having found out i am hiv about one week ago has been a shock in itself. being a single parent my specialist covered some simple common sense issues to protect my daughter. she mentioned not to share a toothbrush. i thought that was quite silly. who would ever do such a thing? untill i realized this past summer my daughter left her brush at a friends house. that night and probably the next morning i rinsed my brush with hot water and ran my fingers throught it and brushed he teeth! as if i wasnt sick enough. what should i do? is it possible she may be infected? she is only 6!

Sorry to hear about your recent positive test. Sometimes even "simple common sense issues" can be confusing, especially when dealing with HIV. In general, we do not recommend sharing razors, toothbrushes, or other objects that could transfer blood from one person to another. Please note that HIV does not survive very long at all outside the body. Assuming both your and your daughter's gums were not actively bleeding, and considering you rinsed the brush with hot water before your daughter used it, I don't believe you placed her at any significant risk for HIV. You can have her checked over by her pediatrician, if you remain concerned. However her chance of having contracted your HIV infection is nearly nonexistent. HIV is not spread by casual household contact.

Check around on this forum and related links for additional basic HIV/AIDS information. We're here if you have additional questions or concerns.

Dr. Bob