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Is my new housemate HIV positive? how do i approach him about it?

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Is Tenofovir used for HIV treatment? Is my new housemate HIV positive?
He recently moved in with us, I suspected he wasn't quite right, health wise and after discovering his medication, i am worried that he may have HIV and didn't inform us all, I have not mention anything to the other housemates as of yet, am just worried of sharing things with him, am i overreacting? how do i approach him about it?

Why are you worried about this? Unless you plan on having sex with him it's really none of your concern

Reply 61

El Salvador

Original post by KirstyPlumb

You could acc kiss him, you still wouldn’t catch it, just don’t have unprotected sex with him, that is literally the only way to catch HIV bar having a blood transfusion with infected blood

Or sharing a needle.

Reply 62

El Salvador

Original post by KirstyPlumb

Oh yeah, you’re right, I didn’t even think about that, I forgot the whole reason this tread was made was because he found medication. Yeah guys, it’s practically impossible for you to contract it soooooo ....

And actually said medication might actually be used for PrEP, in which case, he'd have to be negative in order to start it to begin with.

Reply 63

El Salvador

Original post by cherryred90s

Unless you both have bleeding gums

Not really.

If you both chop your tongue off and still mouth right after doing that, then you could get infected.

Reply 64

El Salvador

Original post by cherryred90s

For what? All it can take is the blood of an infected person to get into your body in order to be at risk of contracting it from them

It isn't that easy. We're not talking about being Native American here, you need more than one drop of blood to get infected.

I'm assuming you don't mean both of your gums are so awful that you're visibly dripping fresh blood the whole time, as if you've just cut your mouths open literally.

Reply 65

singzeon

In the first place I think OP may have some misunderstanding / lack of understanding about how it spreads, resulting in the fear and subsequent unhappiness that the housemate did not disclose (if he were +ve).

As many have stated, it's not that easy to get HIV, especially if you are not having sex with that person.

Also, he has no obligation to disclose hus status to you, unless he is in a sexual relationship with you. And, he only needs to disclose it to his employers only if he works in a small number of professions, such as a doctor.

Reply 66

BigFatHead

Original post by Bang Outta Order

dont be self-righteous. You know you wouldnt feel safe around someone with HIV. You can easily contract it, especially with someone you live with, what are you actually saying?? Especially a female since they menstruate. I mean..they could easily cut their hand, even a paper cut, touch something, and that's it for you if you touch what they touched not knowing they touched it.

No it's NOT "easy" to contract HIV. It has to be a blood to blood contact... The scenario of their getting a paper cut and then you touching something they got blood on is not quite accurate. You'd have to touch the blood within a short time WITH AN OPEN CUT of you own... in other words, the blood they left on a knife, for example, would have to be wet, and then it would have to go directly into your own blood stream. There are differing opinions on exactly how long the virus survives after exposure to air, so I'm posting the American CDC's site about infection and how it occurs. Also, Tenofovir or Viread is used for Hep. B, and also for PREVENTION of HIV... even if your roomie is HIV poz., if their status is "undetectable", that means they would not show as positive in a test, but that the virus was previously detected and could return if the person stops taking their medications. Tenofovir, if being used for HIV infection, is always used in combination with other HIV meds.

I don't know how you "discovered" the medication, but, I'd say you should talk to the roommate, since you know this much, but it would not be right to tell others before you talk to him. He may have not told you because, really, just being housemates there's virtually no risk to you. Remember, it has to be BLOOD TO BLOOD, not blood to skin, so the chances are quite low. I am poz- undetectable, and have lived with roommates for 15 years and there's never been the slightest problem. If you talk to him reasonably, I think you two can come up with some kind of understanding that will allow him to remain there, and possibly he should tell the others just out of total disclosure and honestly, as well as the minimal safety concerns.

https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/basics/transmission.html

Reply 67

El Salvador

Original post by cherryred90s

Most of this was irrelevant

All I said is that if the blood of an infected person gets in your body then you could contract it from them.

In the case of a blood transfusion, yes. But even so, the possibility is 90%, not 100%. It'd be 0% if that person is actually negative or undetectable.

Kissing with bleeding gums, unless your gums are visibly dripping fresh blood the whole time, isn't "the blood of an infected person gets in your body".

If that's how it works, everyone with a bleeding gum, or at any cut at all, would have died already (and the human race would've died off of course), since bacterias and viruses are literally all around us. But you need to consider the actual amount of exposure, whether it's the volume of the virus or the size of your cut, as well as the probably of infection after one exposure.

Perhaps to make it easier for you to understand: You don't always catch a cold after a person cough at you.

Reply 68

BigFatHead

Original post by Bang Outta Order

I'll read this when you lower your bloody caps.

well obviously you already did read it, and, since text is not a voice, acting as if capitalized text is loud or offensive is silly in my opinion. And besides, it was one word that you quoted, for gawdsakes! If you don't want to read it because of the caps, for emphasis, then don't.

Reply 69

Bang Outta Order

Original post by BigFatHead

What? Pack it in, why are you aggy? I didnt have to read it to see the caps letters. Push on. I couldnt give a **** about this conversation, it's last week and I said what I had to say.

Ffs

Original post by CookieButter

Doctors do not have sex with their patients but they always check for infectious diseases such as HIV and take an immense amount of precautions around such patients. HIV can spread easily to people that you are living with, sharing a bathroom with etc...

Its one of those diseases that require people to tell those living with them about it. It his right to know.

To the OP....What I would do is approach the university and seek advice from them in regards to this matter. It is your right to know whether or not he has HIV so you can take precautions but with this right comes also responsibility to respect his confidentiality. If you use it against him say bye bye to your place at uni.

Doctors don't always ask about HIV, they only ask about it if it is relevant. And, as has been pointed out, HIV is not easily spread through sharing a house with someone. Dentists and surgeons who are HIV positive are able to practice if they are on antiretroviral therapy and their viral load is undetectable. Pretty sure if they are OK to work, sharing a house with someone with HIV can be considered safe...

Reply 72

CookieButter

Original post by black tea

Any person suffering from an infectious disease, no matter where they are referred in hospital have on their referral form that detail. The form informs staff that the patient has an infectious disease and doctors and staff take extra precautions around them. This includes preparing the room and those working with the patient in such a way as to limit risk of the spread of the infection from and to the patient e.g. wearing gloves and aprons etc.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 73

black tea

Original post by CookieButter

Their whole medical history will be on the referral so if they happen to have an infectious disease, of course it will be on the letter. And I am pretty sure medical staff wear gloves for all procedures involving exposure to body fluids (at least in the hospital they do). How is a room prepared exactly for patients who are HIV positive?

Reply 74

CookieButter

Original post by black tea

The referral is a piece of paper that refers the patient for a particular examination within the hospital. It is not the patient's medical history. The paper carries information about the examination and a few essential details about the patient. This includes whether or not the patient has an infectious disease.

EDIT: So when you have a patient with an infectious disease coming into an examination room extra linen is used to cover the equipment. The equipment is thoroughly cleaned using special chemical agents after the examination. All the staff are required to wear aprons and gloves when in the vicinity of the patient and cover their mouths with a surgical mask. The staff are also required to thoroughly wash their hands after the procedure regardless of what they did and everything in the room is changed after the patient leaves. If there are any spillages of fluids from the patient the entire place is shut down until it is thoroughly disinfected...and by thoroughly i mean everything including sometimes the walls are scrubbed down.

Staff don't wear gloves and aprons except in cases involving patients who are immunosuppressed and/or suffering from an infectious disease.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 75

XMaramena

A) You won't contract HIV by living in the same house. You'd have to either swap blood or f*** him. If you're not planning on doing either of those things, then leave it be and respect his privacy (it's bad enough you've effectively spied on him by checking up on his medication and researching his personal medical conditions).

B) On the off chance that you do come into blood contact with him - for example by administering first aid after an accident when you have an open wound - you can get preventative treatment at a hospital called PEP.

Reply 76

black tea

Original post by CookieButter

The referral is a piece of paper that refers the patient for a particular examination within the hospital. It is not the patient's medical history. The paper carries information about the examination and a few essential details about the patient. This includes whether or not the patient has an infectious disease.

EDIT: So when you have a patient coming into an examination room extra linen is used to cover the equipment. The equipment is thoroughly cleaned using special chemical agents after the examination. All the staff are required to wear aprons and gloves when in the vicinity of the patient and cover their mouths with a surgical mask. The staff are also required to throughly wash their hands after the procedure regardless of what they did and everything in the room is changed after the patient leaves. If there are any spillages of fluids from the patient the entire place it is shut down until is thoroughly disinfected...and by thoroughly i mean everything including sometimes the walls are scrubbed down.

Can I just ask what kind of examinations you are referring to? And what exactly you mean by "infectious disease"?

Reply 77

skint_binzy

some people these days HIV is only a risk if you have had unprotected sex or used the same needle and yea it can be passed on by wounds however this is rare if the person wants to keep it a secreat then that's the decision also the person could also he undetectable which in this case then there is a 00.I% chance of getting it

Reply 78

CookieButter

Original post by black tea

Can I just ask what kind of examinations you are referring to? And what exactly you mean by "infectious disease"?

All examinations. A doctor is not going to wear an apron to check your blood pressure or heart rate but you always see some form of infection control or other surrounding patients suffering from infectious diseases. Infectious diseases = HIV, Hep C and B etc.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 79

Kindred

Original post by Lucas1Wright

Hi there. Boy you thread has gotten a bit messy hasn't it?
I can see why you are concerned about this. HIV is a serious thing and you don't want to get it. Knowing it might be in your house is frankly scary.

Good news though is that HIV is actually pretty difficult to pass on. You need to have direct contact with bodily fluids like blood or sperm (not saliva) to transfer it.
That basically means that, if he does have HIV, unless you are sharing needles or your body with him you're fine. You can still share cutlery, use the same toilet and any other normal house mate things.
HIV also cannot survive outside a body so even if you were to come across something like a used condom you would not be at risk.

Here's some information on HIV and how it is (and isn't) transmitted:
https://www.avert.org/hiv-transmission-prevention/how-you-get-hiv?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI266ApK_H2QIVx7ftCh0lQQ3TEAAYAiAAEgId9PD_BwE
https://www.avert.org/hiv-transmission-prevention/myths

I get that it is concerning for you though even with that information. There's a lot of scary talk about HIV and that's a difficult thing to ignore. It could help you and them if you address it so you have your worries put at ease, you don't have to act all awkward around them and they don't have to hide it or worry about how you might react.
If you do want to bring it up with them remember that it is their own private business just as any other health problem is. They don't have to tell you about it and it's a sensitive topic so they may not like being asked about it. Please be careful about what you say or it could turn into an upsetting experience for both of you which obviously isn't great in a house share.
If you were to ask about it I would write them a carefully worded note (or text/ email) saying something like...
you noticed their medication and feel awkward about bringing it up because it's their business, but you are a bit concerned and would like to ask about it if that's okay with them.
You think it can be used to treat HIV and would not judge them if they did have it, but aren't sure if there is anything it would help for you to know. There are a lot of myths about things like that and you would like to make sure you have the right information so you don't worry yourself or act awkwardly around them.

If it's something you can ignore now though, knowing that you are not at risk, I would suggest either ignoring it completely or waiting to see it it comes up naturally.

I hope that helps. Sorry it's a bit late. :smile: