Flying Is Less Infectious

Pumping up the air circulation during flight reduces the spread of germs. The new study suggests that increasing ventilation in airplanes can minimize the spread of diseases such as influenza, tuberculosis and severe acute respiratory syndrome.

Air travel has become easy and affordable. "More than 1 billion people travel by air annually, with 50 million of those passengers traveling to developing countries," reports The Lancet in this study, published by a leading author and emergency medicine physician at Lahey Clinic Medical Center in USA. Therefore, the ease and popularity of air travel in our mobile society has made the spread of disease during flight an important health issue for the public and needs serious consideration.

The study found that flying may not be as infectious as believed, and that better airplane ventilation cuts the spread of disease. According to Dr. Gendreau, most airplanes presently recirculate air five to 12 times an hour, but increasing that to 15 to 20 times per hour would decrease the risk of disease outbreak.

The public fear and health concerns were surged after the SARS outbreak of 2002, which showed how air travel can play an important role in rapid spread of new infections and disease.

Airliners draw the cabin air through the engines, where it is heated, compressed, cooled, passed into the cabin and recirculated by the ventilation system. While recirculating, the air passes through filters for the purpose of removing the dust and bacteria.

While the public health concerns on this issue seems to be unfounded, Dr. Gendreau's findings calls for intensified study to estimate the real risks.

________________________

Copyright 2005 eMaxHealth.com