Hello. I have read in your forums that coming into contact with blood when you have cuts on your hands is a very small risk for getting hep c and hiv. I am curious to why this is a low risk. Does infected blood have to get right into a vein to infect someone? Isnt gettin blood on your hands when you have open cuts on your hands the same thing? Could you please take the time to explain this to me, it would make me feel at ease- I am starting to get less paraniod about gettin hiv and hep c this way mabe this can set me straight if there is a reason behind your statement. Thanks!

If you have an open wound that is actively bleeding and this comes into contact with blood from another person, then you could anticipate some element of risk because of mixing of blood.

However, in the past decade only two case reports have been described of a traumatic fist fight among two people that led to HCV infection. We reported one of the two just last year. This is an extremely uncommon event.

In contrast, injection drug use with sharing of needles in very effective in transmitting HCV because the virus goes directly into the vein.

I hope this is helpful to you.