Travelling by aeroplane is a great way to spread disease. NPR spoke with aviation medicine specialist Dr Mark Gendreau, and there are two things you can do to help yourself stay healthy.
Picture: Christopher Doyle/Flickr
In an aeroplane, almost every surface is a danger zone. If you’re going to contract something on an aeroplane, Gendreau says it’s most likely to come from your seat, tray table or the door knob of the aeroplane bathroom. If someone is sick on the plane, there is a good chance of being exposed to it if they’re seated near you. Gendreau suggests a couple measures you can take to lower the chances of exposure:
1. Sanitize your hands: Bring aboard a sanitizing gel with 60 per cent alcohol, Gendreau recommends. Use the sanitizer before you eat or drink. And then use it after you wash your hands in the aeroplane’s bathroom. Water on planes has a dirty record.
2. Blow away airborne microbes: To keep from catching a pathogen in the plane’s recycled air, use the vent above your head. Set the ventilation at low or medium. Then position it so you can draw an imaginary line of current right in front of your head. When you put your hands on your lap, you should feel the current. Then if something infectious is floating in your personal space, Gendreau says, that air from the vent will create enough current to knock it away.
Aeroplanes are equipped with advanced air filters that remove more than 99 per cent of the dust and microbes in the air, but it’s not a perfect system. And, if you travel a lot, your chances of getting sick are increased. Next time you board a flight, keep these tips in mind, and you might avoid something really nasty.
Comments
3 responses to “Two Steps You Can Take To Avoid Germs On An Aeroplane”
Umm. What if the cooties are coming in from behind you, what is that aircon shield going to do.
I could not agree more. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKiQA5e-fPg this video may be totally gross but a lot of infectious stuff is very small – in the microns, and that wasn’t captured in the video. VIDEO LINK SHOWS PEOPLE SNEEZING – its GROSS.
Though a slight warning on the hand sanitiser, it leaves a rather bad aftertaste if you go about eating anything with your hands.
Also I’m most dubious as to how well that second tip will work. I was under the impression that most of the viral illnesses you pick up tends to be from stuff you pick up on your hands.