Infections may spread during air travel much more quickly than had previously been imagined, according to a report in the medical journal the Lancet.
According to The Guardian, reporting on the medical report, it had traditionally been thought that the risk of picking up a disease was highest for those sitting within two rows of someone with an infection – and only on flights lasting for eight hours or more.
But studies carried out during the Sars outbreak showed that passengers on flights as short as three hours were affected even if they were as far away as eight rows.
The Lancet said that the situation was not widely reported because passengers generally disperse widely and quickly, and may not show symptoms until days or weeks later.
However, according to The Independent, the study shows that passengers are at greater risk of food poisoning than catching bugs from fellow passengers.
Report by Tim Gillett, News From Abroad Ltd
