This year, all Americans 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine shot, according to an official health advisory released this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And while it’s best to get vaccinated before the end of the year, getting vaccinated later is OK. Vaccination should continue throughout the flu season, even in January or later, the CDC says.
The 2017/2018 influenza strain is virulent. Flu activity has increased significantly in recent weeks with influenza A(H3N2) viruses predominating so far this season, the CDC said. In the past, A(H3N2) virus-predominant influenza seasons have been associated with more hospitalizations and deaths in persons 65 and older and young children compared to other age groups, it adds.
Blending the right flu vaccine is a yearly challenge for the CDC. “There are many different flu viruses and they are constantly changing,” the CDC says. “The composition of US flu vaccines is reviewed annually and updated as needed to match circulating flu viruses. Flu vaccines protect against the three or four viruses (depending on vaccine) that research suggests will be most common.”
Here are seven odd places to watch out for hidden germs:
Airplane food trays and seat pockets
The bad news for planes with quick turnarounds: Nasty bugs can last for days. The sinister-sounding Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (more commonly known as MRSA) lasted longest (168 hours) on material from a seat-back pocket, while the bacteria Escherichia coli O157:H7 (also known as E.coli, which can cause kidney problems) survived longest (96 hours) on the material from the armrest of planes, according to research presented to the American Society for Microbiology earlier this year. Restrooms in planes, where space is cramped, are also another hot spot for germs.
Subway turnstiles and bus ticket machines
Most people (at least during flu season) are careful about touching stainless steel poles on subways and buses, but don’t often think about subway turnstiles and bus ticket machines that are arguably touched by even more people, says Charles Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona. “They don’t routinely disinfect these machines,” he says. Commuters are six times more likely to develop an acute respiratory infection if they traveled recently by bus or train, according to a 2011 study by the University of Nottingham in the UK and published in BMC Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Office coffee stations and water coolers
Smart people keep their distance from sick colleagues, but then use the same coffee machine or water cooler. Germs like hard surfaces and can find their way to 40 percent to 60 percent of common surfaces in offices, hotels and health care facilities in just two to four hours, says Gerba, who conducted a study on how viruses spread in the workplace. He presented its results to the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in Washington, DC, an infectious disease meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. Obviously, avoid doorknobs and other people’s keyboards.
Liquid soap in washrooms
While it’s a good idea to open the door of a washroom with your sleeve, there’s one other piece of equipment that should be avoided like the plague: soap dispensers. Liquid soap itself can become contaminated with bacteria and one in four dispenser machines in public restrooms are contaminated with bacteria, including fecal matter, according to one study published in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. “Washing with soap from dispensers with sealed refills significantly reduced bacteria on hands,” the study found. Failing that, bring your own.
Aisle seats in planes, trains and theaters
When traveling by bus, train or plane this holiday season — or even when visiting a theater — think twice before choosing aisle seats. These are the seats that will be touched most often by other people as they’re trying to find their own, Gerba says. In 2008, members of a tour group experienced diarrhea and vomiting in an airplane flight from Boston to Los Angeles. Other passengers who suffered secondary infections were either sitting next to those infected — or unsuspecting passengers seated in aisle seats, according to a study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Salt and pepper shakers
There’s often no point in washing your hands before a meal (thereby avoiding doorknobs and soap dispensers) and picking up clean cutlery — and then using condiment holders that have often not been washed. One study by researchers at the University of Virginia examined 30 people who were showing symptoms of the common cold and were asked to identify 10 surfaces they’d touched in their home over the previous 18 hours: More than 40 percent of the surfaces tested positive for rhinovirus, the most common virus to cause the common cold. All salt and pepper shakers cited by participants tested positive.
Exercise equipment at the gym
Bacteria love moisture, especially sweat, but one study found that rhinoviruses still cling to exercise equipment — even after cleaning. A final thought for germ-phobic people who are afraid to travel this holiday season: Many colds and flu are spread around the home, says Elizabeth Scott, associated professor at the Department of Biology at Simmons College in Boston. But it’s always good to leave the house prepared. “When I am traveling, I always carry a small bottle of hand sanitizer and use it many times,” she adds.