Hi everyone,
I’m new here and have a question concerning the risk of HepB transmission.
A while ago my GP found out that the vaccination I received as a child either was never or is no longer protecting me as my antibody titer was super low (I am in my late 20s). Since then I did not have the chance to get the HBV vaccination as there were some other vaccines I had to do and had a bad reaction to.
Yesterday I had to use a public bathroom and accidentally touched against a blood smear someone had left on the side of the toilet paper dispenser with my sweater and part of the skin of my arm (the blood could have been dried already but I’m not sure because of bad lighting). I could not properly wash my arm and hands in the bathroom and only had a chance to do so when I came home about 30 minutes later and I also put the sweater in the washing machine (I couldn’t see if it had blood on it due to the dark color).
The skin on my arm most likely was intact, there were no open wounds or scratches, it was just very dry and maybe a bit cracked (due to the dryness).
I also had to touch the sweater where it had been in contact with the blood and then touch things like my keys, phone, doorhandles etc before being able to wash my hands and arm properly at home. Should I wipe those things with disinfectant to be safe or is that unnecessary?
I have pretty bad contamination OCD and wanted to ask people with expertise if it is just my mind tricking me into thinking this could have posed a risk of contracting HepB or if there was an actual risk involved in a situation like that, as there is quite a lot of medical information on the internet that is confusing and most likely not very accurate in real life situations?
Thank you so much in advance for any answer and all the best wishes!
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Welcome to the Community, @Aivilia!
HBV remains infectious in dried blood samples for fairly long–a week to 10 days, so it is possible that the blood contained infectious HBV.
Transmission requires direct contact of HBV with blood, which can occur through macroscopic cuts, abrasions, or sores, or through much small breaches in skin or mucous membranes (like around the eye, in the mouth, or in the vagina).
From your description, I doubt you were infected as you just had a minor contact between the blood to some dry skin, not to overt breaks in the skin. Also, there is no guarantee that the blood had HBV in it, or if it did, it may have had very low amounts that would have made transmission difficult. In short, transmission chances seem low.
If you remain concerned, please visit your physician for blood tests, and get yourself vaccinated again (that’s always a good idea for people with low anti-HBs titers). Cleaning your phone, etc., like you suggest is also a good idea, but not because I’m worried about transmitting HBV through contact with it. There are tons of other viruses and bacteria out there that can make you sick, and cleaning them off commonly touched items on a routine basis is just good hygienic practice.
I wish you the very best,
John.
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Hi @Aivilia,
I agree on all points raised by @john.tavis here. Transmission risk is low in this instance and get yourself vaccinated for your own peace of mind.
TT
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Hello. How probably is transmission to a baby that had an open wound on her head from scraped cradle cap? I am worried that the nanny had a cut on her finger or arm and that she transmitted something to the baby. Its cold out so dry cracked skin is also a possibility. I am not sure if the nanny has the virus but I am very worried because the baby is not vaccinated. What should I do if anything? I cannot ask the nanny for her health status.
Also, how plausible is for a baby to get infected by scratching someone who has the virus?
Hi @Worriedz,
It is difficult to give exact probabilities given all of the variables, but this would be generally considered a low risk of transmission in most instances. You have no evidence that the nanny has hepatitis B.
The most appropriate course of action is to get your baby vaccinated for your own peace of mind.
Thomas
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