Dr. Bob,

I will donate $50 dollars if you please let me know what my chances are of being infected from the situation I am about to describe.

I had a prostitute stay with me for 2 weeks. We didn't have sex, she just stayed the night and kept me company. This girl who has been a prostitute since she was 12 had weird scars all over her stomach, legs, butt, and up to her breast area. She called them pox but she said they happened to her 2 months prior to meeting me. There are a few concerns that I have.

1. We would french kiss and she had some obvious dental problems.

2. She kissed my eye and the next day it itched very badly.

3. We slept in our underwear for the first few nights she was with me. 4. She would somtimes touch herself then stick her hands down my pants. 5. We showered together. 6. I let her shave my face one morning and I was cut pretty bad. She then spit on a peice of cloting and wiped off my blood. 7. I licked her nipples.

I think I have a very low risk for catching HIV but in the last week I have developed weird bumps that are red and sem to dry out on the top. They are located on my legs and arms. There is one on my face and a few on my feet and butt. I also have small patches of little red dots that are on my stomach. There red dots on my stomach are much smaller than the ones on my extremities. I have also had muscle aches and felt like I have a fever. But I can't find freaking thermometer in this country.

These issues have really worried me since I thought I was very safe with this girl. I don't know if she is HIV positive or not. What is the chance that I may have contracted HIV from her. Please help me.

-Steve

Hello Steve,

Your HIV-acquisition risk is essentially nonexistent from the activities you describe. Your symptoms are not suggestive of or worrisome for HIV acute retroviral syndrome (ARS).

If my reassurance is not enough for you to shake your worries, get a single HIV-antibody test at the three-month mark. The result will unquestionably be negative, but if this puts your residual fears permanently to rest, it may be worth the time and effort psychologically.

Thank you for your donation to The Robert James Frascino AIDS Foundation (www.concertedeffort.org). It's warmly appreciated.

Be well. Stay well.

Dr. Bob