Want to avoid getting sick on a plane this holiday season? Medical expert reveals best seat

Americans nationwide are getting acceptable to question for the Christmas and vacation season, with galore flying to spot friends and loved ones. A grounds 3.1 cardinal travelers were screened by the TSA connected the Sunday of Thanksgiving play — and adjacent much are expected implicit Christmas.

But with crowded airports and packed planes, it’s casual for unwellness to spread.

The biggest hazard for travelers won’t beryllium what they interaction — but what they breathe, said Dr. Neha Pathak, chief doc exertion of wellness and manner medicine astatine WebMD. 

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"Most respiratory viruses similar flu oregon COVID dispersed chiefly done the aerial and [through] adjacent contact, not from tray tables oregon armrests," Pathak told Fox News Digital.

She added, "Your hands are truly the captious portion here… If you cleanable them regularly and debar touching your face, you tin dramatically trim immoderate hazard that comes from surfaces."

With packed planes and crowded airports a definite happening this vacation season, it’s casual for unwellness to spread. A aesculapian adept revealed the champion spot to beryllium to debar getting sick.  (iStock)

She said that erstwhile it comes to surfaces, the classical "stomach bug" is the pathogen that concerns her most.

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It's "incredibly hardy," she said, referring to viral gastroenteritis — an intestinal corruption that includes specified symptoms arsenic watery diarrhea, tummy cramps, vomiting oregon nausea and more, per the Mayo Clinic. "And it tin past connected surfaces for days."

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She added, "That makes it the cleanable campaigner for aboveground transmission successful places similar airplanes — particularly bathrooms and high-touch areas."

When it comes to surfaces, the classical "stomach bug" is the pathogen that concerns 1 aesculapian adept the most. (iStock)

"The microorganism that gives you vomiting and diarrhea is much apt to hitch a thrust connected a tray array than the viruses that origin flu oregon COVID," she said.

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With that successful mind, Pathak revealed that to debar getting sick, a model spot acold from the bath is the champion spot to beryllium connected an airplane. 

A grounds 3.1 cardinal travelers were screened by the TSA connected the Sunday of Thanksgiving play — with much expected during Christmas travel.  (Jim Vondruska/Getty Images)

"You volition person less radical brushing past you, little vulnerability to aisle postulation and, overall, less adjacent contacts," said Pathak.

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She besides recommended wearing a disguise for those wishing to debar getting sick.

One doc ever turns connected her overhead aerial vent connected planes, she said.  (iStock)

Pathak said she turns connected her overhead aerial vent, washes and sanitizes her hands frequently, and avoids touching her look — particularly her rima oregon chemoreceptor — portion traveling connected a plane.