Airline safety is not just relegated to the cockpit, the health of the crew and passengers in the cabin is now getting new attention after a flight attendant came down with the measles.
According to WCBS-TV in New York, a 43-year-old flight attendant from Israel’s national airline El Al is in a coma.
While it’s not clear exactly how she contracted the disease, it’s easy to understand the concern.
How many of us have been on a plane only to hear someone coughing and sneezing. It’s bad enough if the passenger is in a row behind us. We can only hope they’re not sitting next to us.
If I’m not feeling well, I’ll ask for a cup of orange juice, hoping it will boost my immunity. But I need to admit, a quick jolt of Vitamin C probably won’t be of much help.
As a reporter at KMGH-TV in Denver, I remember covering an Ebola scare on a Frontier Airlines flight. This was very serious – as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notified passengers on the flight of the ill passenger. I also remember being on a stake out of sorts waiting for the Airbus in question to land and be taken to a hanger for cleaning.
This is not all meant to prompt a debate about vaccines or immunizations – just a reminder to us all to take our health seriously, on the ground or in the sky. It’s fragile. Control what you can. Eat well and move.
