I am rather new here but having browsed through all the topics and ourselves currently in the H1N1 pandemic. I wanted to raise a question and poll as to whether you think hand sanitizers has become an important assessory to carry around through our frequent travellers ?
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I prefer alcohol wipes because they can be used for other things too and paper-soap for when water is available.
I also carry a few clorox wipes in a ziplock when traveling to disinfect hotel bathrooms and counters after I once saw housekeeping wipe down the sides of the toilet tank and then proceed to the sink & taps - ugh! And this was at a 6* hotel.
I prefer alcohol wipes because they can be used for other things too and paper-soap for when water is available.
I also carry a few clorox wipes in a ziplock when traveling to disinfect hotel bathrooms and counters after I once saw housekeeping wipe down the sides of the toilet tank and then proceed to the sink & taps - ugh! And this was at a 6* hotel.
Ewwww. Between that story and the stories about hotel glasses, I'm bringing surgical gloves and masks for my next business trip!
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I travel a lot and am a pretty healthy person.
Every time I flew home from somewhere I seemed to get sick. I was wondering if my home airport SYD was toxic.
I started out by taking some vitamins designed to fight off virus's. Basically a very good tablet with echinacea as a base.
This last year I got swine flu after a flight, that was quarantined prior to boarding for a swine flu scare.
After reading lots and lots - I realised that one of the possible causes could have been the touch screens, you program your entertainment , then what do you do - you sit back and you touch your nose your mouth your ears and your eyes.
The last two trips I took sanitizer with me, and alcohol wipes. Sit in my seat, wipe the seat belt, handrests, seat controls, screen and IFE controller.
Everytime i touched something, ate something, went to the loo- sanitized the hands.
Result - came home fine - both times.
For the small cost - and the small effort - and ignoring the odd glance from fellow travellers who think I am Mr Clean and obsessive compulsive disorder
compared to two weeks of work and risking your health, not to mention how bad you feel when you are sick.
I wont travel without it - even after this scare finishes.
I also work in an enviroment where we move workstatations up to 6 or 8 times a day,sharing phones and keyboards - I do the same at work. My sickness levels have gone down.
I mean you sit on a plane, someone sneezes - they dont use a tissue to cover their nose and mouth, where do those droplets go, the screen in front of u. U then sit there touch it - and bingo you are infected.
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I think it probably helps. I use it intermittently and should be more compulsive about it. I really got into the habit of using it in India, parts of southeast Asia, China and Africa. In particular I would use it prior to things like putting in my contact lenses (yes - wash hands with soap and water and then use sanitizer).
I should use something like that on planes as well. You wouldnt want to see the results of tests for fecal material from places like door handles in airplane bathrooms. I use paper towels to open the inside bathroom doors, but should also use sanitizer as a backup I suppose. I prefer the wipes and always have them but should use the more regularly on planes than I do.
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I don't carry hand sanitizer (way too many problems with leakage in the past) but do carry wet ones wipes in the individual packets. They happen to be antibacterial, which while is not the reason I started buying them, it doesn't hurt.
I think a wipe is a better choice then just a sanitizer. I have a few in my backpack I use most every day, even on the train if I stop and get some fruit or whatever on the way home, it's good to be able to clean up before getting sticky finger prints all over the laptop, things like that.
The only time I really reach for the sanitizer is if I'm on a cruise ship, but there you don't have to carry it, as there are gallons of the stuff around every corner. I'm not paranoid, but do know Norwalk Virus takes about a day to make it's rounds throughout the ship, and we have all seen people who apparently missed the talk in third grade health class about proper handwashing.
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I carry and use hand sanitizers.
I started doing this a long time ago after getting a really bad eye infection on an overseas trip. I also carry along and use my own eye shades which are washable and I do wash them often.
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I think it is important to carry, but isn't a cure all. There are times when there is no other way to clean you hands. You have to find a place to carry it that you can actually get to it when you need it.
As a physician I can tell you the H1N1 (which is certainly being overblown as a health hazard as it is actually quite mild most times) is spread by coughing and hand shaking.
Washing your hands with soap and water is adequate and you only need to wash if you've shaken hands or run down a bannister. But only then if you are going to touch your face as the virus only invades via mucous membranes of the nose/throat. So if you aren't going to touch your face, don't panic about hand washing.
Now, if everyone who sneezed/coughed covered their face and then washed their hands we would all be much safer.
hope that helps.
ps: please don't start asking me medical questions
Not only are they good for sanitizing, they also come in handy for cleaning work surfaces in shared or public places (not to mention meal trays on airplanes)
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I wanted to raise a question and poll as to whether you think hand sanitizers has become an important assessory to carry around through our frequent travellers ?
My partner wouldn't limit to travel situations - he thinks it's important in all aspects of life....but he has a touch of OCPD.
Given the highly flammable nature of most of the hand sanitizer products, I am surprised that it is allowed as carry on. A number of woodsy folks I know use it with cotton balls as a high temperature fire starter.
I think our obsession with germs & co is totally out of line...
Seriously, if we compare the ads in our beloved US of A to the ones overseas I think we can easily count as the most germ phobic country ever.
Not that I don't enjoy being hygienic but the whole "let's disinfect everything" is going way too far. Don't get me wrong, I advocate for a high level of basic hygienic behaviors such as washing hands, being careful how and what you eat but I think we are overdoing the hand sanitizing business.
So the only times I actually use a hand sanitizer on travels is when I a) travel to really tough places in the developing world and/or b) don't have a chance to just wash my hands normally (e.g. for the lack of somewhat clean water).
And this was at a 6* hotel.
