Hey Dr Bob, This is a longshot question and is gonna make me sound a bit mad and paranoid to but I've been a bit worried so I'll ask it nonetheless. Recently I was walking through the city on a very windy day. and a something very small blew into my mouth nearly choking me and I had no other option but to swallow it whatever it was. As I walked a little further I noticed some bloodied tissue paper on the ground that had been ripped and was blowing around. I got it into my head that the item I swallowed was a tiny piece of this bloodied tissue paper although it could have been anything. Assuming the blood on the tissue was HIV+ and assuming it was bloodied tissue that I swalloed, is there any risk of infection? I know this sounds crazy but I can't stop thinking about it.It was very cold and damp as it had been snowing. I'm guessing the virus wouldn't survive long in this environment.

Hello,

You're worried about "something very small that blew into (your) mouth," which you subsequently "swalloed???" No, sweetie, you don't have to worry about contracting HIV this way, because the bloody tissue that may have blown into your mouth was probably contaminated with something other than HIV... like Ebola, Bird Flu or SARS. Or perhaps, since you are asking such a nutty completely mad question, it was contaminated with Mad Cow disease???

Dr. Bob