Tips for healthy holiday travel

Public Health shares way to avoid the flu when traveling

  • Published: 11/25/2009 12:15:23 PM
As the holiday travel season brings people in close quarters where germ spread is nearly inevitable, Oregon Public Health has offered a series of tips for avoiding the flu.
 
“Airplanes, trains and cars are close quarters, but you can make travel safer with a few simple steps,” Mel Kohn, director of Oregon Public Health, said in a press release. “There are ways to protect yourself.”
 
Influenza virus is spread by droplets from coughs and sneezes. Studies have shown that flu viruses can survive on hard surfaces and can infect a person two to eight hours after being left on items like cafeteria tables, door handles and airplane trays, Public Health said.
 
Public Health is offering the following healthy travel tips:
– Travel only when feeling well, to avoid spreading the flu to others.
– Get vaccinated against seasonal flu and, if in a target group, H1N1 (swine flu).
– Cover coughs and sneezes with something other than a hand, such as an elbow or a clean tissue.
– Avoid introducing germs into the body by not touching the face.
– Wash hands frequently.
– Carry alcohol-based hand sanitizer; if flying, remember that hand sanitizer, like all liquids, must be in a 3 oz. or smaller container, placed in a quart-sized clear plastic zip-top bag and placed separately in a security bin for X-ray.
– Consider carrying sanitizing wipes to clean armrests and trays on public transportation.
– If traveling outside of the U.S., prepare for the possibility of health screening. China and Japan have screened passengers in the past and other countries may do the same if the pandemic becomes more concentrated. To avoid being detained abroad, don’t travel while sick.
– Stay healthy by being physically active, eating a healthy diet and not smoking.
– Pack the toll-free Oregon Public Health Flu Hotline number, 800-978-3040. Oregonians can talk to a nurse about the flu from anywhere in the U.S.
– Bookmark www.flu.oregon.gov for the up-to-date flu information.

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Michael Montague from Blue Springs, Missouri
11/30/2009 10:26:11 AM

How come no one does the story about the new sanitizers on the market which are alcohol-free? There are new products that kill 3 times the germs, work up to 30 minutes, and they are safer to use than alcohol. This one is my favorite: http://www.cleanphirst.com/store/alcohol_free_foam_hand_sanitizer.asp

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