Report Warns About TB Risk on Long Flights

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1998. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Report Warns About TB Risk on Long Flights

Boston Globe Online (12/18/98) P. A25

The World Health Organization cautioned Thursday that there is a small but possible risk of contracting tuberculosis on flights over eight hours in length. While the WHO reported that there were no recorded cases of passengers contracting the disease during flight with a TB-infected passenger, there have been cases where people have caught the bacterium that causes TB while on an airplane. According to WHO estimates, one in three people worldwide carry the tuberculosis bacterium, which is treatable but still kills up to 3 million people annually. In response to the possible risk of transmission while in flight, the agency released guidelines to help decrease the risks. The WHO recommends that people with infectious TB postpone travel and that anyone with a known case "can and should be" barred from flights. The WHO further advised the use of efficient air filters on flights longer than eight hours.

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