[Music]
now with millions of people traveling by
air every day
no wonder airplanes are the place where
you can easily pick up a virus
what's worse even the healthiest person
can get ill during a flight
close-quarters shared air low cabin
humidity all these factors increase the
risk of catching some nasty germ luckily
there are ways to protect yourself pick
a window seat people in window seats
don't come into contact with as many
people as those sitting in the middle or
aisle seats they're also further from
all that action unfolding in the aisle
with passengers sneezing coughing and
spreading germs Plus statistically
window sitters leave their places lists
often than others and have fewer chances
to pick up a virus in the bathroom or
some other place by the way if you
choose a window seat try to make sure
it's in the rear of the airplane it'll
reduce the number of passers-by even
more be careful with your reservations
remember that when you're traveling on a
larger plane you're more likely to get
an opportunity to change your seat if
your neighbor won't stop coughing and
sneezing if it's possible pick a
business or first-class seat you'll have
more personal space there try to fly
during non-peak times that's on Tuesdays
Wednesdays and Saturdays between 5 & 7
a.m. or after 8 p.m. it'll increase your
chances to get on a partially empty fly
bring your own blanket so marelize offer
their passengers pillows and blankets to
make them more comfortable during long
or overnight flights it may be tempting
to accept this offer and not bother
bringing your own stuff but remember
that airlines washed blankets and
pillows very infrequently and you'll
never know whether the previous
passenger used your pillows to muffle a
coughing fit and your blanket to wipe
their runny nose
maybe packing your own pillow and
blanket is actually worth the trouble
wash your hands I know I know it's too
obvious and you've heard this advice
thousands of
times but it's only because washing
hands does work make sure you scrub your
hands with soap for 20 seconds and rinse
them under warm running water along with
being the first defense against such
dangerous bacteria as Salmonella or
ecoli regular hand washing also prevents
more than 21% of all respiratory
infections do not touch your face the
transmission of viruses and bacteria has
a lot to do with your hands you touch a
lot of stuff during the day and if some
surfaces are infected you're about to
get germs stuck to your hands every time
you touch your eyes nose or mouth which
are the most sensitive areas you provide
these viruses with an easy way to enter
your body wear a surgical mask during
virus outbreaks consider wearing a
surgical mask especially if you're
sitting next to someone who seems to be
ill you can get such a mask at any
pharmacy and it'll protect you against
an airborne disease keep in mind though
that a mask is only partially effective
against illnesses transmitted through
the air yes it'll mechanically prevent
viruses carried by air droplets from
reaching you so make sure that the mask
you're wearing covers your nose and
mouth but your mask won't provide 100%
protection plus you'll need to change it
every 20 minutes or so that's why you'd
better take some additional precautions
for example disinfect everything around
wherever you go remember to pack enough
antimicrobial wet wipes use them to
clean tray tables handrails armrests
seat backs and whatnot
see for yourself the flu virus can live
on a hard surface for about 24 hours
millions of people touch these surfaces
and most of them don't care enough to
wipe them down and since the dirtiest
place on a plane is not the bathroom
but your tray table don't hesitate to
use those wipes you've packed for the
flight turn on your air vent
it's a popular misconception that the
recycled air on planes can cause an
illness airplane air passes through
special filters that stop bacteria
viruses and
harmful substances from spreading most
planes have special systems that
circulate the air from the ceiling to
the floor every two minutes if your air
vent is switched off and a person with a
flu sneeze is somewhere nearby germs
will easily spread around and in reach
you but if you turn on your air vent and
direct it at your feet it will increase
the air circulation in front of you and
push the germs away from your nose and
mouth pack a hand sanitizer while
traveling you're likely to have times
when you can't get to a sink and soap
when you most need them that's when a
small container with hand sanitizer will
come in handy you can use this liquid to
clean your hands or wipe something that
looks suspiciously dirty wipe your phone
it sounds terribly unsettling but your
smart phone usually carries ten times
more bacteria than the average toilet
seat and even if you come from the
bathroom with your hands thoroughly
washed after grabbing your favorite
gadget bacteria will get transferred to
your hands again use wet wipes to
regularly clean your cell phone it'll
pay off use a nasal spray the airplane
air is extremely dry which makes your
nose and mouth dry as well it means that
you lose your most valuable defense
against respiratory illnesses hydrating
nasal sprays keep your mucus membranes
moist and increase your chances to fight
off most of the airborne illnesses
drink a lot I mean water another way to
protect your nose and mouth from drying
out is to drink a lot of water but
remember that it's better to drink
bottled water during the flight airplane
tap water often contains loads of
bacteria don't drink it and try to avoid
brushing your teeth onboard the plane if
possible use your own entertainment if
you want to do yourself a favor leave
the airplane magazine in the seat pocket
where it belongs although it can contain
tons of interesting and useful
information it's likely to be as filthy
as your tray table or arm rests up for
reading your own book instead or watch a
movie on the seatback screen but if you
choose the second option use your
personal
headphones let other passengers board
first it has nothing to do with being
polite
the airplane cabin isn't the only place
where you can catch a virus while
boarding hundreds of passengers our
clotted together in tightly packed lines
these conditions are perfect for
transmitting viruses from one person to
another so take your time and let others
board first avoid using the bathroom now
I don't mean you should spend 10 hours
squirming in your seat but on a short
fly when you don't have any real
necessity to visit the bathroom it's
better to stay in your seat this way
you'll come in contact with fewer people
and germs sleep before the flight your
immune system gets weaker when you're
tired it means that it can't protect you
as well as it's supposed to get a lot of
quality sleep the night before your
flight it'll help keep your immune
system at the ready to fight off stray
germs here's to your health hey if you
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side of life