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You sneezed and sneezed, carrying not only your own germs and picking up more than you cast the world. You ran so fast in your swing towards your connecting flight that you did not wash properly before leaving the toilet. And then a kid in front of you in the security line vomited his mother everywhere. According to a new study, all petri dishes at the airport – bathrooms, uncomfortable chairs in the boarding area, passport checkout counters – plastic safety bins are the more efficient.
Researchers from the University of Nottingham in the UK and the Finnish National Institute say their publications, recently published in the journal BMC Infectious Diseases, highlight the need to increase public awareness of the spread of infectious diseases, especially in airports where everywhere in the world it occurs several times a day.
Germaphobes that flush toilets with their feet and use a paper towel to grab the door handle of the bathroom can be relieved to learn one of the surprising conclusions of the study: the toilet seats surfaces.
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Researchers tested the variety of sprout surfaces at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport in Finland during the winter of 2016, revealing evidence of viruses on 10% of them. The tests were conducted during one of the busiest periods of the airport, said the researchers in a statement announcing the study.
Payment terminals in airport shops and restaurants, stair railing, children's play areas, luggage terminals and the air itself are also dirty. The swabs of the researchers revealed signs of rhinovirus, the cause of colds, and flu. The toilet seats had no traces either, they said.
Controlling viruses at airports teeming with travelers from around the world poses a particular challenge, making it particularly important that people wash their hands thoroughly and cough in tissues or sleeves, said study authors. .
"These simple precautions can help prevent pandemics and are particularly important in overcrowded areas such as airports that carry large numbers of people from many parts of the world," said Jonathan Van Tam, professor of health protection at University of Nottingham. and one of the authors of the study, said in the statement.
Niina Ikonen, a specialist in virology, said the presence of diseases and microbes at airports had not been investigated and that airports needed to develop plans to control the spread of serious infectious diseases. and well-being, a co-author.
"The results also provide new insights for technical improvements in airport design and renovation," said Ikonen in the statement.
The authors pointed out that even though travelers can not avoid the air they breathe or the safety trays, airports can reduce the chances of catching a serious bug in a few simple steps. They include the installation of hand disinfection stations in areas where people repeatedly touch the same surface and regularly clean these surfaces.
The authors noted that the results do not prove that the viruses they found on the surfaces and in the air are alive and cause disease, but that previous experimental research has shown that many germs survive. on different surfaces for several days.
Photo via Isopix / Shutterstock
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