Should Fliers Fear H1N1?

Infectious Disease Expert Discusses Ways to Try to Avoid Contracting It in Planes

(CBS)  What precautions should airline passengers take if, as expected, the number of H1N1 infections grows this fall?

Several carriers are stowing pillows and blankets in efforts to block the transmission of germs, but doctors say that's not enough.

So what's the best way try to to avoid becoming infected with the virus while traveling?

Infectious disease expert Dr. William Schaffner, the chief of Preventive Medicine at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, said on "The Early Show" Tuesday people should first get the seasonal flu vaccine, which is already available. The H1N1 vaccine should be available later this flu season, but Schaffner said getting the regular flu shot is a start. He also suggested washing your hands and, if you're coughing, doing so in a Kleenex or in the bend of your arm.

Complete Coverage: H1N1
"We don't usually acquire influenza from inanimate objects," Schaffner told CBS News. He explained people get the flu by being in the breathing zone of an infected person, or getting it on your fingers and then touch your nose or mouth.

With that in mind, flying in close quarters could make some people hesitant to take to the skies. But should people be afraid to fly this flu season?

Schaffner said people shouldn't be afraid, but rather, cautious this year.

"Try to avoid some of those people who are coughing and sneezing around you," he said. "But you don't have to be afraid to fly."

Some people are trying to avoid to avoid the spread of H1N1 with face masks. But how effective are they?

Schaffner said doctors really don't know if face masks work. Schaffner told CBS News there's little information on the effectiveness of face masks, but said they may offer some protection.

But, he said it is important people who are sick don't get the idea that it is OK to travel when they are sick.

"If you're sick," he said, "you should stay at home and not fly."

Air quality on planes is another concern for many people. But Schaffner said on many large airplanes the air is circulated through very high-efficiency filters that take out a lot of the germs. In addition, you're not exposed to everybody on the plane because air is re-circulated in segments.

"The air is partially recycled. ... It's not 100 percent -- but it's really quite clean," he told CBS News. "... So it's really the folks in the seats in front of you, in back of you and next to you, (that) are the main ones you have to worry about."

[xtina333]

I have received the H1N1 vaccine and need to fly. I am 13 weeks pregnant and want to make sure it is safe to fly now. I got the vaccine 10 days ago. Anyone know? I can't reach my doctor.

[jasperlily]

Huh? Odd sort of headline. If fliers are humans then I guess, of course, they should fear H1N1. Not become obsessed by it but fear it to some degree.

[pdahall]

Because squalene, the main ingredient in MF-59, can induce hyperimmune responses and induce autoimmunity, a real danger exists for prolonged activation of the brain?s immune cells, the microglia. This type of prolonged activation has been strongly associated with such diseases as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer?s disease, Parkinson?s disease, ALS and possibly vaccine-related encephalitis. It has been shown that activation of the systemic immune system, as occurs with vaccination, rapidly activates the brain?s microglia at the same time, and this brain inflammation can persist for long periods.
So, how would the gp120 get into the brain? Studies of other immune adjuvants using careful tracer techniques have shown that they routinely enter the brain following vaccination. What most people do not know, even the doctors who recommend the vaccines, is that most such studies by pharmaceutical companies observe the patients for only one to two weeks following vaccination?these types of reactions may take months or even years to manifest.
It is obvious that the vaccine manufacturers stand to make billions of dollars in profits from this WHO/government-promoted pandemic. Novartis, the maker of the new pandemic vaccine, recently announced that they would not give free vaccines to impoverished nations?everybody pays.
One must keep in mind that once the vaccine is injected, there is little you can do to protect yourself?at least by conventional medicine. It will mean a lifetime of crippling illness and early death.
There are much safer ways to protect oneself from this flu virus, such as higher doses of vitamin D3, selective immune enhancement using supplements, and a good diet.