Hello - I was involved in mutual masterbation with another man. I was having an herpes outbreak at the time and had small sores under the head on my penis. When I was masterbating him he had a great deal of precum. Prior to him masterbating me he was touching himself. I am concerned that he had his own precum on his hand when he masterbated me and his precum may have come in contact with my herpes outbreak. Am I at risk of HIV from this exposure? Have you ever heard of a transmittion from hand-to-genital contact?

[Dr Jose]

Hello,
Thank you very much for your post.
I think this is highly unlikely. Theoretically there is a possible risk if the other guy was positive (we do not know) because precum can carry the virus and having a herpes outbreak could increase the chance of transmission. However you would need large amounts of precum getting in contact with the herpetic lesions, and even so, the virus becomes unstable very quickly outside of the body, making it unable to infect. Therefore I do not believe that there was any real risk for you of HIV infection from this incident. Mutual masturbation and hand jobs are not considered a HIV risk at all whatsoever.
Best wishes,
José

Should I assume that the herpes makes me more likely to get hiv through penetration only. Do you recommend testing due to this situation and can I continue to have unprotected sex with my partner. Please respond.

[Dr Jose]

Exactly. However if you want to be completely sure, you might want to be tested, even though I consider it unlikely.
Best wishes,
José