reducing infection risk
Oct 20, 2018, 10:14 am
#31
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Rhineland-Palatinate
Programs: *A Gold (A3), HHonor Gold
Posts: 5,693
I do his because I am immuno deficient, due to medications. My risk analysis will be different than yours.
One study shows that the safety materiel is more contaminated than the toilets. The tone in one other seems to indicate than airplane toilet are significantly more infected than other common public space.
One point is that even if the level of germ contamination is similar to elevators, cafeterias, airplane are space with factors increasing the risks:
- confinement for hours
- recycled air with no ability to get fresh air
- immobility of the passengers
- alcohol
One study shows that the safety materiel is more contaminated than the toilets. The tone in one other seems to indicate than airplane toilet are significantly more infected than other common public space.
One point is that even if the level of germ contamination is similar to elevators, cafeterias, airplane are space with factors increasing the risks:
- confinement for hours
- recycled air with no ability to get fresh air
- immobility of the passengers
- alcohol
Oct 23, 2018, 4:14 pm
#32
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: USA
Programs: SA Air, Air Canada, KLM, BA,Lufthansa, United, AA, Hawaiian, Air New Zealnd, Qantas, Virgin Atlantic
Posts: 777
We travel internationally quite a lot most years and our personal physician has us get flu shots twice a year.
I am pretty anal about hand washing, DH is pretty good about it.
We also do the wipe down of all of the hard surfaces at/around seat. What I have seen as the most contaminated area is the fabric pouch on the seat in front of you. I never put anything in there, do not want to touch it.
I am pretty anal about hand washing, DH is pretty good about it.
We also do the wipe down of all of the hard surfaces at/around seat. What I have seen as the most contaminated area is the fabric pouch on the seat in front of you. I never put anything in there, do not want to touch it.
Oct 23, 2018, 8:35 pm
#33
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: ORD, MKE
Programs: UA, AA, Hilton and regular member of everything else
Posts: 1,332
I'm glad no one has suggested taking useless "supplements" like Airborne. I use hand sanitizers and try not to touch my face/nose/eyes. Wash hands/shower and change when I get home/hotel. Also, being up to date on vaccines is very important, flu for everyone and pneumovax if you're over 65.
Oct 25, 2018, 12:08 am
#34
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Nov 2008
Programs: AA EXP/LTP, BA GGL/CCR/GfL, HH D/LTD, SPG/MR Plat/LTP
Posts: 10,076
Just want to add a couple of comments:
1. Getting symptoms of a respiratory tract infection at the end of, or shortly after, a long-haul flight, the risk is considerably larger your fellow traveller in the elevator en route to hotel check-out, hours before the flight, who coughed/sneezed, is the source. But the careful selection of pax travelling in your cabin of choice
having enough common sense to cancel their flights, or wear appropriate masks to protect you from sharing their infection, is of utmost importance.
2. Even though I often swipe my tray table and armrest, my main reason for that is not disease protection, but mainly because they are areas which I touch with my hands, where items/drinks etc, later ingested, might catch dirt I'd rather avoid. Although, both bacteriae and viruses tend to be more common in dirty places.
3. Although not really feeling the high risk of getting viral gastroenteritis when travelling, being short of 20 years since my last 'protuberance', it's good to have some statistical comparisons. For a person with intact immune system to get a pneumococcal pneumonia, you need to be infested with 250K pneumococcal bacteriae. Like being sneezed at right in your face. A person with viral gastroenteritis, who may have puked 30 min ago, who sneezes/coughs, sprays out micro droplets, that in a room with circulating air can be traced for 30+ minutes. Every single droplet contains 1.5+ M virus particles. How many is needed to get the infection? Just 15-20 ! Have that in mind when standing on the subway or in front of the check-in counter and someone behind you is sneezing.
1. Getting symptoms of a respiratory tract infection at the end of, or shortly after, a long-haul flight, the risk is considerably larger your fellow traveller in the elevator en route to hotel check-out, hours before the flight, who coughed/sneezed, is the source. But the careful selection of pax travelling in your cabin of choice
having enough common sense to cancel their flights, or wear appropriate masks to protect you from sharing their infection, is of utmost importance.2. Even though I often swipe my tray table and armrest, my main reason for that is not disease protection, but mainly because they are areas which I touch with my hands, where items/drinks etc, later ingested, might catch dirt I'd rather avoid. Although, both bacteriae and viruses tend to be more common in dirty places.
3. Although not really feeling the high risk of getting viral gastroenteritis when travelling, being short of 20 years since my last 'protuberance', it's good to have some statistical comparisons. For a person with intact immune system to get a pneumococcal pneumonia, you need to be infested with 250K pneumococcal bacteriae. Like being sneezed at right in your face. A person with viral gastroenteritis, who may have puked 30 min ago, who sneezes/coughs, sprays out micro droplets, that in a room with circulating air can be traced for 30+ minutes. Every single droplet contains 1.5+ M virus particles. How many is needed to get the infection? Just 15-20 ! Have that in mind when standing on the subway or in front of the check-in counter and someone behind you is sneezing.
Oct 25, 2018, 7:27 am
#35
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 394
Jul 31, 2019, 2:59 pm
#36
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Left Coast
Programs: UA 1K & 1MM, HH Diamond, Marriott/SPG Gold (UA comp)
Posts: 1,353
Dirty cabin
I知 sure this is not unique to the plane (or airline) I知 traveling on and I知 sure most of us would rather not be reminded of this, but it痴 gross so I知 posting it anyway. I usually wipe down my seat, headrest, seatbelt, and tray but today I did it with some handsan on a white napkin. This pic is just after wiping the headrest in F.
I don稚 mind the dirt as much as I mind the fact that any one of a number of biologics and/or toxins might be sitting on public surfaces that we live on every day. Since I知 not banking on cleaning crews actually cleaning planes anytime soon, I just have to remind myself to wipe every time not just most of the time. Yuck.
Headrest wipe
I don稚 mind the dirt as much as I mind the fact that any one of a number of biologics and/or toxins might be sitting on public surfaces that we live on every day. Since I知 not banking on cleaning crews actually cleaning planes anytime soon, I just have to remind myself to wipe every time not just most of the time. Yuck.
Headrest wipe
Jul 31, 2019, 8:05 pm
#37
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Boulder
Programs: AA Plat, CX Silver
Posts: 2,361
Is it bad that I would've expected much worse? 
Annual flu shot, hand sanitizer after using the lavatory, nasal saline spray and eating local yogurt at my destination. This has kept me going all around the world. ^
Annual flu shot, hand sanitizer after using the lavatory, nasal saline spray and eating local yogurt at my destination. This has kept me going all around the world. ^