Hello, I know this may be a redundant question, but I am very paranoid about a situation that occured, and I didn't see a situtation exactly like mine on the forums. I shared a fishbowl drink with a promiscous friend of mine who may or may not have HIV. I had brushed my teeth earlier that day and had scraped some skin of my gum in doing so, which may have been from a burn. I dont think it ever blead, but it is red and like a sore in my mouth. SO I dont know if it could be open enough for something to enter the blood stream. I shared the fishbowl drink, but through different straws. I also took a bite from his burger. I am worried if he had bleeding gums or a sore in his mouth, if there was a chance that I could be infected. Thanks!

Thanks for your question,

There's no risk for HIV in this situation. If we were to break it down, there'd be many reasons that this is not risky. The most important piece is that there's nothing going directly and immediately from your friend's body into yours. Nothing.

It might be useful to ask yourself though "do i feel nervous because i'm not too clear on how HIV/STDs are transmitted?" or "is there something about my friend's sexual conduct that makes me uncomfortable?"

Getting down to the cause of your discomfort can be helpful in providing you relief. People like us who answer HIV questions a lot, we hear this kind of question a lot. There's never any risk to find here. But sometimes there's something else that's making the person nervous.

Hope this helps!

Erik