I used a brand new anal sex toy that was sealed and packaged, washed it with soap and water before inserting (no condom). Six weeks later I've developed a sore throat, cold symptoms, pink eye all with no fever, no sexual activity before or after use, Am I showings signs of ARS, and should I get a HIV test?

A service provided by the BC Centre for Disease Control

Search

Home / Answered Questions / I used a brand new anal sex toy that was sealed and packaged, washed it with soap and water before inserting (no condom). Six weeks later I’ve developed a sore throat, cold symptoms, pink eye all with no fever, no sexual activity before or after use, Am I showings signs of ARS, and should I get a HIV test?

I used a brand new anal sex toy that was sealed and packaged, washed it with soap and water before inserting (no condom). Six weeks later I’ve developed a sore throat, cold symptoms, pink eye all with no fever, no sexual activity before or after use, Am I showings signs of ARS, and should I get a HIV test?

Hello,

Thanks for your question.

It sounds very unlikely that you are experiencing ARS or sero-conversion illness from HIV.

HIV is passed through direct contact with a HIV-positive person’s sexual fluids or blood. If you used the sex toy by yourself, and no one else’s blood or sexual fluids were on the toy, then you cannot get HIV from the toy. HIV dies when it is outside the body for more than a few seconds, so it would not last long on the toy.

If you have not had any other sexual contact, or any IV drug use, we would not recommend getting an HIV test.

The symptoms you describe can be caused by many things including: common cold/flu, allergies, etc. If your symptoms persist we would recommend going to see a healthcare professional in-person.

Please let us know if you need any more info.

Health Nurse

This answer was posted on April 8, 2018.

This answer was updated on February 7, 2022.