Hi, This might sound kind of perverted and i am going to be straight. Is it possible for someone to contract the virus by wearing a used underwear of a HIV+ person? I was stupid enough to take a pair from a clothes hanger and try it on...It was dry but had some stains on it...not sure if it came from faecal matter or blood from period...What if i were to use it for masturbation purposes..what are the risks then?...Please reply...Thanks a million.

There is no evidence that people are infected with HIV by sharing, wearing, smelling, or playing with someone else's underwear. HIV is known to be transmitted through the following ways:

1) Vaginal, anal, and oral sex

2) Sharing injection needles, occupational exposure (blood-to-blood)

3) Mother-to-infant

One of the reasons why HIV is not spread through the activity you describe is that you would be in contact with minimal amounts of fluid that have been exposed to the environment. HIV does not survive in the environment long enough to pose a risk through contact with inanimate objects (see Survival...).

RMK