Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date. Is HIV transmissible through nasal mucus?
I've been unable to determine whether or not HIV can be transmitted through nasal mucus/drippage - I understand that nasal mucus, particularly when an individual is ill, can harbor lots of white blood cells, and that white blood cells are HIV's number one target as the disease progresses. If an uninfected individual comes into contact with an AIDS patient's nasal secretions, would that qualify as an "exposure incident" on par with infected blood or semen? Have there been any clinical studies or publications on the question?
Nasal mucus does not usually carry high levels of HIV.
There are no cases of HIV transmission documented by contact with nasal secretions, and I would in no way consider contact with nasal secretions to be even close to the risk of exposure from blood/seemen.
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