Avoid the airplane COLD

It is a common complaint: Fly on a crowded plane and back home with a cold. What is going on up there?

Airline carriers are formidable carriers of the common cold. According to the Journal of Environmental Health Research, a recent study indicates colds is 100 times more likely to be transmitted on a plane than during normal daily life on the ground.

 Causes

+ The most likely culprit is the extremely low cabin humidity caused by low humidity at high elevations. The final findings revealed that aircraft that actively re-circulated air actually showed slightly lower transmission rates than those that did not. Other studies have shown that high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters on most jets today can capture 99.97% of bacterial and virus-carrying particles. However, when air circulation is shut down, for instance during long waits on the ground or for short periods when passengers are boarding or exiting, infections can spread like wildfire.

One well-known study in 1979 found that when a plane sat three hours with its engines off without air circulation, 72% of the 54 people on board got sick within two days. The flu strain they had was traced to one passenger.

+ Much of the danger comes from the direct or indirect contacts via mouths, noses and hands of passengers sitting nearby. Virus-laden droplets are expelled when the cold victim sneezes, cough or speak. The droplets may travel up to 20 feet in one sneeze, remain in the air for half an hour, be stirred up in dust.

In a contained environment the hot zone for exposure is generally two seats beside, in front of and behind you. Australian researchers tracing influenza transmission on long-haul flights in 2009 with passengers infected with the H1N1 flu strain, found that 2% of them had the disease during the flight and 5% came down within a week after landing. There is a 3.6% increased risk of contracting H1N1 if a passenger sat within two rows of someone who had symptoms in-flight and for post-flight disease, doubled to 7.7% for passengers seated in a two-seat hot zone.

+ Most commercial airlines fly in an elevation range of 30,000 to 35,000 feet, where humidity typically runs at 10% or lower. At very low levels of humidity, the "natural defense system" of mucus in our noses and throats dries up and is crippled, creating a much more tolerant environment for germs to infect us.

Important tips -

1. Stay hydrated. It turns out that drinking plenty of water will not only counter the overall dehydrating effects of air travel, which can lead to headaches, stomach problems, cramps, fatigue and more, but can actually fortify your pre-emptive natural immune mechanisms to function considerably better.

Choose plain water, hot drinks or fruit juices over caffeine and alcohol consumption that can actually dehydrate you. Sipping liquids regularly throughout the flight may be more effective than drinking a lot of water at one go before or during the flight to keep your protective mucous membranes from long dry spells. Nasal mists have been found to be very effective in keeping this system working in your nose too.

2. Keep your hands clean. Your hands are the most consistent point of first contact with cold, flu and other germs. It is a direct line from armrest/ handshake/seat back to fingers to fork to mouth to full-blown fever a few days later. Scientists report that the viruses that cause colds and flu can survive for hours on your skin or on objects such as armrests, TV remote control handsets, tray tables and other similar surfaces. However, the simple act of washing your hands with hot water and soap is a formidable rampart against this transfer of harmful microorganisms. At your convenience, wash your hands before any in-flight meals, and after your flight with alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

3. Take your vitamins. For prevention, start taking a standard multivitamin few days before departure to avoid unpleasant encounters. Large doses of vitamin C is known to prevent colds, or reduce the severity or duration of symptoms.

4. Wearing a face mask. Some travelers have taken to wearing masks either to prevent infection, or when they themselves are already infected.

5. Change seats if you end up near a cougher, sneezer or someone who looks feverish. This may not work out on a full flight. Note that one sneeze can produce up to 30,000 droplets that can be propelled as far as six feet away.

6. Avoid exposing infants under one year particularly need to be protected and women who are more vulnerable just before their menstrual period.

Recommendation

Remember you are 113 times to be exact more exposed to airborne disease up there than at ground level. You may catch a cold up there and take time to recover by letting it runs its course even without medication. To avoid unnecessary trouble, why not take some strong multivitamins before going onboard the plane. Count yourself not so lucky if someone in the row carries a deadly virus that can be transmitted in an enclosed environment !

Source: http://www.independenttraveler.com/travel-tips/air-travel/avoiding-the-airplane-cold; http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204058404577108420985863872.html

VIVA corner

Vivashield contains powerful antioxidants Vitamin A, C, E and selenium that protect the cells from oxidative damage and invasion by micro-organisms in the thin air up there. Basically, they scavenge harmful particles, thus inhibiting or slowing down their attack on cells.

On one instance, a friend told me ten of them went onboard a budget airline for a 3.5 hours flight. The air circulation was not good in the plane and someone must have passed the flu bug to all of them, except her who took vivashield before departure.