BEFORE THE INFECTION PAGES
Three probabilities, not one
Partner infection: Does at least one partner have the infection or laboratory finding? This is what the partner-count tables model.
Transmission-capable exposure: Did contact reach the relevant tissue while the infection could be transmitted? Barriers, anatomical sites and infectious state change this question.
Acquisition: Did the exposed person become infected? This requires additional evidence. Prevalence alone cannot answer it.
Time-sensitive actions
| Situation | Action |
|---|---|
Possible significant HIV exposure | Ask a clinic or emergency service about PEP as soon as you can; it works best early and within 72 hours. There is no need to wait for symptoms. [30] |
Known hepatitis A or B exposure | Ask for advice soon; prevention after an exposure works within a limited window, commonly 14 days for these situations. [44][50] |
Known mpox close contact | Discuss vaccine promptly, ideally within four days; benefit may remain through day 14. [53] |
Severe pelvic/testicular pain, eye symptoms, neurological change, dehydration or severe rash | These are reasons to be seen promptly, rather than relying on a table or waiting for routine screening. [13][16][69][67][59] |
Testing should fit the contact
A routine panel does not test every infection or body site, so genital, rectal and oral contact are discussed separately; throat testing matters for gonorrhea in relevant circumstances but is not a reason to screen the throat for everything. Whether to test at all depends on direct contact with someone who has a confirmed result, whether a barrier stayed intact, symptoms, and whether contact is ongoing. Sharing a partner is not the same as direct contact. [02][16][61][62]
Interpret the person, not a label
Someone with sustained HIV suppression does not transmit HIV sexually. Someone with Ureaplasma detected may have colonization rather than disease. Someone with a historical positive antibody may no longer have the corresponding current infection. These distinctions change decisions. [08][28][43][65][66]
Drug names describe standard approaches, not instructions for self-prescribing. Pregnancy, allergies, interactions, organ disease, local resistance and national guidelines can change treatment. Historical discovery is not an assertion about evolutionary origin.