Indirect contact

[Adg1577]

The other day my step-daughter put chapstick on a cold sore with her finger then wiped her finger onto a roll of paper towels.

A few hours later I washed my hands and dried them with the same paper towel she wiped her finger onto. (I totally forgot she’d done that). I then had some vaginal irritation and immediately rubbed and scratched my vagina directly with the same hand that I’d wiped the dirty paper towel with. For background, I don’t have a history of HSV.

Im concerned that since I wiped my hand with the paper towel that had chapstick and fluid from her sore wiped onto it, then directly scratched and rubbed my vagina, that I could contract Hsv.

1. I’ve read you mention that a towel would cool quickly. I used the paper towel 3-4 hours later but what about the chapstick being on the paper towel? Would that possibly extend the life of herpes virus on the towel and make it still infectious 3-4 hours later?

2. For simplicity, Do you think this sort of transmission would happen:

Someone rubs chapstick into a cold sore (essentially picking up both chapstick and virus on their finger) then wipes it onto a paper towel, then me wiping my hand with the dirty paper towel, and lastly rubbing & scratching my vagina directly with that same hand that was dried by the dirty paper towel?

Thank you for your advice with this! I feel like it’s a ridiculous question but can’t get it out of my mind.

[Adg1577]

I wanted to be more clear about my question in #2:

Would herpes infect someone if a person rubbed chapstick into their cold sore with a finger, then wiped the finger onto a paper towel (assuming both chapstick and virus were deposited onto the paper towel), then I wiped the same paper towel onto my hands, and lastly rubbed and scratched my vagina directly with the same hand that touched the dirty paper towel?

Thank you again for your help!

[Terri Warren]

1. I’ve read you mention that a towel would cool quickly. I used the paper towel 3-4 hours later but what about the chapstick being on the paper towel? Would that possibly extend the life of herpes virus on the towel and make it still infectious 3-4 hours later?

I understand the question. The answer is that this situation presents no risk of transmission

Terri

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