Air travel is particularly fraught with infection hazards, according to a University of Victoria study. (Paul Connors/Associated Press)

Oh great, you're in seat 22B. It's the one in the middle, between the guy honking into his handkerchief and the woman with the nagging cough. It's shaping up to be a very long flight — and it's going to get even more uncomfortable if those germs manage to get a foothold in your system and spoil your much-needed vacation.

You have a right to be paranoid. The odds of picking up a respiratory infection rise when you are on the road. Take a trip during peak cold and flu season and your odds of returning home sniffle-free become even lower.

There is good news though: Health experts say that the risks are not as great as you may think — as long as you take precautions.

Air travel is particularly fraught with infection hazards. Professors Martin Hocking and Harold Foster of the University of Victoria looked at studies of the spread of colds on public transportation and found that the risk of airplane passengers coming down with a cold after a flight is higher than the risk when using other forms of transit such as cars, trains and buses. Reasons include the close quarters and inadequate circulation of air on board airliners.

However, the research also found that you don't have to dress in an isolation suit or wear a surgical mask to guard against the germs flying around you in that middle seat. A few easy tricks can help your body stay healthy even while others around you are being laid low.

Stay hydrated

It turns out that drinking plenty of water will not only counter the overall dehydrating effects of air travel, which can lead to headaches, stomach problems, cramps and fatigue, it can also help keep your natural immune responses effective.

The Victoria researchers suggest the main reason airplanes raise the risk of infections is the lack of humidity in re-circulated air. As your body dries out, your nose and throat get arid and less able to trap germs.

They suggest using nasal spray or even just an atomizer of distilled water to keep the lining of your nose moist, which can help your natural defence system trap and wash germs out of the mucus membranes before they get established.

Wash well

Whether you're in the air or on the ground, there are simple lines of defence that can lower your risk of coming down with what's going around, experts say.

Your hands are the most consistent point of contact with cold, flu and other germs. High-traffic areas such as airports, where people are coming and going from many different regions every day, create an environment that presents a potential bonanza for germs trying to spread to news hosts.

But even frequently handled hard surfaces like water faucets and door handles are not as big a source of infections as you might think, because germs don't thrive on, or transfer well from, hard surfaces.

"The biggest risks are people rather than things," advises Dr. Allison McGeer, an infectious diseases specialist at Toronto's Mt. Sinai Hospital.

Germs transfer easily from the moist damp surface of the skin. The greatest risk of infection is from your hands touching someone else and then touching your face.

"You probably don't realize it, but you rub your face at least eight times every hour," McGeer says.

People who wash their hands at least five times a day significantly reduce their risk of coming down with a cold, she says. Use soap and warm water and scrub for at least 10 seconds, about the time it takes to sing the nursery rhyme "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," McGeer suggests.

Pay particular attention to fingertips and nails, which are the surfaces that are most likely to rub germs onto our mouth, eyes or nose — the places where germs can make the easiest inroads into the body.

Alcohol helps

In between washings, "There is good evidence that wiping your hands with an alcohol hand solution or wipe helps reduce the risk of coming down with stomach illness, as well as protecting against germs that cause nose and throat infections," McGeer says.

Even with the restrictions on liquids aboard planes, a 100-millilitre bottle of alcohol sanitizer will go a long way.

And the good thing about a sanitizer is that once you get it on your hands, it keeps working.

What about antibacterials?

A recent study reported by a team at the University of Michigan’s school of public health found antibacterial soaps and wipes have no more germ-preventive effects than regular soaps during the average time people have them on their skin.

The Michigan study also went on to suggest that a common ingredient in antibacterial soaps, triclosan, might also be contributing to the development of an antibiotic resistant strain of e-coli bacteria.

In another study published in the March 2, 2004, edition of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine, people who used antibacterial soaps and cleansers developed coughs, runny noses, sore throats, stomach upsets and diarrhea just as frequently as people who used products that didn't contain antibacterial ingredients.

Researchers noted that colds and other respiratory infections are generally caused by viruses that can't be destroyed by antibacterial products. But even for vomiting and diarrhea, which are often caused by bacteria, people who used regular soaps had no higher risk of infection than those using antibacterial cleansers.

Avoid getting shaken

Donald Trump is very public about avoiding handshakes. Captains on cruise ships are instructed to nod rather than shake hands in receiving lines. So should you stick to smiling rather than "put it there, pal" at social events and when meeting people during your travels?

"Shaking hands is a really interesting dilemma," says McGeer. "Not shaking hands may be something we should think about, but comparisons of rates of viral illnesses in Japan where they don't shake hands don't show that rates are significantly lower. So it's hard to recommend that people don't contact people because it has a social value."

But if it is clear that people you contact are fighting a cold or flu, be doubly cautious about washing your hands.

"One of the most dangerous things when you go travelling can be kissing your kids goodbye. That's a sad truth about life," McGeer says.

Stay home

You've got a social responsibility when you have an infection to avoid spreading it to others. So stay home if you can, until you're feeling better.

But what if you have to make that long-awaited trip and you can't change plans?

Here's where a facemask can be a good idea, McGeer suggests. Wearing a surgical mask will keep your germs from spreading to others if you cough or sneeze.

A mask is probably overkill for trying to protect against someone else's infection, she adds. To avoid airborne germs, it can be just as effective to turn away when someone nearby sneezes — again, it's the things and people you touch that have the highest chance of making you sick.

Get a flu shot

And finally, there is one line of defence everyone should take seriously: Get a flu shot.

While there are no shots for colds, a simple inoculation can prevent influenza. Not only are you protecting yourself from a debilitating disease, you help break the chain of infection and protect others, McGeer notes.

And a tip

No matter what, don't touch what you don't have to.

For example, people who visit the lavatory touch the handles on the bathroom doors, toilets, sinks and towel dispensers. So even though you may eradicate any nasty microbes on your hands with a vigorous wash, if you touch the tap, towel dispenser or door handle afterwards you may be layering the germs on again.

In the old days, ladies wore cotton gloves when going out in public. That might be a fashion due for a comeback. An alternative could be using a handkerchief or tissue when opening doors.

And keep a clean handkerchief or tissue handy to dab your eyes, which easily get watery on cold, windy days or during a teary airport farewell. Using a hankie that you've just blown your nose in can end up transferring germs or creating an eye infection.

The author is a Toronto-based travel writer and a frequent, but not paranoid, flier.

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