Why HIV weak outside di body

HIV na virus wey fit only make copy of imself inside human cells. Once e comot di body, e no fit multiply, and CDC tok say e no dey survive long outside human body, for example for surface.

Even if e survive, dat one alone no reach to cause infection. For HIV to infect person, blood or anoda fluid wey carry am must reach mucous membrane (di wet skin wey dey inside eye, mouth, vagina, rectum or penis), reach tissue wey don damage, or dem inject am enter di blood. To touch sometin wit your hand no dey do any of dis. Skin wey no break dey block HIV.

Surface and tins wey we dey use every day

Door handle, toilet seat, towel, bedsheet, phone, cup, spoon and fork, gym equipment and moni no be way to get HIV. Even if person wey get HIV don touch dem, no road dey from di object enter your blood.

Na why HIV no dey spread wen you share house, bathroom or kitchen wit person wey get am. More examples dey for di page on how HIV no dey spread.

Blood wey don dry

Blood wey don dry for surface, for cloth or for your skin no be way to get HIV. HIV no dey survive long once e don comot di body, and if you touch dry blood wit skin wey no break, e no get any way to enter. Wash am comot wit soap and water, and di matter don end.

Blood inside syringe: di exception

Syringe wey dem don use dey different, becos small blood fit remain inside di barrel and di needle. For one laboratory study wey copy how pipo dey share syringe, researchers find live HIV wey still dey grow inside syringes wey dem keep for room temperature for more than four weeks (Abdala 1999). How often di virus survive depend on how much blood remain inside and how much virus dey dat blood.

Na why to share needle, syringe and oda injection equipment get real risk, even wen dem use di equipment days or weeks before. Wit person wey get HIV and no dey take treatment, CDC estimate di risk for each injection wey you share as 0.63% (around 1 out of 160). If you use new, sterile equipment every time, dat risk go comot. See HIV risk from needle sharing.

Needle wey you find for public place

Di same study na reason to take needle jam (needlestick) from needle wey pipo throw away serious, even though di risk dey usually low. Di person wey use am go need to get HIV, and di injury go need to push im blood enter your body. Di calculator fit only give rough guide here: for needlestick from person wey you no know im status for United States, e estimate 0.00092% (around 1 out of 110,000). Wash di wound wit soap and water and get advice di same day. Di full steps dey for di page on needlestick.

Blood for your eye or fresh cut

Fresh blood from person wey get HIV wey reach your eyes, mouth or open wound get small risk, wey dem estimate as 0.09% (around 1 out of 1,100). Rinse am comot sharp-sharp. Di page on blood for eye, mouth or cut dey explain wen to ask about PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis: HIV medicine wey you go take afta exposure to stop di virus).

Wetin dem no sabi exactly

You go see exact survival times wey pipo dey quote online for HIV for different conditions. Lab results depend on how much virus dey, di temperature and how dem keep di sample, and dem no dey translate straight to risk for real life. Wetin matter for real life simple pass: surface and blood wey don dry no be road for HIV, but fresh blood inside syringe wey dem don use fit be.

Wetin to do now

  • You touch surface, blood wey don dry or anoda person tins? Nothing you need to do. You no need PEP or test becos of am.
  • Needle wey dem don use jam you, you share injection equipment, or fresh blood enter your eyes, mouth or open wound for di last 72 hours? Ask about PEP today. E dey work best within 24 hours and dem no dey recommend am afta 72 hours. How to get PEP
  • Fear still dey catch you? Test afta di window period (di time afta infection wen test neva fit show HIV) go give you sure answer. See di HIV testing guide.