This article is called “Where Germs Lurk on Planes” and was written by Scott McCartney. It was published in the Wall Street Journal on December 20, 2011.
Research has showed that travelers on airplanes are at a higher risk of getting infectious diseases, such as influenza, than every day people are. One specific study shows that there is a 20% higher risk of catching the flu on airplanes than regularly on land. This percentage also rises significantly around the holidays when a lot of people are packed into planes, flying here and there.
Researchers blame the air that is continuously circulated throughout the airplane during its travel. However, the high-efficiency particulate air filters, also known as HEPA filters, can capture 99.97% of the bacteria and virus-carrying particles aboard the planes. The problem occurs when planes are being boarded and exited, or when planes have long waits on the ground. In 1979, a plane was sitting for 3 hours without circulating the air. Within two days of this happening, about 38 of the 54 passengers had flu-like symptoms.
The danger of flying in an airplane comes when you are in the ‘hot zone’ of someone who is sick. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, “The hot zone for exposure is generally two seats beside, in front of and behind you.” For instance, if someone in your hot zone sneezes, that single sneeze can make up to 30,000 droplets which can reach as far as six feet.
In addition, the virus thrives in the low-humidity climate offered in airplanes at 30,000 feet off the ground. Your mucous membranes dry out at such an altitude, and viruses can therefore enter your system much more easily.
The public health measures now offered to the spread of influenza on airplanes include: drinking a lot of water throughout their flight, using hand-sanitizer and disinfecting wipes throughout your trip, and not touching the seat pockets on the chairs.
In my opinion, this article relates to many of the units and concepts we have studied in class. For example, the public health measures given do exactly what the definition we learned says. They offer great suggestions to passengers to prevent illnesses, the influenza, from spreading. In addition, this article talked a lot about the air which I connected back to the Miasma Theory which came up in some of our units. People used to believe that diseases were spread due to poison in the air. I think this article is a good modern day connection to the units we have studied so far this year.
This article really showed me just how easy it is, if people are not careful, to spread germs and viruses. The image of someone sneezing in and airplane and spreading germs to everyone around them reminded me of our Cholera unit and how once you dirtied the water with your germs and feces, everyone around you could get sick.
To read more about this article, please check out:
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by: Christine Johnson
I knew that being on a plain gives you a greater risk of being sick, but I didn't know by such a big percent. Having a 20% more chance is being much more likely to get sick than someone on the land. It is also suprising that the HEPA filters can capture 99.97% of the bacteria and that you're still 20% more likely to get sick than someone on land. I didn't think that .03% of bacteria is that much but that just shows how much bacteria must be on the plane. If .03% is able to make you 20% more likely to become sick it really shows that there is a ridiculous amount of bacteria on the plane. Either something has to be done to rid the plane of some bacteria, or the filters have to be improved.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Christine that the public health measures described in this article are similar to the ones that we learned about in class. I thought that the whole hot zone concept was very interesting. I have never thought about someone in front of me getting me sick. I think airplanes should have fresh air circulating instead of recirculating the same contaminated air over and over again. If they used fresh air, probably not as many people would become sick just from flying on an airplane.
ReplyDeleteI find this article particularly interesting because since its the holiday season many people are traveling to visit their families. On a plane there isn't much to do because you are confined in a tight space for the flight. This increases your risk of getting influenza, or other epidemic diseases because many passengers never leave their seat and therefore, are exposed to the "hot zone" during the whole flight. I also find it crazy to believe that 38 out of 54 people on a flight contacted flu-like symptoms! Having a 20% higher chance of getting the flu is a very high risk and definitely something that is unwanted around the holiday season.
ReplyDeleteI found it incredibly fascinating that chances of getting sick in a plane are much higher than chances of getting sick on the ground. I would think that up in the air your chances would be less, but I guess not. I think that it is good that health measures are begin taken, but I feel like they might be taking the problem a little bit too seriously. I feel like if you are sitting next to someone who is sick you cannot do much to stay out of there "hot zone" other than sanitize your hands every hour or so. And if you are exposed to germs then I feel like you will not come down with anything too serious and it will help build your immune system anyway.
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