Aircraft ventilation linked to TB scare

A LIMERICK holiday- maker may have contracted TB from contaminated air in the plane that took her to a sun destination.

A GP said yesterday that while he could not prove a link, he was satisfied that the main suspect was contaminated aircraft ventilation.

A spokesman for the HSE Mid-West confirmed that doctors are reporting an upsurge in chest and respiratory infections which may be linked to “stale” recycled aircraft ventilation systems.

One doctor compared planes to “infection capsules”, saying: “All you need is one person with an infectious condition and this can be transmitted through a plane throughout a flight.

“Over the past two years, colleagues and I have seen a dramatic increase in patients returning from holidays with chest infections and other problems. In many instances they have been ill during their holiday.”

One Limerick GP said he had dealt with a person who was diagnosed with TB after being referred to a specialist. He said: “Due to the nature of the TB infection, while I cannot prove it, I firmly believe my patient picked up the TB through droplets coming from the air system on a plane.”

Another Limerick GP, Dr Damien Barry said: “During the pasts two years, I have seen a big increase in the number of people with chest infections after coming home from foreign holidays which involved air travel. It is very hard to prove the connection with air travel, but I believe there is a connection.”

Pharmacists in places such as the Canary Islands no longer give out antibiotics unless a doctor’s prescription is handed in. GP consultations in the Canary Islands for a prescription can cost as much as €120.

A Limerick doctor said that while antibiotics are not prescribed unless infections are diagnosed, people at risk of infection should consider getting a prescription before travelling.

A spokesman for the HSE Mid-West said: “Local GPs are reporting a large number of chest infections among people returning from sun holidays. The GPs say anecdotal evidence arose from stale air being recycled in aircraft and too hasty turnarounds, which result in inadequate cleaning.”

The spokesman said the TB report is anecdotal and the HSE had received no formal notification of a TB case linked to air travel.

He added that because the air in aircrafts is re-circulated, there is always the possibility that a passenger with a respiratory tract infection may spread it to other passengers on the same aircraft.

He said: “Generally this is just part of the risk of air travel but the risk is, of course, greater on long haul flights. Of course, we would take it more seriously if the Department of Public Health was notified of an infectious case of TB that has travelled by air prior to diagnosis and starting treatment, and would in that case, if we thought there was an increased risk to his/her fellow passengers, attempt to contact trace those passengers. However, the internationally agreed guideline is that the exposure should have been for eight hours or more, before contact tracing is indicated, which means that for most flights it is considered that the risk of contracting a TB infection during the flight is minimal.”