Flying this holiday season? This is how to stay healthy on a plane

Mark Johnson
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Passengers wait in the Delta Airlines ticketing area at Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, to check bags and get boarding passes.

A drumbeat of examples have showed the role international air travel plays in the spread of diseases. Planes figured prominently in outbreaks of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, swine flu in 2009 and Ebola in 2014.

But the risk is not confined to international flights. Passengers can fly to the U.S. from an outbreak-affected area, proceed through customs and board connecting flights before they show any symptoms.

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Although a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel examination found shortcomings in the nation’s system for responding to outbreaks, passengers are not simply at the mercy of whatever illnesses their fellow passengers may be carrying. For one thing, the risk of passenger-to-passenger transmission is considered low.

For another, passengers can protect themselves and those around them by taking several simple precautions, according to Jonathan D. Quick, a faculty member at Harvard University and author of the forthcoming book, “The End of Epidemics: The Looming Threat to Humanity and How to Stop It.”

He suggests the following:

  • Be sure you are up-to-date on routine vaccinations, such as flu, Hepatitis A and Hepatitis B.
  • Postpone travel if you are sick. Purchasing travel insurance when you book the flight makes this an easier decision.
  • Wash your hands frequently, especially after using the toilet, before eating, and after blowing your nose. Soap and water is best.  Alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol is a good substitute.  Either way, cover all surfaces of your hands, rubbing for at least 20 seconds.
  • Cough or sneeze into a tissue or your upper sleeve – not into your hands.
  • Before international travel, get country-specific advice on vaccination, prophylaxis, and local disease outbreaks.
  • If you become ill on return, be sure to tell your health provider about your recent travel.


For more information, travelers may wish to consult the Travel Yellowbook, put out by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which contains information about vaccinations and current disease threats. The Travel Yellowbook is available at https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2018/.

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