You might also like:
Contrary to popular belief, it is not in the toilets.
According to a recent study by Finnish and British researchers published in the BMC Infectious Diseases journal, the highest concentrations of respiratory viruses are on airport security trays.
Yes, the same spot where you would dump your phone, passport, laptop, tablet, camera, handbag, hand luggage, watch, and sometimes even the occasional jacket or scarf.
The research team took swabs from surface samples of the plastic trays at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport in Finland, taken at three different times during the peak of the 2015 to 2016 flu session.
After monitoring the germ levels, they found rhinovirus or adenovirus, the cause of cold-like symptoms, in four of eight samples. To be precise, the germs were found on 10 percent of all the surfaces they tested.
Source: Shutterstock.
The scientist explained that these trays “typically cycle with high frequency to subsequent passengers, and are typically seized with a wide palm surface area and strong grip”.
Because it is usually passed on so quickly to the next passenger, it makes airports a potential risk zone for an “emerging pandemic threat”.
And if you touch your face or someone else’s after, or decide to have a sandwich at a nearby airport cafe after passing security without first washing your hands, well, no prizes for guessing where that will lead you.
That having said, the airport security tray is not the only spot travelers should be wary of.
Source: Shutterstock.
Other places where germs are frequently found are:
- Passport control checkpoint: The study found that 33 percent of the samples taken at desks and glass dividers at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport’s passport control checkpoint were contaminated with rhinovirus.
- A pharmacy’s terminal payment: 50 percent of samples from the Helsinki-Vantaa airport pharmacy’s payment terminal buttons were contaminated with rhinovirus and the human coronavirus.
- Toys in the children’s playground: 67 percent of the samples swabbed from a plastic toy dog at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport’s children’s playground were contaminated with rhinovirus or adenovirus.
Why were the samples taken from toilet lids, flush buttons, and door locks clear of the presence of a cold virus?
On top of the frequent cleaning, it could also be because “passengers may pay particular attention to limiting touch and to hygiene in a washroom environment”, according to the scientists.
While the Finnish and British researchers are hoping airports could provide “hand sanitization opportunities where intense, repeat touching of surfaces takes place such as immediately before and after security screening”, there is nothing like a taking care of your hygiene yourself.
After all, nobody likes being sick on a holiday.
So, disinfectant hand wipes or sanitizer gels, anyone?
The post Where do you think the most germ-filled places in airports are? appeared first on Travel Wire Asia.
Source: travelwireasia.com