Swine Flu and Public Transit
Thursday, November 05, 2009 3:40 PM
Commuters who ride public transit are rightfully concerned about catching swine flu.
In New York, a woman who didn't cover her mouth while coughing caught the ire of another woman. The two launched into a screaming match, the cougher spat on the other woman, and she in turn, pulled the hair of the cougher, dragging her to the floor of the train.
Lawrence Delevingne blogged about the incident on The Business Insider, saying he restrained the second woman so the cougher could exit the train. He later caught the flu.
Transit agencies nationwide are reassuring riders that their buses and trains are disinfected - and urging commuters to practice good hygiene.
Here at METRO, we clean the inside of our trains every night, wiping them down with a non-toxic disinfectant. The environmentally-friendly, hospital-grade disinfectant is used to wipe surfaces inside the trains, including door pushbuttons, window surfaces, back-of-seat handles, floor-to-ceiling and seat-to-ceiling poles and overhead grab bars and handles, said Romeo Calderon, director of rail maintenance.
"Our established disinfectant and cleaning practices are consistent with reducing the spread of virus and influenza, whether H1N1 or not," said Calderon.
Bacteria can thrive on surfaces for hours or days, depending on the humidity, Laura Baumgartner, a microbiologist analyzing subways, told Mass Transit magazine. Germs typically live longer on plastics than on metal subway poles and station handrails.
What can riders do to protect themselves? 
Cover your mouth and nose when you sneeze or cough. If you don't have a tissue, cough or sneeze in the crook of your elbow. Avoid touching your eyes, hands or mouth. Carry hand-sanitizing gel or disinfectant wipes.
Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after sneezing or coughing. Sing "Happy Birthday" twice while your scrub. If you're not near a sink, use an alcohol-based hand gel. Rub your hands until the alcohol dissipates.
If you have flu-like symptoms - a fever, plus a cough or sore throat - stay home and don't ride the bus or train until you are fever-free for 24 hours. Read more on prevention and treatment of swine flu at WebMD.
The Texas Health and Human Services department has compiled the latest information on swine flu at http://www.texasflu.org/, including the availability and distribution of the swine flu vaccine.