What happens to the germs which are expelled from the mouth of a passenger aboard an airplane when he or she sneezes? Do the germs simply dissipate before they disappear?
According to the video of a computer simulation of a sneeze aboard an airplane featured in this article written by Jacqueline Howard for The Huffington Post, the droplets can “spread quite far” and affect as many as ten other passengers in the surrounding area of the person who sneezed.
However — as you probably already know — the risk of catching the flu or similar infections during a flight aboard an airplane may not be as high as you think.
“There have been a number of incidents in which diseases are transmitted but many more in which they’re not and we don’t really know why that is the case,” according to a senior associate at the Center for Health Security of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center in Baltimore who was quoted by The Huffington Post. “Obviously it’s possible to get sick from someone else on an airplane, but given the number of people who fly and the relative infrequency of it, I don’t think it’s something you should worry about obsessively.”
You already know at least one reason why from reading The Gate: I keep espousing practicing proper hygiene — the most recent time was in this article posted only yesterday pertaining to catching the Ebola virus — which includes properly washing your hands thoroughly…
…and it certainly does not hurt that you also know at least of one way on how to suppress a sneeze if and when it is absolutely necessary from reading The Gate.
On my recent unintentional trip around the world, I had been coughed on, yawned on and sneezed on — well…I lost count of how many times — in at least eight countries…
…and yet I feel just fine — not a cough and nary a sniffle.
It is not because I have this exceptionally amazing immune system, as I used to get sick on a regular basis like many other people typically do. The main reason is because I practice proper hand washing and ensure that sensitive parts of my body — such as my eyes, nose, mouth and ears, for example — are not infected by affected parts of my body until they are washed after the sneeze or cough or yawn from someone else, such as my fingers.
It works for me — and I believe that it can work for you too.
