Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - Avoiding airplane germs with neosporin?

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andib - don't you think it would be more appropriate to ask your doctor rather than asking so called travel gurus medical questions. It seems that people on this site are willing to offer advice on medicine, cuisine, economics, and politics as well as travel wether they have any real knowledge or not. Hopefully they have more knowledge as to travel than they have expressed so far as to medicine!

I don't think it's a good idea to stick antibiotics (or much of anything) up your nose and I wouldn't use Neosporin for anything but for which it's intended. Hiroshi covered a lot of good points, and the idea of vaseline or saline (or some light oil) is to keep membranes moist and uncracked. If you were prone to nosebleeds or something, that would be even more important In actuality, I hardly ever catch colds (maybe one every 2 years) and have never caught one on airlines and I don't do any of that stuff (except avoid others who may be infectious, wash hands thoroughly, etc). I don't use those wipes and don't believe in them, I think all the antibacterial junk for sale is just marketing, for the most part, and colds aren't cause by bacteria anyway, so that doesn't make sense. I wouldn't take over-the-counter herbal things (which can be dangerous), either. However, I don't ever get colds when traveling so haven't needed to try these things. I think just staying healthy in general and practicing good hygiene are the most important things.

CharlieB You seem quite irritated with the idea of people appointing themselves to post. However, this puts virtually everyone here in a bind; none other than the owner of the board, Fodor�s, invites volunteer contributions, and volunteers are self-appointed by definition. It is unfair of you to post here yourself, and then claim that when others do so, that this is done with less than honourable motives. That said, I agree that the Internet is a source of misinformation as well as information. That is why I subsequently posted a reference to corroborate what I said, although in retrospect I wish I had picked a website associated with a government or university source. You don�t say what posts you read that you consider to be true or untrue, but if you know of any references that refute what my posts said, or what my posted reference said, about hand-washing techniques or about non-prescription OTC products such as saline nose drops or eye drops, it would be helpful if you could post them.

Mea culpa. Forgive me for I used wipes.

<> I am flattered that you think I have something worthwhile to contribute to this question - - but I don't think my opinion has any more basis than the average well-read educated person. I am not a "travel medicine" specialist, nor do I examine or treat adult patients with any personal medical concerns. I have shared some medical background info on certain topics before that concern adults, when I thought I could provide some clarifying medical info. There are two questions here and I think that intranasal application of neosporin oinment is unlikely to decrease the risk of "ordinary" upper respiratory infection associated with (prolonged?) air travel, nor the risk of contracting SARS, which is a _lower_ respiratory infection (i.e., pneumonia). Best wishes, Rex Bickers, M.D. [email protected]

Has anyone mentioned getting plenty of sleep? When I get sick after travelling by plane, it's probably because I've either a) stressed my system out the week before, trying to get work done, things packed, etc., or b) I push to do too much once I'm on vacation. Of course germs come into play, but your immune system works better to defend itself when you're rested and have been taking care of yourself. I think you'll do fine if, like people have said, you keep hydrated, eat right, and most importantly STAY RESTED. Before an overseas trip to Europe, make sure that you're not sleep deprived, or that you at least zonk out for the plane ride. You'll feel better once you land, and you're less likely to have a sniffle mar the first days of your trip.

I don't know about neosporin, but it won't hurt you so try it. I have asthma which is just awful when I am sick, so I have found that carrying an antibacterial lotion has help tremendously this winter in not catching a cold. Plus the fact that I do not touch my eyes, nose, or mouth with my fingers. I think this all helps...and I wash my hands all the time. Another suggestion, per Peter Greenberg on the Today Show, many people do not know that airplanes are equipped with a feature that allows outside air into the cabin, but the pilot does not use it because it is more costly to run. Again, per Peter Greenberg, you should request that it be turned on for the flight.

I think that the comment by Peter Greenberg was perhaps taken out of context. There are airplanes that cannot use outside air at all-case in point the MD80 series.

I don't think it would be a good idea to put neosporin into your nose because it would seep down into your throat. I would rather use something that is meant to be put into the nose such as mentholatum or a saline mist. I wouldnt want to injest neosporin.

Neosporin in the NOSE does not work. You must put it between your toes for it to be effective. It feels a little squishy at first but you get used to and it has the added advantage of also curing athletes foot. No seriously, although the doctor who discovered the disease was Italian (and is now dead of the disease) there are very, very few cases of this disease in Italy and the chances of getting it outside Hong Kong still appear small. Consult your physican before traveling.

"I don't know about neosporin, but it won't hurt you so try it. " I would never recommend that someone take or use a drug especially if I know nothing about it. For that matter, the best people to recommend a drug for you would be your doctors. I would be interested in what your doctor has to say, since this is (in my mind) an odd way of keeping well while flying.

Some critical points are being lost here: 1. Antibiotics do NOTHING to combat viruses. SARS, common colds, and the flu are all viruses. Viruses are not bacteria. Different, much much tinier and smarter "bug." 2. Antibiotics combat bacterial infections ONLY. Sometimes people develop bacterial lung infections (like pneumonia) as a complication after a virus. That's why doctors sometimes prescribe antibiotics after you've had a cold or the flu for a while IF you've developed a bacterial infection ON TOP of the virus. But if all you have is a cold or flu, antibiotics do nothing for you. Like using a weedkiller on insects. 3. Using antibiotics "on spec" as as sort of random preventative or cure -- WITHOUT confirmed diagnosis -- is one of the reasons a lot of bacteria have developed resistance to antibiotics. Ditto not using enough of an antibiotic when you do have a bacterial infection (i.e., quitting a 10-day presecription after 3 days because you feel better). So yes, you do harm to yourself and others by using antibiotics without serious good reason. 4. Keeping nasal passages moist while flying in the desert-like dryness of a plane is a good idea. For one thing it prevents tiny cracks in the tissue that make you more vulnerable to viruses. But since you don't have a nasal viral INFECTION, Neosporin is irrelevant; and the most it could do is reduce its own effectiveness later if you do develop some sort of nasal infection. I repeat: a cold is not a nasal infection -- it's a virus that attacks your whole system, as does SARS, even if the main symptoms might be in your lungs or throat or ... 5. Just make sure what you use to moisten your nostrils doesn't have alcohol or other drying agents like antihistamines in it. Defeats the purpose. 6. SARS is both airborne and surface-borne (so to speak), so if you really want to combat it on a plane flight, wear a mask and gloves and wipe off everything you touch with alcohol wipes (before you touch it, not after, of course!) and make darn sure your hands are clean, especially if you are going to put your fingers into your mouth or anywhere else....... For myself, I try to avoid airplane flu by trying not to get overtired, keeping hydrated (despite all the trips to the loo), and a lot of vitamins B (complex) and C.

If you read the Neosporin label it clearly states "for external use only." I don't think it's a good idea to stick it up your nose. adrienne

Maybe some people just like to stick things up there noses:)

Postscript from a recent report: "Almost half of all infections caused by a bacteria responsible for pneumonia, meningitis and ear infections will be virtually untreatable by next year, according to a study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (SPH). The study, published in the April edition of the journal Nature Medicine, pointed to the over-prescription of antibiotics as a likely cause for the growing number of cases of bacterial infections that are untreatable by these drugs."

I'm not sure about the Neosporin treatment but I find that traveling causes stress which in turn lowers the resistance so one can catch colds, etc. faster. Probably try to get a bit more rest before the trip and just wash your hands often may help avoid getting sick.