Can You Contract HIV From Toilet Seat

Here's a taste of what TheBody.com has to offer on this topic:

Ask the Experts

HIV Transmission via Toilet Seat/Toilet Paper

Hello, I recently went for an STD test at a free STD clinic in Downtown NYC. Pardon my somewhat graphic description, but I used the bathroom (which was not very clean at all) to do my business (#2). I used the toilet paper available to clean myself...

Response from Richard Cordova III

Test Positive Aware Network

Hi there:The answer to your question is none. Zero. There is no risk of transmission from a situation like this. HIV does not live well outside of the body. Within a minutes time, the virus will start to die, leaving it unable to infect someone. In... Read more »

I know toilet seats are okay, but...

Very brief, probably paranoid, but nagging me:I was wearing flip flops, used a public washroom. I... Read more »

Response from Robert J. Frascino, M.D. »

HIV from blood on toilet seat

Can you get HIV from sitting on menstrual blood or it splashing onto your vagina whilst peeing, how... Read more »

Response from Shannon Southall »

Go to Ask the Experts »

Articles

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Colorado: AIDS After 30 Years -- Education of Youth Has Faded

"... Now that doctors know how people contract HIV, questions such as 'can I get AIDS from an infected toilet seat?' or 'can I get AIDS from an infected swimming pool?' might seem silly. "Teenagers born a decade after the first outbreak of the... Read more »

Study Examines Why Merck Vaccine Candidate Might Have Increased Likelihood of Contracting HIV

Trials of Merck 's experimental HIV vaccine were halted in September 2007 because the drug might have increased the likelihood of contracting the virus rather than preventing it, according to a study published Monday in the Journal of Experimental... Read more »

A Front Row Seat to the HIV Scientific Revolution

Charles Stephens The promise of the end of HIV seems more like a reality every day. Over 30 years into the epidemic, we have witnessed unprecedented scientific breakthroughs and innovation. Much of this happened in the past few years and in the... Read more »

G-8 Likely to Give HIV/AIDS a Back-Row Seat at Upcoming Meeting

The June 8 meeting of the G-8 at Sea Island, Ga., will be the group's second gathering since President Bush's 2003 pledge to give $15 billion to fight global HIV/AIDS and press other G-8 countries to contribute. HIV/AIDS in Africa was discussed at... Read more »

Connect With Others

HIV toilet seat blood?

Posted by tubbyone1, 1 Reply

I went to the public library restroom today & saw some blood on the toilet seat. I wiped it off with tissue paper, then sat anddid my business. i didn't see any blood left over, but after i got up, i saw some blood on the inner side of the seat.... Read more »

Cut on finger and toilet seat

Posted by xtreme, 1 Reply

thanks for the responses! Much appreciated! Another 2 questions regarding HIV transmission -

1. I had a cut on my finger where I was fingering my girlfriend - does this pose as a risk for HIV for her to get infected if I had the virus or me getting... Read more »

Hiv from used toilet paper?

Posted by LL1121, 1 Reply

Is it possible if a girl, who is hiv positve wiped after peeing and let it sit there till it dried then after someone else wiped with that same toilet paper, could they contract hiv from this?
Basically is it possible to catch hiv from using used... Read more »

Dirty Toilet Rim Water in Eye

Posted by Anonymous, 2 Replies

I was recently went to a unisex toilet, and somehow managed to have some water splash from the rim into my eye. The rim was pretty dirty but didn't have any noticeable blood, but it could have had other body fluids on it. What is the risk here? I... Read more »

Connect on Our Bulletin Boards »

Tools

My Health Tracker

Assess Your Risk for HIV

Find Local HIV/AIDS Services

Resource Centers

Guides for People With HIV

View All of Our Guides >>