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From: bob@ozdaltx.UUCP (Bob Culmer)
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
Subject: Re: (2592) Re: (2569) [SMA 2552] Re: (2524) Re: I CONFESS MY
Message-ID: <40131@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>
Date: 12 Oct 90 20:38:54 GMT
References: <39962@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>
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Note:	Copyright 1990 by Daniel R. Greening.  Permission granted for
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In article <39962@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU>, IABF%SNYCENVM.BITNET@oac.ucla.edu (Amy Francis) writes:
> 
> First of all, I'm not talking in the theoretical sense.  It DID happen to me.
> I am not an alarmist wanting to run around a quarantine people, I was talking
> closely with my BEST friend who happens to be HIV+ (by the way, I kiss him and
> hug him and if he were bleeding, I'd try to stop it) and a bit of saliva
> from his mouth entered my eye.  I wish everyone would stop berrating me and
> just answer my goddamned question.

If this had been the first thing stated there would have been a
different response.  The group has been in another of the "let's
criminalize HIV" threads and the saliva in the eye was used as a
hypothetical to me *two years ago* in a personal conversation with
someone who is a regular in the alarmist, quarantine camp.  The
hypothetical example has been around in that group for a long time.

The context into which the question (without the history) was inserted
was not the best for clarity.

> If someone you loved were stuck with that needle, would you advise them to
> get a blood test? Or would you just quote statistics AT them????

Even with the new context for the question, it still seems to imply a
desire for too "black or white" an answer.  If you know the "stats"
maybe you can make a better decision for yourself.  A decision about
your degree of worry, secondarily about being tested. If you are worried
and would feel better knowing, then take the test.  But if the test is
done too soon after, you might not show up positive.  So people go
back and get tested later...  So IF the worry is excessive (as was
suggested by your own comment "Am I just being paranoid?") that is
what needs to be dealt with, since even a final answer on
seropositivity is not to be had on a short term and absolute basis.
> 
> So, I ask once again, exactly how dangerous IS such a thing?
I don't think anyone can give a precise answer to the saliva question.
I don't mean to be facetious, but ...
How will knowing exactly how dangerous help you?
                 ^^^^^^^
-- 
Bob Culmer - Dallas        | "Come out.  Come out, wherever you are."
Somewhere over the rainbow |  - Glinda, The Good Witch of the North
...in the Land of OZ       | 
            {mic,void,egsner}!ozdaltx!bob