Edited by LelaRentaka7 at 5-3-2020 02:54 AM
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Baca ni dulu OK
Public transport can be an ideal setting for respiratory diseases to spread and may even increase the risk in certain boroughs
ByPaul Nuki, GLOBAL HEALTH SECURITY EDITOR and Sarah Newey, GLOBAL HEALTH SECURITY REPORTER4 March 2020 • 4:53pm
Planes, trains and buses (and the stations and airports you must travel through) are in many respects the perfect environment for a droplet-spread diseases such as coronavirus (Covid-19) to thrive. Viruses are thought largely to be spread via droplets which land on shared surfaces. People catch the virus when they touch their infected hands to their face – something we all do 20 to 30 times an hour. Tube and trainsResearch published in BMC Infectious Diseases found that those using public transport during flu outbreaks were up to six times more likely to pick up an acute respiratory infection.
A woman wearing a face mask on the London Underground: commuters are some of the most at risk of spreading infection CREDIT: Ian Hinchliffe/PA WireThis is especially true in densely populated cities like London, where a woman was confirmed to have Covid-19 on Wednesday evening. The underground, which serves roughly 1.2 billion passengers annually, is a particular hotspot, according to a paper published in Environmental Health journal in 2018. Those most at risk were found to be commuters who have long journeys or use busy interchange stations, as they come into contact with more shared surfaces and people.
For instance commuters living in the northern borough of Highbury and Islington predominantly travel on the Northern or Victoria lines and are likely to change at Kings Cross St Pancras – the busiest station in London – en route to their destination. The researchers also found that boroughs with fewer tube stations have higher infection rates, as these stops tend to be more crowded. In contrast, commuters in areas with no underground stops at all saw fewer cases of flu-like illnesses over a six-month period. This map shows the rates of infections for influenza-like viruses in London boroughs, and the busiest Tube stations:
Travelling at off peak times is one way to mitigate the risk of picking up an infection on the tube. But even then, it’s possible to pick up droplets of respiratory diseases from surfaces including tube poles, handles and seats or even the escalator handrail. To reduce the risk, make sure that you wash your hands or use hand sanitiser after leaving the underground and do not touch your face or bite your nails while travelling.
Beware airportsIn the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic infection was spread internationally largely through ships and ports. Today airports are what turn localised epidemics into global pandemics. In a study published just days before China’s deadly coronavirus was first identified, researchers found that ramping up handwashing at 10 of the world’s most “influential” airports could reduce the spread of a respiratory pandemic by 37 per cent. The data, published in Risk Analysis Journal at the end of December, said the figure could be as high as 69 per cent if applied to all airports worldwide. Security checks are thought to be the highest risk areas in airports. A study published by researchers from the University of Nottingham and the Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare found that half of all plastic luggage trays at security checks were harbouring at least one respiratory disease such as the common cold or influenza. The trays, which are shared thousands of times over but seldom washed, collect detritus from people's pockets and belongings and were found to have more germs than even airport toilets.
There are other hotspots in airports where passengers would be well advised to clean their hands after passing through. The same study, in BMC Infectious Diseases journal, found that the chip and pin paying machines at airport pharmacies were especially likely to harbour viruses. Hand rails on escalators, arm rest on waiting area seats and the constant passing of tickets and passports to airline and security staff is also likely to present some risk. Many international airports make hand sanitiser available to passengers. Unfortunately, Public Health England has not required British airport operators to do this. You would therefore be well advised to take your own – using it immediately after paying for it at a chemist.
Bugs on a planeMany are aware that the confined cabins of planes pose a risk of catching viruses – but mostly for the wrong reasons. Most studies suggest it is not the recycled cabin air that poses the greatest risk (it passes through sophisticated filters) but the droplets spread by passengers and cabin staff moving up and down the main aisles. A study by scientists at Emory University in the United States found that an infected air steward could become a ‘super-spreader’ as they constantly move up and down the plane. It concluded that the best place to sit was in the middle of the plane in a window seat to escape this particular risk. You enhance your chances of remaining free of infection by staying in your seat for the duration of the flight. If you can’t get a window seat, second best is a middle seat rather than an aisle – see below:
If a fellow passenger is infected and sitting close by, there is less you can do. The study found that those seated within a row or two seats either side of an infected passenger had an 80 per cent chance of catching a bug no matter which type of seat you are in. During the 2003 Sars epidemic, 25 airline passengers were famously infected by a single passenger. Some were seated as far as seven rows in front of and five rows behind the index case.
Buses and tramsLess research has been conducted looking at the spread of disease on buses, but one study in BMC Infectious Diseases in 2011 found that bus or tram use was associated with an almost six-fold increased risk of developing an influenza-like infection during flu season. Although tuberculosis spreads differently to flu, another study in Houston in 2011 found that incidence of TB was almost eight times higher among commuters who spent more than an hour a day on the bus. The study, published in Tuberculosis journal, identified 10 bus routes where TB infections were most common - several of these routes passed the city’s hospitals. When traveling on a bus try to sit in a quiet area, be aware of the surfaces and handrails you touch and, as ever, wash your hands when you get off.
Taxis – sit behind the driverTaxis should be relatively safe in case of a pandemic but are enclosed spaces. There have been no scientific studies but security experts recommend that the safest place to sit is directly behind the driver. This is because all drivers tend to swerve to protect themselves in an accident and also because drivers with nefarious intent can be controlled from behind by pulling their seatbelt tight over their shoulder. You are also less likely to have droplets land on you should the driver cough or sneeze.
Walk if you canIt’s not always possible but the best way to get around virus free is almost certainly to walk or cycle. Regular exercise of at least 150 minutes a week also protects you from heart and other vascular disease – a much bigger risk to your health than coronavirus in the long run.
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