Easy enough to check whether staff and other guests at those hotels got sick, and when.

Fdcarlo, the reason your doctor asks you that question has a lot more to do with his/her wanting to know if you have been in close proximity to people with colds (i.e, in the seat next to you or a few feet away) than with his/her belief that the recycled air is somehow contributing. Ask your doctor what the basis of his question is, and I think you will find it is the former rather than the latter. It is the fact that you are sitting for several hours near someone with a cold which is much more likely to give you a cold than the recycled air. That's why chicken pox, the flu, etc runs rampant in schools, because of the close proximity of kids for several hours each day (although lack of personal hygiene also contributes in schools as well as on planes).

Parrotmom, I would say your preventative measures are helping you psychologically and not physiologically, as the fact is that you cannot prevent any illness with antibiotics, and you definitely cannot prevent acute bronchitis, a viral infection, with antibiotics which have not affect on viruses.

AAFrequentFlyer, If you fly 100,000 miles per year how could you possibly know how and from where you are getting sick? You admit to getting sick and you fly a lot.

I get colds a few days after flying. In the past two years the colds have come only after a flight, and that was twice. No colds at any other times in two years.

That so-called scientific study was probably funded by the airline industry. If I was a betting person I would put money on it.

<b>jor</b>



I'm on few planes at least once maybe twice a month. I <b>DO</b> get a flu bug once, maybe twice a year, but it's usually <b>during</b> the flu season. So do my non-flying friends.
So why don't I get sick all the other times?
So what's your point?

I asked my doctor why, in the last couple of years, I've started getting lots of colds when I never used to get them at all. Her first question was whether I fly a lot. Yes, I do, and she thinks that's the culprit. One thing she suggested is NOT to use the blankets they provide on the planes--they're not laundered after every use and tend to be little cloth germ carriers. I simply used my own sweater my last 3 flights, and haven't had a cold in a few months. Maybe it's all in my head, but there seems some merit to this.

Reply to Cicerone,
Although controversial, I have heard that giving antibiotics to various normal 3:~:&gt;:@)olivestock (without apparent illness) increases their productivity (milk produced, weight gained) and so am not sure I agree their use may not prevent illness. As stated previously, I do not advocate the use of antibiotics for humans outside of a physician's instructions.

jor: the study posted was NOT funded by an outside source. Research published in peer-reviewed journals like JAMA must now be accompanied by a statement attesting to any outside funding or potential conflicts of interest.

crys: your doctor's asking you about flying was not an endorsement of the 'dirty air' concept. Simply being in a plane with other people is a risk factor for infection because of the reasons cited above. If you never touched your face against any possible contaminant during your time on board, your likelihood of contracting an infection would be close to nil (barring sneezers and coughers).

JohnD: humans are not cattle. There are long term adverse consequences of prophylactic antibiotic use, both for the user and for the rest of society. Indiscriminant use of antibiotics promotes the evolution of antiobiotic-resistant bacteria, which affects everyone. People prone to recurrent urinary tract infections, people with cystic fibrosis, and other situations in which repeated infections are a problem can reasonably use prophylactic antibiotics. No question that maintenance antibiotics will nip new infections before they become full blown, but they also won't entirely negate the effects of bad behavior. Taking antibiotics won't protect someone who goes around licking bathroom door handles (and may not entirely protect someone who habitually handles plane food trays then licks fingers).

Consensus: Lots of people in a confined space = lots of germs.

Germs continuously recycled throughout that space = disaster!

Reply to traveleis,
&quot;Humans(({))((x))((}))<b> are'nt = </b>to 3:O3:O3:O ?!?!?((?))

Please do tell us what airline you're flying on :?

Anyone else got a comment before I forward this thread to the FAA and to each and every airline???

Just ran across this site looking for remedies to the problem of becoming sick, no matter what the cause, while traveling on a plane for a co-worker who is going to the middle east. One must be proactive. Antibacterial soap or wipes are a must for your hands and where you hands finally rest, on the arm rests. For the body we have found that for virual infections here at work &quot;oscillococinum&quot; works great. It is sold at Walmart, believe it or not, which has been used in France for years and is sold also in our health food stores. It is in an orange and white box sold in the cold section. Look up BOIRON the manufacturer.
In a confind area with no outside circulation there will be contaminates of out gasing, bacteria, viral and mold. It is just a given. Look at cruise liners and buildings. Just my $.02 Hope it helps some folks. This is what I plan to do when I fly next.

Southwest must have the worst mold in their vents of all the airlines, because its 4 times in a row now that I've flown them and come down with the exact same killer sore throat and running nose.

Tried that vitamin and herb-filled stuff called &quot;AIRBORNE&quot; before and during my most recent flight and it seemed to help a little. Mostly just delayed the onset of the cold/sniffles/sore throat but at least this time I didn't get sick until the very END of my vacation instead of as soon as I stepped off the plane.

Carry a little bottle of Purell in you pocket. Wipe your hands before you eat. Bring your own magazine to read. Do not use the pillows or blankets on the plane. We usually wipe our tray tables down before we eat or play cards on them. (This is family travels)
My husband flies several times a month and he is not sick very often. I think after a while, you build up immunities just like kids do.
Or you could simply hold your breath..LOL