You guys can scoff at the "germs" threat till it reaches out and touches YOU or YOUR LOVED ONES.

MY HUSBAND JUST DIED OF MRSA RECENTLY. The doctors tried everything, even 30 days of IV Highpower antibiotics but could not kill it. It killed him. It is REAL and it is a REAL THREAT. And, you can pick it up anywhere you get such intimate contact and transfer of contagion and germs, like you do in their shoe circus.

wow...very sorry to read that last post.

I spent 125 days in the hospital in 2006 which ended in the amputation of my leg for a Staf infection. It's the infection every body knows as the "Infection you get in the hospital" only I did not get it in the hospital I got it out side the hospital. Medical research has found more and more Staf. infections on the street. People are sick with it and sometimes don't even know it. They get it from locker rooms, public restrooms, door handles, etc.

So don't be fooled it's every where and you need to protect yourself (no one else will). Using the gel sanitizer will only kill some of the germs. You need to wash your hands with warm soapy water frequently to wash the bad guys off.

The idea of putting a newspaper in the bin is a good one. Take a pair of flip flops to put on when you take your shoes off. Wipe of the outside of your computer with the sanitizer and wash your hands as soon as possible.

Just a few ideas I got from my personal contact with the bad guys.
jachot

Have you had much success passing through the WTMD in flip flops? I can't imagine ..

My Condolences to you on the loss of your husband. I know no amount of words came ever ever make up for the loss of a loved one.

OOTPYLTH - So has the smug PESG come off your face yet after that post, because it should have? Its Ainitfunnys loss highlights why sanitation at the CP should be a higher priority unless TSA wants to pay for CP acquired infections. I have good reasons to be concerned for my own health and how unclean CP could effect it. Do you have any idea what a 14-30+ day ICU admission, procedures, labs and medications costs?

Furthermore are you one of those TSA types that goes to meet troops coming back from the sandbox???? well then you might want to rethink that based on some of the research that is coming out from USAMRIID is suggesting that we have brought another strain of superbug back from there that cant be treated with any antibiotics or immunotherapies currently around / experimental or in development. I bet that made the hair on the back of your neck stand up.

Now that my blood is boiling, i need a drink to lower my BP and so i dont really say whats on my mind.

Yes in Australia and NZ, no (I tried) in USA.

Damn, I don't even know where to start. I haven't been to Aussie in a while, so perhaps things are different over there. Here, people put their shoes on the conveyor belt itself. I'm not sure how the germs migrate from the conveyor belt into the bin.

I would think that someone who is going to sit in a seat that has been sat in by a few thousand people and is not regularly sanitized would be less worried about what might in the bin that gets on his laptop. This is of course ignoring the fact that you've chosen to be stuck in a dry pressurized tin can that recirculates air that has been breathed by say 50-300+ passengers for up to the better part of a day at a time.

Do you honestly think they sanitize or even clean the handles of the overhead bins, the seats, arm rests, seat back pocket, doors to the lav, etc? I know modern airline cleaning crews are efficient, but you're in denial if you think they do anything but make the cabin presentable.

In terms of your worry about fecal matter, EVERYTHING in every bathroom you've ever been in is covered with fecal bacteria. There's even a mythbusters about it. In fact, you can probably find traces of it all over your house. It's everywhere. Run, hide, or just be an adult and deal with it. Do you think that the people around you all wash their hands before leaving the bathroom? They all touch many of the same surfaces you do. Moral of the story is there's germs all over your laptop, laptop case, ticket, passport, wallet, clothes, etc. Whether you use a bin or not really doesn't change this. If this is a real issue for you, I'd suggest looking up a 12 step program.

Of course, even in the press gone crazy sensationalize everything United States you don't hear of mass cries of people dying from infections caused by going through security. It's a non-issue.

Worried about stuff on your hands? Wash your hands. Worried about germs, don't touch your mucous membranes with your hands. Pretty easy. Everything is covered in germs. You can't change it. If you're a healthy person, chances are it won't be an issue for you.

Great suggestion though. Now we'll have to wait even longer and pay more to watch as people start lining their bins. Of course, most people will think that it's silly and elect not to do it. This of course begs the question of why you feel that the government has to provide this for you. Given that you have the phobia, why don't you provide the lining?

Not hardly. It's all over the map stateside. "TSO's discretion."

thegeneral - Australia and NZ do not have a shoe nonsense (although I admit it is an easy way to tell a visit American)

General - Fecal coliform is a concern but no where near as high on the list as the superbugs are, plus FC is killable with simple alchoal, where as MRSA, VRE, and others require much more.

As for how its transmitted thats easy simple contact can spread germs from one surface to another so if shoes have it, and placed on the belt, its not to far off for it in the future to be passed onto the surfaces of the bin.

are you sure its a non-issue? because its probably like most things dealing with TSA with obsfication of the facts and sweeping it under the rug things never come to light unless someone really digs.

Why can't the Tub Stackers do that while you are already waiting your turn in the line? No extra waiting.

Because their the ones making us put our laptops into there filthy bins. Duh.

Without agreeing that this is a phobia, I think I covered this in a previous post about bringing and using a disposable plastic bag of my own.

This doesn't apply because the TSA has no control over the methods that airlines employ to clean their planes. As this is yet another anti-TSA rant, only issues that can be contributed to that agency (no matter how far fetched) will be considered.
It is quite comical to be distressed over the possibility of a laptop getting germs from a bin, and then walking through the airport, using the public restroom, eating questionable food served by an employee of questionable hygenic habits, and then boarding a plane filled with people from all over the world with questionable medical conditions and sitting in foam seats filled with whatever fell off/out of the person before you while breathing the aroma of the other passengers as they pass gas for two hours...but I wonder if my laptop is contaminated?

THEY CAN'T DO THAT! IF YOU SAY YOU HAVE A MEDICAL CONDITION, YOU HAVE A MEDICAL CONDITION. EVEN IF YOU DO PRODUCE A NOTE, THE CHANCES ARE EXCELLENT THAT IT WON'T BE ACCEPTED - SOMEONE WILL SAY IT COULD BE A FAKE.

Sorry for yelling about this - well, no, I'm not sorry - but you need to stand your ground on this issue.

AINITFUNNY, I posted before I read of your loss. I'm sorry for you.

I, too, know what MRSA can do as a relative of mine was hospitalized for quite a while with it; it is not pleasant.

My local airport has surgery booties that you can wear through the checkpoint. You can keep some in your bag and wear those at any airport. Newspaper in the bin is an excellent idea. I take clorox wipes and scrub everything on my seat, arm rest, tray table and the headrest when I board the plane. That freaks me out more than the checkpoint. Last trip, someone asked for a wipe and next thing I know I get my packet back with one wipe left. I had everyone around me cleaning. They turn those planes so quick and never wipe anything down. Back to the checkpoint, at least put some socks on when you walk there. Bare feet at any checkpoint is a no-no. Pitch them after or wash in bleach. Common sense goes a long way.

Tell them you have open, oozing wounds on your feet.....