MEDIA MONDAY / LET’S TALK ABOUT AIRPLANE CABIN AIR

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From Market Watch:

Will recirculated air on a plane make me sick?

In-flight oxygen is probably of higher quality than the air in your home. “If you have an infected person in the front of the plane, and you’re in the back of the plane, your risk is close to zero simply because the area of exposure is thought to be roughly six feet from the infected person,” according to Charles Chiu, professor of laboratory medicine at University of California, San Francisco.

“Ventilation rates provide a total change of air 20 to 30 times per hour,” the WHO says. “Most modern aircraft have recirculation systems, which recycle up to 50% of cabin air. The recirculated air is usually passed through HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters, of the type used in hospital operating theatres and intensive care units, which trap dust particles, bacteria, fungi and viruses.” For entire article Click Here.

From CNN Travel:

Staying Vigilant in the Air

So if you're boarding a flight soon, stocking up on hand sanitizer is the best move. Is there anything else to be done?

Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of medicine in Vanderbilt University’s division of infectious diseases, notes that, from the passengers' point of view, the ultimate way to avoid infections on aircraft is to stay home.

"And there will come a time perhaps -- and some of that is happening already -- where we are being urged to social distance ourselves," he says.

"People are reconsidering whether they wish to fly at the moment."

Travel medicine specialist Richard Dawood stresses the important of airlines following the CDC's guidance, but he stresses that travelers should still make up their own mind on whether they should fly:

"Perhaps the most important point to keep in mind is that not a single case of COVID-19 has yet been attributed to on-board transmission," he says.

"And there will come a time perhaps -- and some of that is happening already -- where we are being urged to social distance ourselves," he says. "People are reconsidering whether they wish to fly at the moment."

Richard Dawood stresses the important of airlines following the CDC's guidance, but he stresses that travelers should still make up their own mind on whether they should fly:

"Perhaps the most important point to keep in mind is that not a single case of COVID-19 has yet been attributed to on-board transmission," he says.

For entire article Click Here.