Skip to: Content
Skip to: Site Navigation
Skip to: Search

July 25, 2008 11:16:53 AM CDT

Learn about Newser Points »

« Back to the grid | Next story »

Feeling Ill? Stay On the Ground

Posted Feb 27, 08 5:55 PM CST in Science & Health 

(Newser) – In the wake of the death last week of a passenger on an American Airlines jet, one expert on in-flight health has this to say to sickly would-be travelers: “Do not fly.” Air travel can exacerbate illness, and though many airlines contract with ground-based medical support, flight attendants are not nurses, and airplanes often have only minimal medical equipment aboard, CNN reports.

Congress recently ordered all commercial passenger aircraft to carry defibrillators and robust first-aid kits, but the Federal Aviation Administration has no part in mid-air medical emergencies. Instead, companies such as Arizona-based MedAire maintain physicians and translation services on the ground to assist airborne staff. Problems to look out for? Respiratory conditions, stomach upset, cardiac episodes.

Source CNN

0 comments | Print E-mail | Digg Seed this on Newsvine Add this link to Del.icio.us StumbleUpon
An automatic external defibrillator like the ones carried on commercial passenger aircraft.   ((c) ernstl)
If you're under the weather, your best bet is stay out of the sky. (AP Photo/Lai Seng Sin)   (Associated Press)
American Airlines planes sit at their gates at John F. Kennedy International Airport, in this Aug. 29, 2007 file photo in New York. (AP Photo/Jason DeCrow, file)   (Associated Press)
« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow
Our editors also recommend:

Threads (1 of 2)

Tags

death  • air travel  • American Airlines  • heart attack  • illness  • flight attendants  • oxygen


Loading...

Loading...

Today's Most Popular


Other Science & Health Stories

What is Newser?

2008 Codie Finalist

Newser gives you more news in less time. We search for the best and most important stories all over the web, read them for you, and deliver concise and sharp summaries—along with links to the full text. Newser provides a way to stay on top of an ever-expanding horizon of news and opinion—politics, sports, business, trends, technology, personalities, crimes, and controversies. Newser keeps you not just better informed, but, with our signature graphic interface and smart condensed format, more enjoyably informed.

Learn more »