Can hives spread by touch
Are Hives Contagious?
Hives arent contagious, meaning you wont develop them on your skin by touching hives on another person. However, the trigger causing this skin reaction can be contagious.
Hives also referred to as urticaria are welts on the skin and are a type of itchy rash. They may be red or skin-colored, though hives on darker skin may be harder to see.
Hives can appear on any body part and are often triggered by an allergic reaction. If you press a hive, the center of the bump will turn pale.
Other causes of hives that are contagious are:
Although allergies can trigger hives, other things can also cause them. Understanding the cause can help to address ways to prevent this reaction and avoid the spread of hives.
Allergic hives
Contact with an allergen is the most common cause of hives. Allergic hives arent contagious.
Common allergens that can trigger hives are:
Infection-induced hives
Some viral and bacterial can cause hives. Examples of these conditions include:
These types of hives themselves arent contagious, but if the condition that causes them spreads to you, you could also develop hives.
These infections can spread through:
- airborne germs from sneezing and coughing
- poor hygiene
- sharing eating utensils
- direct contact with the saliva of an ill person
- contact with stool
Youre at more risk of developing an infection:
Environmental hives
Overexposure to the sun, cold, or water can cause physical hives. Body heat from physical activity can also cause a reaction. These can also be triggered by stress.
In addition, you may get hives simply from pressure on the skin, such as from clothes that are too tight.
Chronic hives
If you have chronic hives or chronic urticaria welts appear for up to six weeks at a time. In more severe cases, chronic hives can last for years.
About 1.4% of all people experience chronic hives, more commonly males than females. There is often an underlying condition that is triggering chronic hives, but sometimes there is no obvious cause.
Through lifestyle changes and precautions, you can help to prevent hive reactions. But this depends on whats causing the hives.
If you have a known allergy, you can do the following to prevent hives:
- Avoid eating foods or other substances you are allergic to.
- Carry an EpiPen in case of allergic emergencies.
- Take any allergy medicines as prescribed, but consult your doctor to find alternatives if the medicines themselves contain allergens.
- Avoid using harsh soaps that could cause irritation.
- Avoid wearing tight clothing.
- Wear protective clothing in cold weather or sun exposure.
- Do not swim alone in cold water.
Contagious bacteria can also cause conditions that trigger hives. Here are a few tips you
- Wash your hands regularly.
- Practice good hygiene.
- Get vaccinated for preventable infections.
- Limit contact with people who are sick or exhibit hives.
Hives are a kind of itchy rash characterized by welts on the skin. It is usually caused by allergies but can have other causes.
Hives themselves are not contagious, but their cause could be. For example, if you have hives caused by a virus, a person can contract the virus and also develop hives.
The treatment and prevention strategies for hives depend on the underlying cause.
HIV.gov
How Is HIV Transmitted?
Content From: HIV.govUpdated: June 16, 20226 min read
Topics
How Do You Get or Transmit HIV?
You can only get HIV by coming into direct contact with certain body fluids from a person with HIV who has a detectable viral load. These fluids are:
- Blood
- Semen (cum) and pre-seminal fluid (pre-cum)
- Rectal fluids
- Vaginal fluids
- Breast milk
For transmission to occur, the HIV in these fluids must get into the bloodstream of an HIV-negative person through a mucous membrane (found in the rectum, vagina, mouth, or tip of the penis), through open cuts or sores, or by direct injection (from a needle or syringe).
People with HIV who take HIV medicine as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load can live long and healthy lives and will not transmit HIV to their HIV-negative partners through sex.
How Is HIV Spread from Person to Person?
HIV can only be spread through specific activities. In the United States, the most common ways are:
Less common ways are:
- An HIV-positive person transmitting HIV to their baby during pregnancy, birth, or breastfeeding. However, the use of HIV medicines and other strategies have helped lower the risk of perinatal transmission of HIV to less than 1% in the United States. Learn more.
- Being exposed to HIV through a needlestick or sharps injury. This is a risk mainly for health care workers. The risk is very low.
HIV is spread only in extremely rare cases by:
- Having oral sex. Oral sex carries little to no risk for getting or transmitting HIV. Theoretically, it is possible if an HIV-positive man ejaculates in his partners mouth during oral sex. Factors that may increase the risk of transmitting HIV through oral sex are oral ulcers, bleeding gums, genital sores, and the presence of other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), which may or may not be visible. However, the risk is still extremely low, and much lower than with anal or vaginal sex.
- Receiving blood transfusions, blood products, or organ/tissue transplants that are contaminated with HIV. The risk is extremely small these days because of rigorous testing of the U.S. blood supply and donated organs and tissues. (And you cant get HIV from donating blood. Blood collection procedures are highly regular and very safe.)
- Being bitten by a person with HIV. Each of the very small number of documented cases has involved severe trauma with extensive tissue damage and the presence of blood. This rare transmission can occur through contact between broken skin, wounds, or mucous membranes and blood or body fluids from a person who has HIV. There is no risk of transmission if the skin is not broken. There are no documented cases of HIV being transmitted through spitting as HIV is not transmitted through saliva.
- Deep, open-mouth kissing if both partners have sores or bleeding gums and blood from the HIV-positive partner gets into the bloodstream of the HIV-negative partner. HIV is not spread through saliva.
- Eating food that has been pre-chewed by a person with HIV. The only known cases are among infants. HIV transmission can occur when the blood from an HIV-positive caregivers mouth mixes with food while chewing and an infant eats it. However, you cant get HIV by consuming food handled by someone with HIV.
Learn more about how HIV is passed from one person to another.
Does HIV Viral Load Affect Getting or Transmitting HIV?
Yes. Viral load is the amount of HIV in the blood of someone who has HIV. If taken as prescribed, HIV medicine (called antiretroviral therapy or ART) can reduce a persons HIV viral load very low level, which keeps the immune system working and prevents illness. This is called viral suppression, defined as having less than 200 copies of HIV per milliliter of blood.
HIV medicine can also make the viral load so low that a standard lab test cant detect it. This is called having an undetectable level viral load. Almost everyone who takes HIV medicine as prescribed can achieve an undetectable viral load, usually within 6 months after starting treatment.
As noted above, people with HIV who take HIV medicine as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load can live long and healthy lives and will not transmit HIV to their HIV-negative partners through sex.
HIV medicine is a powerful tool for preventing sexual transmission of HIV. But it works only if the HIV-positive partner gets and keeps an undetectable viral load. Not everyone taking HIV medicine has an undetectable viral load. To stay undetectable, people with HIV must take HIV medicine as prescribed and visit their health care provider regularly to get a viral load test. Learn more.
How is HIV Not Spread?
HIV is not spread by:
- Air or water
- Mosquitoes, ticks, or other insects
- Saliva, tears, sweat, feces, or urine that is not mixed with the blood of a person with HIV
- Shaking hands; hugging; sharing toilets; sharing dishes, silverware, or drinking glasses; or engaging in closed-mouth or social kissing with a person with HIV
- Drinking fountains
- Other sexual activities that dont involve the exchange of body fluids (for example, touching).
- Donating blood
HIV cant be passed through healthy, unbroken skin.
How Do You Get AIDS?
You cant catch AIDS, which stands for acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
AIDS is the most advanced stage of HIV infection. If a person has HIV and is not on HIV treatment, the virus will weaken the bodys immune system and the person will progress to AIDS.
People with AIDS have such badly damaged immune systems that they get a number of severe illnesses, called opportunistic infections.
However, thanks to todays effective HIV treatment, most people with HIV in the U.S. do not have AIDS. People with HIV who take HIV medicine as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load can stay healthy and will not progress to AIDS.
People who are HIV-negative can prevent getting HIV by using pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), medicine that can stop HIV from taking hold in the body. There is also post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), a short course of HIV medicines taken very soon after a possible exposure to HIV to prevent the virus from taking hold in your body. PEP must be started within 72-hours of a possible exposure to be effective. Learn more about these HIV prevention tools and other ways to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV.
Hives: Pictures, Causes, and How to Treat Them
Hives typically occur as an allergic response to something in your environment or something you ate. But they may sometimes happen because of an underlying health issue.
Hives, also known as urticaria, are itchy, raised welts that are found on the skin. Theyre usually red, pink, or flesh colored on lighter skin and may be flesh colored or slightly lighter or darker than your skin tone on brown or black skin.
Sometimes they sting or hurt. In most cases, hives are caused by an allergic reaction to a medication or food or are a reaction to an irritant in the environment.
In many cases, hives are an acute (temporary) problem that may be alleviated with allergy medications. Most rashes go away on their own. However, chronic (ongoing) cases, as well as hives accompanied by a severe allergic reaction, are larger medical concerns.
Hives are usually caused by an
In some people, histamines can cause swelling, itching, and many of the symptoms that are experienced with hives. In terms of allergens, hives can be
Hives might also be caused by circumstances besides allergies. Its not uncommon for people to experience hives as the result of stress, tight clothes, exercise, illnesses, or infections.
Its also possible to develop hives as the result of excessive exposure to hot or cold temperatures or from irritation due to excessive sweating. Because there are several potential triggers, many times the actual cause of hives cant be determined.
People who are known to have allergies are more likely to get hives. You may also be at risk of developing hives if youre taking medication or if youre unknowingly exposed to things you may be allergic to, such as food or pollen. If youre already ill with an infection or a health condition, you may be more vulnerable to developing hives.
The most noticeable symptom of hives is the welts that appear on the skin. Welts may be red but can also be the same color as your skin. They can be small and round, ring-shaped, or large and of random shape. Hives are itchy, and they tend to appear in batches on the affected part of the body. They can grow larger, change shape, and spread.
Hives may disappear or reappear over the course of the outbreak. Individual hives welts can last anywhere from
Hives can occur in a variety of places on the body. Call 911 or get medical attention immediately if you develop a hives outbreak around your throat or on your tongue or have trouble breathing along with hives.
Hives can occur in response to an allergic reaction or may not have an identifiable cause.
Allergic reactions
The most common causes of hives are allergic reactions. These can be caused by any allergen you might be sensitive to, including:
- foods (such as nuts, milk, and eggs)
- pet dander
- pollen
- dust mites
- insect bites or stings
- medications (primarily antibiotics, cancer drugs, or ibuprofen)
Mild cases of hives caused by allergies are typically treated with long- or short-term allergy medications and avoidance of the trigger.
Anaphylaxis
Anaphylaxis is a severe, life threatening allergic reaction. In this condition, hives are often
Chronic hives
Chronic hives are ongoing cases that dont necessarily have an identifiable cause. Also called chronic urticaria, this condition is marked by recurring hives that can interfere with your daily life. Chronic cases
You may suspect chronic hives if you have welts that dont go away within 6 weeks. While not life threatening, this form of hives can be uncomfortable and difficult to treat. Chronic hives may also be a symptom of an
- an autoimmune disorder
- celiac disease
- lupus
- type 1 diabetes
- rheumatoid arthritis
- thyroid disease
Dermatographism
This form of acute hives is considered mild. Excessive scratching or continuous pressure on the skin causes it. Dermatographism usually clears up on its own in a short period of time without treatment.
Temperature-induced hives
Sometimes changes in temperature can induce hives in people who are sensitive to such changes. Cold-induced hives may occur from cold water or air exposure, while body heat from physical activity may cause exercise-induced hives. Exposure to sunlight or tanning beds may also bring about solar hives in some people.
Infection-induced hives
Both viral and bacterial infections can cause hives. Common bacterial infections causing hives include urinary tract infections and strep throat. Viruses that cause infectious mononucleosis (mono), hepatitis, and colds often cause hives.
The first step in getting treatment is to figure out if you actually have hives. In most cases, a doctor will be able to determine if you have hives from a physical exam. Your skin will show signs of the welts that are linked with hives.
A doctor may also perform blood tests or skin tests to find out what may have caused your hives especially if your hives were the result of an allergic reaction.
You may not need prescription treatment if youre experiencing a mild case of hives not related to allergies or other health conditions. In these circumstances, a doctor might suggest that you find temporary relief by:
Anaphylaxis is a medical emergency that needs to be treated immediately by a physician. If you think you may be experiencing anaphylaxis, contact 911 or your local emergency services.
Simple changes to your lifestyle may be able to help you prevent hives from reoccurring in the future. If you have allergies and you know which substances are likely to cause an allergic reaction, a doctor will suggest that you avoid any possible exposure to these factors. Allergy shots are another option that may help you reduce the risk of experiencing hives again.
Avoid being in high humidity areas or wearing tight clothing if you have recently had a hives outbreak.
Below are some of the most commonly asked questions about hives.
Are hives contagious?
No, hives are not contagious and cant spread from one person to another.
Do hives mean Im allergic to something?
In many cases, hives are the result of an allergic reaction to something you have been exposed to, such as certain medications or pollen. It could also be caused by an infection, stress, or wearing clothes that are too tight. If you have hives that persist for more than a few days, contact a doctor to see if an allergy test is needed to determine the cause of your symptoms.
How long do hives last?
A hives outbreak can last anywhere from
Are there any home remedies for hives?
Yes, there are several home remedies that may help alleviate the symptoms of hives. Taking an antihistamine is one option, as well as taking a cool or lukewarm bath with colloidal oatmeal or baking soda. Avoid hot water, as this may aggravate the hives. Also, try to avoid any potential irritants or allergens that may have caused the hives in the first place.
Although hives can be itchy and uncomfortable, usually theyre not severe and will disappear after a period of time. However, be aware that as some hives go away, new ones may pop up.
Mild cases of hives are considered harmless. Hives can be dangerous if you are having a serious allergic reaction and your throat is swelling. Prompt treatment for a severe case of hives is important for a good outlook.
