How To AVOID Getting Sick on Your Disney Trip Right Now

While we normally share travel tips and updates to help you reduce things like time waiting in line at security in the airport, learn of travel delays, and the best things to pack in your bag to make you as prepared a traveler as possible, sometimes we run across unavoidable situations.

No one likes the idea of getting sick ever, especially while on vacation and traveling but recent spikes in several respiratory illnesses have us realizing the importance of taking extra precautions during this winter season.

It probably seems like everyone you’ve encountered lately is sick with anything from the common cold to more serious illnesses like flu. If it feels like you’ve spent a significant amount of time lately avoiding catching anything that might be “going around” you’re not alone according to the LA Times.

Respiratory illness is on the rise across most of the nation. People have reported experiencing symptoms like a cough or shortness of breath in early December of this year at higher numbers than what was reported during a late summer peak in respiratory illnesses. That’s not the only illness going around though, Coronavirus numbers have also seen spikes in several areas, too. RSV has also seen a resurgence in serious illness lately resulting in higher trips to emergency room visits.

So how do you keep from getting sick while traveling and avoid picking up something while on vacation? Doctors believe that most recently people traveling over the Christmas holiday have been most affected with picking up respiratory viruses.

They recommend wearing a mask if you’re feeling sick or experiencing symptoms to avoid spreading viruses to other travelers and decrease the risk of seeing an increase in healthy people getting sick. This practice coupled with continued good hygiene, thorough and frequent handwashing along with avoiding touching unnecessary surfaces could reduce your exposure to picking up viruses. But, as we all know not all of these practices will always keep sickness away.

Thankfully, many of the people testing positive for the coronavirus or the flu are eligible for antiviral medications, like Paxlovid for COVID-19 and Tamiflu for the flu. The medications can help to reduce the severity of illness.

There are other options available to you if you find yourself ill. A program funded by the National Institutes of Health, featured at test2treat.org, gives adults who test positive for COVID-19 or flu-free access to telehealth care and treatment. Those who haven’t tested positive can still enroll to get free tests shipped directly to them if they are adults and uninsured or underinsured; on Medicare, Medicaid, or Medi-Cal; or in the healthcare system of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Indian Health Service.

In addition to hygienic practices, doctors are also urging people to get a fresh vaccination for COVID-19 and flu this winter season RSV immunizations are also available for babies, pregnant women, and people who are over 60 years of age.

People who test positive for the coronavirus are encouraged to isolate for a minimum of 5 days after the onset of symptoms or their first positive test — whichever comes first. Doctors consider the day a person starts having symptoms OR had their first positive test considered Day Zero, and the earliest a patient can exit isolation is by the end of the 5th day.

Traveling with a few other tools like fever-reducing medications, masks, hand sanitizer, and even your own pack of tissues is also a great idea to reduce the chances of spreading or contracting any illness yourself.  Be sure to check in back with us for more travel trips and updates at AllEars.net!

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What are your best tips to prevent getting sick while traveling? Leave us all your best in the comments below!

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