Winter is around the corner, and thousands of travelers will endure
sneezing seatmates, line up for communal lavatories and touch what the
last guest did in hotel rooms.
Several health and disease experts
warn of germ-laden spots travelers can expect and offer tips to avoid
bacteria and viruses that could make you sick.
Be wary of the airplane lavatory.
With
scores using a tiny restroom on a flight, it's "hands-down the germiest
place on the trip," says Peter Sheldon, vice president of operations
and development for Coverall Health-Based Cleaning System, which
franchises commercial cleaning businesses. "Numerous studies have shown
that these are teeming with E. coli on almost every surface."
Because
they are rarely sanitized during flights, "there is also the cumulative
effect of hundreds of users," he says. "The tiny sink makes it nearly
impossible to thoroughly wash your hands. Those who manage that are
instantly greeted by the germy door handle upon departure."
His
Prescription: "Avoid using the onboard facilities, if at all possible.
If you must, use a paper towel to turn faucets off and on, to close the
lid before flushing and to open the door. Carry sanitizing wipes in your
pocket and use them thoroughly upon exit. Back at your seat, repeat
sanitizing if you've touched anything along the way."
Physician
Aaron E. Glatt, CEO of St. Joseph Hospital in Bethpage, N.Y., and
spokesman for the Infectious Disease Society of America, concurs.
Presume
an airplane lavatory is "teeming with bacteria," he says. "I suggest
you minimize your contact" with anything in it. Such measures as opening
the door with a paper towel are "an intelligent thing to do. At the
hospital, we shut off (faucets) with a paper towel."
Travelers
such as Clint Murray, 74, of Crawfordsville, Ind., follow that advice.
He takes an extra step by using "my foot to lower a toilet seat and
flush."
Sanitize your seat on a plane.
Cleaning
expert Sheldon and his wife pack disinfectant wipes and "wipe down any
surface that we're using. I wipe down the seat, armrests and tray
tables."
He avoids picking up magazines in seat-back pockets,
which he says may harbor germs from previous passengers. Physician
Martin Myers, director of the National Network for Immunization
Information, uses a sanitizing wipe or washes his hands after reading.
The tray table, Sheldon says, may be rarely scoured and is a hotbed for germs.
Veteran
flight attendant Gailen David, whose dearskysteward.com offers tips for
travelers, has seen "moms change their babies on the tray table. ... I
understand that sometimes moms are put in a pinch." He agrees that
"bringing antiseptic wipes is the best way to make (plane surfaces)
tolerable."
Protect yourself from sick passengers.
Sometimes, you face situations you can't control -- such as an ailing fellow flier.
Being
in an enclosed cabin is "particularly risky for airborne-spread
diseases" such as measles, since viral particles can stay in the air for
a while, immunization specialist Myers says. Wearing a face mask could
help.
Finally, don't rub your eyes or touch your nose or mouth, he
says. People tend to do that multiple times an hour; that's how many
diseases spread.
Avoid airline pillows and blankets.
"On a typical flight with 100 passengers, statistics show that about five will be ill with a cold or the flu," Sheldon says.
"There's
a good chance you could be using a pillow that's been drooled on or
sneezed on" recently. He advises bringing a pillow and a jacket or coat
for warmth.
Don't go barefoot at security checkpoints.
Though
you must take off shoes at U.S. airports, wear or bring socks, Sheldon
says, to avoid athlete's foot and other fungal infections. Physician
Glatt says travelers probably won't pick up a disease on an airport
floor, especially if it isn't damp, but it's not a bad idea to wear
socks.
Beware touching the TV remote, alarm clock and ice bucket in hotel rooms.
Unlike
hotel bathrooms, "they're generally not cleaned between guests,"
Sheldon says. "You are at the mercy of the guests that have been there
before." Some buckets do have plastic bags changed for each guest, but
lids and outsides can be germy, he says.
He wipes down remotes
(you also can cover them with plastic wrap or special clear gloves). He
also is wary of hotel glasses and once saw a housekeeper swab out a
coffeemaker with a toilet brush. Solution: Wash them yourselves.
And then there's the steering wheel and gearshift of rental cars.
Yes, Sheldon wipes them, too.
Germs
can live on surfaces for hours and even days in a moist environment,
physician Glatt says. But "we can't go crazy" to avoid germs.
Don't
obsess about it, Sheldon agrees. "Germs are everywhere. It's just about
reducing risk. You're taking a defensive hygienic posture."
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