers and condom.Condom wasn't with
spermicid lubricant, was with normal lubricant."
   Here is what I know and how understand situation.
   I know that Virus dies in water.So, if any cell containing Virus is in contact with
lubricant (which is water based), it will die, instantly or almost instantly.Then, if we watch
moment when condom is "roll on (off)" to penis, Virus can't survive.It's because  thin layer,
from only one part of finger, which is in direct contact with condom, is spread along condom,
making thin layer on condom which is, if not dry then almost dry and also mixed with lubricant
because there is pressure needed to "roll on (off)" condom on penis.Hope you can imagine
situation and understand what I want to say.
    So, in my understanding, only moment when Virus could transmit is when condom was taken from
package, and when more fluid could stay on condom.But, in this case also, there couldn't be much
fluid, less then 1 cubic milimeter (mm 3), left on condom.Here, I would like to know, will virus
die only after fluid is mixed with lubricant, or can die before.Or, in other words, will Virus
die after every single cell containing it comes in contact with water molecules, or it can die
before, because fluid is in contact with lubricant, and it somehow changes (or something else
happening), which makes Virus to die directly in fluid, without every single cell must come in
direct contact with water molecules.I would like to know this to try to understand why is chance
for transmission very low : if we exclude possibility of transmission from fluid during "roll on
(off)" condom to penis, then this stays and I would like to know why is really possibility low.
     Second, I would like to know, is chance for transmission different in this situation with
different fluids (vaginal fluid, semen, blood) because of different sizes of cells in this fluids.
     Third, if i had cold (very little cold - no temperature, no cough, just saliva from nose)
does it impact chance for a transmission?
     And,last, I would like to know your opinion, what is chance for transmission in this case.           
     
     Thanks again, in advance.  

Answer
First, water does NOT kill HIV! If water killed HIV, then it would be acceptable for injecting drug users to clean their works with water-something that no one advocates for because it does not work. Second, I dont really understand your question(s). This is the answer from what I understand: The virus does not flow uniformly throughout the body, so any fluid on your finger might not even be enough to transmit anyway. Then, having touched a condom makes it less likely because if any of the fluid actually stayed on the condom, it would have to enter your body for transmission to occur. This is unlikely due to the small amount, if any, of fluid on the condom, and the likelihood of it then making its way into your body.