Is there a possible risk in this scenario?

[Bitofahypochondriac]

Hey forum members, I was wondering whether you could advise me on a potential situation I had yesterday.

Whilst flying on an airplane earlier yesterday I was sat next to someone with a number of large cuts on their forearm (from what I can only imagine, but they looked pretty worse for ware and the individual was pretty sick with some kind of flu. Also this guy looked like a bit of a degenerate; he  was covered in tattoos and seemed to be on edge the entire flight - he even spilt his drink over himself and made a total scene out of it).  Anyway the wounds were about 2 inches in length and about 1cm in width - without exageration it essentially looked like his arm had been raked. At point during the flight he began to scratch at these cuts pretty aggressively to the point that when I looked at my hands there were a number of purple/red-ish particles on them [looked like flakes from a scab or even dried blood]. I had one minor but recent cut and a very recent large hang-nail on my index finger that was quite deep and had bled the day before on the hand that had these particles from this guy's cuts. I only noticed this stuff on my hand when I felt my hang-nail stinging and I'm worried that that may have been caused by contact or exposure with something that could have been transferred to me from this invidual.

About fifteen minutes after I noticed the stinging on my finger with the cut/deep hangnail, I went to the bathroom and washed my hands with a bar of soap but this did not seem to stop the irritation but aggrivate it.

Anyway I'm rather worried that I could have picked up something like HIV from him as I'm totally unsure as to how recent these wounds were and I'd like to know if I have any grounds or basis for concern. Today my hang-nail in particular is still stinging.

Do you guys think there is much reason for my to be concerned about contracting something like HIV? Apologies if this comes across as a tad ridiculous but I've been pretty worried since.

Thanks in advance.

[Teak]

HIV is unable to reproduce outside its living host (unlike many bacteria or fungi, which may do so under suitable conditions), except under laboratory conditions; therefore, it does not spread or maintain infectiousness outside its host.

[RainLover71]

Even if that happened there would be no chance of transmission for all the reasons i explained to you.Hiv is not transmitted that way.You can relax now,theres no need to worry about this situation at all.

[Bitofahypochondriac]

Thanks for such a prompt response Getitright - it's really helpful to have someone lay the facts out for me. Just one more question, so you think there's little to worry about if some foreign substance came directly from his scabbed/cut forearm and directly hit my cut or hangnail?

Thanks again for your help and advice

[RainLover71]

No risk at all of hiv transmission from this situation,because the hiv virus becomes inactive and therefore unable to infect as soon as it make contact with the air,also the healing process for a cut happens very quickly,it heals over.One last fact is that hiv transmission occurs inside the body not outside it,your safe.All the best.