Between bed bugs, flu viruses and the risk of pulmonary embolism, taking a flight can feel like navigating a minefield. The good news is, there are lots of ways to keep yourself healthy.
5 Ways to Survive Plane Travel Unscathed
Stephen Schauer/Riser via Getty Images
In 2007, the Times reports, University of Arizona environmental microbiology professor Charles Gerba tested bathrooms and tray tables on eight flights looking for germs. He found E. coli all over the bathrooms — on sinks, faucet handles, flush handles and toilet seats. Worse, he found methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on four of six tray tables he tested, the superbug that is associated with 18,000 deaths each year, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To avoid picking up bugs, wipe down your tray table with a disinfectant and make sure you disinfect your hands again even after washing them in the plane bathroom. Also, be sure cover up any cuts, scrapes or other skin abrasions — that's how MRSA gets into the body, so a Band Aid can go a long way to preventing infection.
