No Action Required – HIV Cannot Be Transmitted Through Sharing Drinking Glasses
You do not need to take any action if you accidentally drank water from a glass used by an HIV-infected person, as HIV is not transmitted through saliva, drinking water, or shared drinking glasses.
Why There Is No Risk
HIV transmission requires specific routes of exposure that do not include casual contact with saliva or drinking water:
Saliva does not transmit HIV. There is almost no risk of HIV transmission from saliva, unless it contains visible blood 1.
The virus cannot survive in this context. HIV is transmitted through blood, semen, and rectal or vaginal secretions of infected individuals—not through water, saliva, or shared eating/drinking utensils 2.
Drinking water poses no risk. The guidelines addressing water safety for HIV-infected persons focus on protecting them from waterborne pathogens like Cryptosporidium, not on water as a vehicle for HIV transmission 3.
Routes That Actually Transmit HIV
To put this in perspective, HIV transmission occurs through:
Sexual exposure: Receptive anal intercourse carries approximately 1.5% risk per exposure; insertive fellatio carries almost no risk 1.
Blood exposure: Needlestick injuries from HIV-contaminated blood carry approximately 0.3% transmission risk 1.
Mucous membrane or non-intact skin exposure to infectious fluids: Even splashes of blood onto mucous membranes or broken skin carry virtually no risk if the area is washed within 15 minutes 1.
What Does NOT Transmit HIV
The following body fluids and exposures carry no meaningful HIV transmission risk:
- Saliva (unless visibly bloody) 1
- Nasal secretions 1
- Urine 1
- Vomit (unless visibly bloody) 1
- Drinking water or shared beverages 3
- Casual contact including sharing eating utensils or drinking glasses
Common Pitfall to Avoid
Do not confuse the water safety guidelines for HIV-infected persons with HIV transmission routes. The extensive recommendations about water consumption in HIV guidelines 3 are designed to protect immunocompromised HIV-positive individuals from opportunistic infections like cryptosporidiosis—they do not suggest that water transmits HIV.
When Post-Exposure Prophylaxis IS Indicated
Post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) with antiretroviral therapy should be initiated within 48-72 hours only for genuine exposures 4, 5:
- Occupational needlestick injuries from HIV-positive sources 4, 6
- Unprotected receptive anal intercourse with known HIV-positive partner 5
- Needle/syringe sharing with known HIV-positive person 5
- Mucous membrane exposure to blood or high-risk body fluids from HIV-positive source 4
Your scenario does not meet any criteria for PEP.