Continuing our series on children’s health, let’s examine the quality of airline air and air safety for traveling children. Per pediatrician Dr. Alan Greene, if chickenpox can be contracted an aisle away in the supermarket – what then, can your kids contract in a tight, enclosed space like an airline cabin?
I am not a medical doctor. I am someone interested in children’s health and have compiled text from physicians, health organizations and others’ personal experiences to arrive at the verbiage within. If you have any questions or concerns about anything you read here or how air travel may affect you or your child, please consult your physician for medical advice.
There is a reason we cover our mouths when we cough or sneeze. Bacteria and viruses are carried on dust particles or respiratory droplets that become airborne when people laugh, cough, sneeze or exhale. These aerosolized infectious particles travel on air currents over considerable distances making direct contact with the sick person unnecessary to catch their illness.
Planes, by design, are a virtual Petri dish for breeding germs for four reasons. First, oxygen levels are lower on airplanes than on the ground. Second, there is a lack of fresh air. According to travel expert Peter Greenberg, anywhere from 10 percent to 50 percent of cabin air is filtered (depending on the age of the plane), mixed with fresh air and re-circulated within the cabin. Third, airline air is extremely dry with as little as 10 percent of the humidity found on the ground. Lastly, passengers carry germs, bacteria and diseases into this low oxygen, low moisture environment increasing the susceptibility to airborne illnesses.
Airborne illnesses that are readily transmitted include the common cold, chickenpox (if you haven’t had the vaccine), meningitis, influenza, streptococcal infections and tuberculosis. Those with weak immune systems – like young children and the elderly – are most at risk of contracting an airborne illness.
What can go wrong during air travel? Plenty, according to the Pulsus Group, a medical peer review publisher.
· Due to reduced oxygen pressure in the cabin, children with sickle cell anemia are at risk for a crisis episode during flight.
· More common is the inability of the middle ear to equilibrate the air pressure differential – more severe during landing than takeoff. When your ears ‘pop’ while swallowing or yawning it is actually the Eustachian tubes adjusting the air pressure in your middle ears.
· Peanut dust, which contains peanut protein, can be distributed through the ventilation system causing passengers with allergies to peanuts at great risk for a problematic reaction.
· Children on insulin may need to have their doses adjusted if time zones are being crossed during flight. When travelling eastward the day is shortened and if shortened more than two hours doses may need to be decreased. Conversely, if travelling westward and the day is increased by more than two hours, more units of insulin may be needed.
· Children prone to seizures are at risk of an episode when jet lag, delayed meals, hypoxia and fatigue are introduced into their travel experience.
· Air turbulence, anxiety and seat position (there is more movement at the rear of the aircraft) can all contribute to air sickness.
· Children with behavioral issues – autism, ADD, developmental delays, etc. – are at greater risk of finding the travel experience stressful than those children without behavioral problems.
· Jet lag occurs when there is an imbalance in one’s internal clock and the external environment. Crossing multiple time zones and not getting enough sleep can precipitate the adverse symptoms of fatigue, sleeping difficulties, irritability and decreased mental functionality.
· Children with plaster or fiberglass casts for fractures could experience pain or circulatory problems as gas gets trapped beneath the cast during flight causing the gas to expand.
Tips for avoiding illness while flying as published by Old Orchard Brands and other travel experts previously cited include:
· Get eight to nine hours of sleep per night – restlessness or lack of sleep can weaken your immune system
· Eat healthy – junk food, fast food, sodas, caffeine and alcohol can impact your immune response to illness
· Wash hands often
· Drink plenty of water to stay hydrated – 100 percent orange juice or unsweetened green tea are good options as well
· Before flying take a potent multivitamin, zinc, vitamin C or a good immunity boosting supplement
· Avoid using the pillows and blankets provided by the airline
· Use antibacterial wipes on the armrest, tray table, lavatory door, seat belt buckle and any surface that others may touch
Now that you know some of the risks associated with air travel, you can plan accordingly to make your trip a positive experience.
photo by: ma1974
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DISCLAIMER ALERT: The ideas expressed in this post came out of my own head, were researched by my own eyes and were expressed by my own hands. They are not intended to serve as medical advice in any way, shape or form. And they do not reflect the views of Humana Inc. or any of its subsidiaries. I take full responsibility if you think this post is awesome or not awesome.
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