How To Avoid Getting Sick On a Flight
This post is courtesy of my colleague, Marybeth Bond, National Geographic Author and Founder of the popular website Gutsy Traveler —
If you’ve flown with me, you know I’m a germ freak. I wear an air purifier around my neck for ion technology clean air and use a tissue to touch anything in the bathroom.
Charles P. Gerba, a professor of environmental microbiology at the University of Arizona, swabbed airplane bathrooms and tray tables on eight flights to see what bugs might be lurking onboard. Four out of six tray tables tested positive for the superbug methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), and norovirus, the highly contagious group of viruses that can cause a miserable one- or two-day bout of vomiting, diarrhea and cramping, was found on one tray. Most of the bathrooms he swabbed had E. coli bacteria. Thirty percent of sinks, flush handles and faucet handles had E. coli, as did 20 percent of toilet seats.
An article that included Gerba’s research ran in the New York Times Travel Section, March 2, 2011. In case you missed it, here’s the link: http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/03/06/travel/06prac-germs.html
Bottom line: don’t put your head down on the food tray to sleep or put your bread or snack directly on the tray. Use hand sanitizers often – especially to wipe down the TV remote in your hotel room.
In addition to Marybeth’s suggestions, I have a few more tips For inflight comfort. For example, I think it’s really important to stay hydrated in the air and the little thimblefuls of water provided during the “beverage service” just don’t do it for me. Instead, I carry an empty water bottle through the TSA inspection and fill it at a water fountain near my gate. Drinking lots of water is healthy – and so is the exercise you get walking back and forth to the restroom.
Category: Problem Prevention
>A couple of decades ago I wondered why I kept getting sick three days into a trip. Then I read about British research into touch transferrence of germs. Actually, the Brits (only the Brits wd do this) were offering 'free' vacations to people who wanted to take part in the research. They got to sit in cold rain outdoors, have people sneeze on them, etc. The research showed that it's touching an infected surface then touching your eyes, nose, mouth, etc. that causes you to get sick. I then decided from that point on, left hand was public, right hand was private. In other words, on an airplane, in a restaurant, etc. open the bathroom door w/your left hand, scratch your eye w/your right. It's kept me pretty much cold/flu free since.
Yvette
>I didn't really enjoy reading that! I have another round the world flight next weekend, so will be taking some disinfectant gel/wipes with me – which I have never done before!! Ewww.