The infection is transmitted through intimate intimacy, blood transfusion, hemodialysis, surgery, manicure, tattooing, piercing, and also when sharing hygiene items with the patient. The risk of infection increases significantly when living with a virus carrier in the same area. In this case, it is especially important to follow preventive advice for both sick and healthy people.
In this article we will look at the likelihood of contracting hepatitis C from your husband, and whether there are ways to avoid infection.
Infection through intimate intimacy
The fact of infection becomes a problem not only for the virus carrier, but also for the people around him, especially those who are in close contact with him. The likelihood of contracting hepatitis C from a husband or wife increases if basic safety rules are not followed, as a result of which the virus quickly spreads to a healthy person.
It is important to remember that the maximum concentration of pathogens is in the blood, but it is also present in small amounts in semen and vaginal secretions.
The risk of infecting a sexual partner does not exceed 5%. When using a condom, the likelihood of transmitting the virus is reduced to almost zero.
The risk group includes married couples who prefer aggressive sex. The point is that when the mucous membrane is injured, contaminated blood comes into contact with the biological fluid of a healthy person. In this case, the likelihood of infection increases several times. Violation of the integrity of the integument can also be observed during anal sex.
In addition, the risk group includes those couples who do not refuse sex during menstruation. The man's health is at risk.
To minimize the likelihood of infection, both partners need to monitor the condition of the mucous membrane of the genital tract and promptly undergo treatment for erosions and inflammatory diseases.
Is it possible to get hepatitis C from your husband through a kiss?
Saliva has a significantly lower content of pathogenic agents, and therefore infection through a kiss occurs extremely rarely. However, it is worth remembering that as the disease worsens, the concentration of pathogens in biological environments increases significantly, thereby increasing the risk of infection.
The likelihood of transmission of pathogenic agents increases in the presence of injured mucosa in oral cavity.
If a spouse suffers from stomatitis, the virus can easily pass to the wife. It is especially dangerous when a woman also has compromised integrity of her oral tissues. In this case, blood contact and direct transmission of infection to the partner occurs.
Transmission of infection in the home
It is important to remember that the risk of infection of a loved one is present not only through direct contact with him (sex, kiss), but also in everyday life. The likelihood of infection in this case is much less, but you need to remember it.
The pathogen can survive in a drop of blood on a razor, scissors, toothbrush or washcloth. If a healthy person uses a contaminated object and injures the skin, he can become infected. After the virus enters the systemic bloodstream, the incubation period begins, during which there are no clinical symptoms, and the disease already develops.
To protect your loved one from infection, you must use only your own hygiene supplies.
Who is more dangerous: the virus carrier or the patient?
To figure out who is more dangerous in terms of infection - the patient or the carrier of the infection, you need to have a general understanding of them. A person with an active stage of hepatitis often becomes the cause of infection of a sexual partner. This is due to a high viral load, that is, a high concentration of the pathogen in the blood. A small volume of biological material is sufficient for infection.
If we consider virus carriage, it is not so dangerous. The fact is that with a high level of immune defense, pathogenic agents are contained in relatively low concentrations and are not capable of causing hepatitis. In this regard, infection occurs only after a large amount of blood penetrates into a healthy person.
Despite this, the risk of transmission of the virus is present in both cases, which requires compliance with preventive measures. To prevent the activation of pathogens, you need to:
- completely eliminate alcohol and low-alcohol drinks;
- adhere to dietary nutrition (table No. 5), which makes it possible to reduce the load on the liver, restore the structure of hepatocytes (its cells), and also prevent cholestasis (stagnation of bile);
- limit physical activity and control your psycho-emotional state;
- monitor the activity of concomitant diseases, especially infectious ones;
- strictly control the dosage, as well as the duration of taking medications that have a toxic effect on the liver.
Survey plan
A married couple must undergo a full examination at the stage of pregnancy planning.
To protect your baby from hepatitis, you must take all precautions. Due to the fact that the transmission of pathogens occurs during labor, doctors recommend a cesarean section.
To identify virus carriers, the following types of laboratory tests are prescribed:
- search for antibodies that are synthesized by the immune system in response to infection entering the body;
- identification of the genetic material of the pathogen in the blood;
- biochemistry – makes it possible to assess the severity of the disease based on the dynamics of changes in liver function indicators. To do this, the level of alkaline phosphatase, transaminases (ALT, AST), albumin, total and fractions of bilirubin is analyzed.
Laboratory diagnostics makes it possible to establish the fact of infection at the preclinical stage, which is extremely important for the early initiation of therapy. The severity of complications and the patient’s life expectancy depend on this.
As for instrumental diagnostics, it does not always turn out to be informative. At the initial stage, there are no specific changes in the liver that indicate the disease. Only with its cirrhotic degeneration are areas of connective tissue visualized in place of dead hepatocytes.
To determine the severity of changes in the organ, a biopsy or elastography is prescribed. Their task is a targeted examination of the liver, which allows, in combination with laboratory tests, to confirm hepatitis C.
Preventive actions
Despite daily contact between spouses, there is still a chance to avoid infection. The main condition is to be careful and follow preventive advice for both partners. Unfortunately, it is not possible to protect against infection 100%, because to date a specific vaccine against the pathogen has not yet been developed.
Here are the basic rules necessary to prevent infection:
- monitor the condition of the genital mucosa and promptly treat diseases associated with violation of the integrity of the integument (erosion, ulcers);
- Avoid contact with the patient’s blood if the skin is injured. Wound treatment should be carried out with gloves and instruments should be thoroughly cleaned with disinfectants after manipulation;
- refuse intimacy during menstruation (if your wife is infected);
- use personal nail scissors, razor and towel;
- undergo regular examinations, which include laboratory blood tests. During diagnosis, the viral load is established and the stage of the pathology is determined;
- consult a doctor when the first symptoms of concomitant diseases appear. This is necessary to prevent a decrease in immunity, because against this background, an exacerbation of hepatitis is possible;
- strictly follow the doctor’s instructions for treating the disease;
- use condoms.
Unfortunately, many patients seek help from a doctor at the stage of complications. Especially often, health workers, drug addicts, clients of dubious beauty salons, as well as people who need regular blood transfusions (blood transfers) suffer from infectious hepatitis.
If a woman becomes infected from her husband, it is important to remember that the pathogen cannot pass through the placental barrier. In this regard, pregnancy is not contraindicated for her. At the same time, the lactation period becomes dangerous if the mother has cracked nipples. In this case, HCV can be transmitted through blood. Infection of an infant is accompanied by rapid chronicity of the infectious-inflammatory process, which often cannot be completely cured.
A kiss is a sign of great and pure love, a way of expressing the most tender and sincere feelings. But according to doctors, kissing is not such a harmless activity. What infections are transmitted with it and what can be infected through saliva.
By kissing, loving people, in addition to the well-known herpes, can transmit a lot of different infections to each other.
Infection occurs only if there is damage to the mucous membrane in the oral cavity of kissing people. These may be bleeding gums, cracks on the lips, jams in the corners of the mouth, ulcers or inflammation. In addition to herpes, there is a risk of becoming infected with streptococcal, candidal, respiratory infections of the nasopharynx and even HIV. Can you get an STD through a kiss? Unfortunately yes. Contact between oral mucous membranes and oral sex increases the risk of contracting any disease that can be sexually transmitted. What can you get infected through a kiss: syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, mycoplasma.
Fleeting or closed social kisses, when contact occurs exclusively with closed lips, completely eliminate the risk of infection. And the so-called French ones, when people come into contact with their mouths open, are considered the most dangerous from an epidemiological point of view.
How can you get infected through a kiss?
Most pathologies transmitted through saliva are often similar to a respiratory infection, and often even a specialist cannot identify them at the initial stage.
Cytomegalovirus infection
The causative agent is Cytomegalovirus hominids, which belongs to the group of herpetic viruses. It is transmitted through kissing through saliva.
At the initial stage, almost 70% of infected people are asymptomatic. In other cases, cytomegaly begins with a sharp increase in temperature, sore throat, and nasal congestion. On the second or third day from the moment of infection, the lymph nodes in the neck become enlarged. Unlike acute respiratory viral infection, cytomegaly is characterized by a long course: from two weeks to a month. The second special sign of the disease is that in men there is no further manifestation, but in women the organs of the genitourinary system are involved in the inflammatory process.
Risk group for infection:
- Pregnant women.
- Newborns.
- Infants.
- People with chronic diseases.
Infectious mononucleosis
One of the most common hidden viral infections in humans.
The source becomes a person infected with the Epstein-Barr virus. It is transmitted by airborne droplets through the saliva of an infected person.
The clinical manifestations of the disease are similar to acute respiratory viral infection.
Symptoms:
- Fever.
- Nasal congestion.
- A sore throat.
- Swelling and hyperemia of the nasopharyngeal mucosa.
Afterwards, the patient develops distinctive and defining symptoms:
- Epigastric pain.
- Enlarged spleen and liver.
Disease risk group:
- Children.
- Adults weakened by stress and protracted illnesses.
- Patients after surgery.
Prevention:
- To prevent infection or transmission of the virus, parents should not kiss their children on the lips. The baby should have separate dishes and all other personal hygiene items.
- Adults recovering from viral and bacterial infections should avoid kissing.
Peptic ulcer
The source of infection is a carrier of Helicobacter pylori. This type of bacteria belongs to the group of anaerobes: it dies in the air, but lives, spreads and is transmitted with particles of saliva and mucus.
People become infected with Helicobacter pylori most often in family circles or in closely communicating groups. This happens when using common utensils and not following basic hygiene rules.
Transmission of the virus can occur from mother to child through particles of saliva on a pacifier, spoon or other objects.
You can become infected with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori through kissing.
Risk group:
- People with reduced immune defenses.
- Suffering from dysbacteriosis.
The main method of preventing the disease is strengthening the body by hardening, a balanced diet and, as prescribed by a doctor, taking drugs from the group of immunomodulators: Amiksin, Groprinosin, Kagocel, Viferon, Derinat.
Herpes
There are 8 known types of herpeviruses. They are transmitted by airborne droplets, birth and sexual contact, and household contact (handshakes, kisses, sharing common objects).
A person is most often affected by two of them:
- Type I (oral, labial) is transmitted through a kiss.
- Type II (genital, anogenital) is transmitted through anal, genital, oral sex.
The disease may not manifest itself for a long time, and only against the background of a weakened immune system after hypothermia, overheating, alcohol or general intoxication, stress, or previous illnesses, it manifests itself as rashes on the lips, nasal mucosa and oral cavity.
It is dangerous if rashes occur more than five times a year and affect not only the mucous membranes of the lips, but also other parts of the body. In this case, it is better to contact an immunologist and undergo a full examination.
Other diseases
Infections transmitted through kissing also include:
- Syphilis. After contact with the saliva of a sick person, after a month (this is exactly how long the incubation period lasts), a small ulceration appears in the mouth - a chancre. Afterwards, the sublingual and submandibular lymph nodes begin to enlarge. The disease is entering an advanced stage.
- Flu and acute respiratory infections.
- HIV. Numerous studies have proven that viral components accumulate in the salivary glands of the carrier and are transmitted through a kiss from partner to partner. But this only happens if the people kissing have bleeding wounds on their mucous membranes.
- Caries can be passed on from an adult parent to a child. Babies have not yet developed antibodies to this disease. Cariogenic bacteria transmitted through kissing increase the risk of developing the disease by 70%.
There are many benefits from kisses between loving people: from activating metabolic processes, normalizing the acidity of the oral cavity to the production of the hormone of happiness and the full functioning of the heart and blood vessels. Kissing is good for you. The main thing: avoid accidental contacts, observe basic hygiene rules, and be attentive to your health and the health of others.
One of the pressing questions of our time is whether HIV is transmitted through oral and tactile contact. Multiple medical studies indicate an extremely low probability of damage to the body by the immunodeficiency virus. Also, getting an infection is almost impossible when using a condom.
In this case, the partners engage in, although not safe, protected sex. However, there are cases when during oral sex the body was damaged by infection. To prevent this, it is important to know the structure and routes of transmission of HIV. A characteristic feature of the virus is that it can remain inside a person for decades, but not show any symptoms of its presence. In this case, oral and regular sex poses a great danger to a healthy sexual partner. In a healthy person, the immune system is able to cope with many pathogenic microorganisms.
However, the constant presence of the virus has a depressing effect on the protective function. In the absence of treatment and supportive care, the infection progresses and at the last stage degenerates into AIDS. As is known, there is no cure for this disease, so the patient will inevitably die.
The peculiar structure of the virus causes genuine concern among the population, which is not surprising. After all, there are no people who want to become infected with an incurable disease. Everyone knows that the virus is transmitted sexually, but whether HIV is transmitted through oral sex is worth finding out.
In medicine, the main factors and routes of transmission of the virus are identified:
- together with the blood of a sick person;
- with sperm if unprotected vaginal or oral contact occurs;
- from an infected mother during pregnancy to her child;
- through discharge from the genitals;
- through breast milk, if the baby was not infected at birth.
After analyzing the information, it is impossible to give a definite answer to the question of whether it is possible to become infected with HIV through oral sex. The likelihood of damage is minimal, due to the inability of antibodies to survive outside the human body, but it still exists.
Doctors give only some recommendations in this regard and explain risk factors. Neglecting the conditions described below will inevitably lead to infection. If oral sex ends with ejaculation into the mouth, then the chances of contracting HIV are quite high. The sperm of a sick man is a carrier of the virus, and when it gets on the mucous membrane, it can come into contact with blood, for example, in the presence of minor, sometimes invisible, damage to the cavity.
Often, excessive cleanliness plays against people who do not have a regular sexual partner. With careful hygiene, there is a high probability of receiving microtraumas: cracks, scratches, punctures of the mucous membrane of the genitals or mouth. It is through them that the virus can enter the body of a healthy person from a carrier of infection.
Some people are interested in whether it is possible to become infected with HIV through oral sex if cunnilingus is performed. Venereologists convince us that this is practically impossible. However, if a woman has residual menstrual discharge, then the chances of infection increase, because they can become a source of transmission of the virus. The only way to avoid contracting an incurable disease is to have sexual or oral contact using a condom.
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Considering that the virus can live hidden in the body, and none of the partners will know about it, it is advisable to take preventive measures to prevent infection; doctors provide the following recommendations when engaging in oral sex:
- After oral hygiene, at least 2 hours must pass before contact. This time is enough to stop gum bleeding in the presence of microtraumas.
- To protect yourself from injury to the oral mucosa, you should not consume foods that can injure your gums, palate, or cheeks.
- If there is damage to the mucous membranes, contact should be postponed until the wound has completely healed.
- You should always use a condom.
Although cases of human infection with the immunodeficiency virus through oral contact are practically not diagnosed, it should be remembered that some sexually transmitted diseases are transmitted very easily this way: chlamydia, syphilis, gonorrhea.
All this suggests that it is necessary to enter into any type of contact only with a trusted partner, this will provide protection against infection. It also happens that there are people in the family or environment who have the virus. Then a natural question arises: is it possible to become infected with HIV when there is minor contact.
Doctors tell us in which cases there is no likelihood of infection:
- If a virus carrier sneezes or coughs towards a healthy person.
- When shaking hands.
- During a hug.
- A kiss will be safe if there are no injuries in the mouth.
- Sharing household items, such as dishes.
- Visiting the pool or bathhouse, sauna.
- If a person is injected with a syringe in a public place or transport.
It is also necessary to know that in saliva and other human biological fluids, the concentration of the virus is very low. That is why cases of infection are practically not established through physical affection and living together. The only exception is the presence of blood particles in saliva, urine, and semen.
In any case, it is very important to undergo timely medical examinations. Such diagnostics will allow us to notice various diseases in the early stages and identify AIDS. Now it has become clear whether it is possible to become infected with HIV through oral sex, what methods of household transmission of infection exist and preventive measures.
Is it possible to become infected with HIV through oral sex if the woman is sick and the man is healthy?
A completely logical question is whether it is possible to become infected with HIV through oral sex if a woman is a carrier of the virus. First, you should consider the situation when a woman provides affection. It is immediately worth noting that in this situation, a man may practically not worry about being infected.
But if a woman has injuries on the oral mucosa during contact, then infection can occur.
But it’s also worth thinking about whether it’s possible to become infected with HIV through oral sex if the caress is provided by a man and the woman is a carrier of the infection. In such a situation, the chances of a healthy man becoming infected are much higher. The fact is that the virus is not released into saliva, but it is present in vaginal discharge. But infection will occur only if there are injuries to the mucous membrane of the man’s oral cavity.
In their absence, the virus enters the stomach, where it is completely dissolved in the existing juice. However, if unprotected anal intercourse occurs, the probability of infection is more than 99%. When asking a venereologist such a question, a definite answer will not be given, because the probability, although small, exists. The likelihood that during oral sex a healthy person will get the immunodeficiency virus, which subsequently progresses to AIDS, is minimized. Infection occurs only through unprotected vaginal contact, or through blood.
Is it possible to become infected with HIV through blowjob when a man has the virus in his body?
Girls may be interested in whether it is possible to become infected with HIV through blowjob if a man is sick. It can be argued that with this approach the likelihood of infection is practically absent. The exception is relationships in which the partner has injuries to the mucous membranes of the oral cavity. By mixing with blood particles, the virus will penetrate the body.
The partner’s seminal fluid contains pathogenic antibodies, but if there has been no ejaculation into the mouth, then the likelihood of infection is almost zero. Doctors have still not come to a consensus on whether it is possible to become infected with HIV through blowjobs. And there is an explanation for this: the concentration of the immunodeficiency virus in saliva is so low that with good protective ability, the body of a healthy person easily suppresses it. An increased risk is observed only with oral sex in the form of blowjob and cunnilingus. But only if there is damage to the mucous membranes of a healthy partner. It’s not for nothing that AIDS and HIV are called the plague of this century.
Almost all diseases that are sexually transmitted can also be transmitted through oral sex, including even the human immunodeficiency virus. Of course, diseases transmitted through normal contact have a greater chance of affecting a healthy partner than through oral sex, but this probability is not as low as it might seem at first glance. It would be a mistake to perceive oral intimate caresses as a method of preventing infection with a sexually transmitted disease, since, as medical practice shows, diseases most often transmitted through anal or vaginal contact are quite capable of “migrating” into the body through oral sex.
Due to the fact that over the past decades, society’s attitude towards oral sex has changed greatly and such caresses are now not only not considered “dirty”, “shameful”, “indecent”, but are also practiced by the majority of married (and not only) couples, it becomes very important to know about this type of sexual relationship as much as possible. Today, oral sex is considered a completely normal, acceptable part of intimate life by most people; according to some data, it is regularly practiced by up to 90% of adults aged 20 to 40 years. However, it is necessary to take into account a number of points associated with this kind of intimate caresses, we are talking about the likelihood of contracting sexually transmitted diseases during oral sexual contact.
1. Syphilis. If one of the partners has this disease, the risk of infection in a healthy person increases significantly, including during oral sex. It is believed that the probability of infection is higher for the “receiver”, i.e. active partner. Hard chancre is the most characteristic manifestation of primary syphiloma, which forms in any part of the body at the site of penetration of the infectious agent. It is an ulcer or erosion on the affected area, when entering the body after oral sex, it is quite possible for them to form on the lips, cheeks, tonsils, etc.
2. Gonorrhea. It threatens both partners equally during oral sex. This disease is so “sticky” (gonococcus is very mobile) that in most cases one contact, including oral, is quite enough to get it. The first signs of infection are a strong burning sensation in the genital area, itching, characteristic discharge from the urethra; redness and swelling may occur on the genitals. About 3 weeks after infection, blood may be detected in the urine. Among other things, oral-genital contact can lead to urethritis, gonorrheal pharyngitis, conjunctivitis, stomatitis, and men can also develop a complication - prostatitis. If left untreated, gonococcal infection can lead to blindness, since gonorrhea affects the mucous membrane of the eye.
3. Chlamydia. A very common sexually transmitted disease, including the possibility of infection through oral sex. Just a few decades ago, chlamydia was not classified as a sexually transmitted disease, and it was not as common as it is now. The causative agents of this disease are chlamydia, which can penetrate from the pharynx and tonsils into the genitals. The highest concentration of the pathogen in the human body is the ureter, vagina, rectum, and conjunctiva.
4. Herpes. Perhaps it is one of the most common diseases, which is completely transmitted through sexual (including oral) contact. Most people are familiar with such manifestations of herpes as rashes on the lips, called “colds,” less known is damage to the genitourinary organs in men and women. The herpes virus, even in remission, can penetrate from the genitals to the mouth, and vice versa. It is characterized by itching, burning, pain and other unpleasant sensations.
5. HIV. As for the human immunodeficiency virus, of course, the risk of contracting it through oral contact is quite low, however, it still exists. Such cases have been registered in world medical practice.
How can you protect yourself and prevent sexually transmitted diseases through oral sex?
1. When having oral sex, you should use a condom or a latex napkin for the female genitals.
2. It is necessary to avoid oral sex in cases where the sexual partner has rashes, wounds, ulcers, and abscesses on the genitals. You should not orally caress a woman if she is menstruating or has other vaginal discharge.
Today, frivolity and light flirting are not considered serious sins, so we easily make tactile contact with strangers. Many people indulge in a simple kiss after drinking a glass of champagne, forgetting that many viral diseases can be infected through saliva. So how could such a rash act be dangerous?
Today, many people understand what casual sex can lead to. Protected sex has long been a guarantee of a certain security. However, experts believe that an innocent kiss can also lead to disastrous results. It is very easy to become infected through saliva. And the list of possible diseases includes very serious ailments that can even lead to death. Perhaps the information below will make many people think about their behavior and help avoid unnecessary troubles.
How can you get infected through saliva?
The list of dangerous diseases that can be transmitted through saliva is long. We can list only the main and most dangerous ones. This:
- Herpes.
- Infectious mononucleosis.
- Ulcerative formations.
- Hepatitis B.
- Syphilis.
- Bacterial meningitis.
In addition, salivary fluid is an ideal medium for the transmission of various viruses - human papillomavirus, as well as the dangerous cytomegalovirus. Moreover, the symptoms of infection are very similar to a common ARVI, so a person does not immediately consult a doctor, bringing his own condition to a critical level. In men, such diseases are generally asymptomatic, but a woman who has become infected with the designated viruses through saliva also exposes herself to great danger because complications affect the organs of the genitourinary system. Think about this and take note.
Can you get AIDS through saliva?
Many years of research have shown that it is impossible to become infected with AIDS through salivary fluid. It contains a minimal dose of the immune virus, which, when entering the blood, cannot provoke the development of the disease. Scientists conducted repeated experiments that helped prove that the paired salivary glands located in the oral cavity are not carriers of the disease.
To date, there have not been a single case of AIDS infection among family members who have not had sexual intercourse with each other. That is, AIDS does not spread through everyday means. But such a possibility cannot be dismissed. Do you know why? Because during a kiss, unexpected situations can happen. An infected person can accidentally bite their tongue or gum and injure themselves so that a drop of blood appears. This is where it will become a dangerous source of infection, which can lead to a sad diagnosis.
Doctors warn that a simple innocent kiss can become a source of great danger, so you should not neglect basic safety measures, do not allow yourself to act rashly and easily make tactile contact with strangers.