On your next flight...
...you may want to leave that tray table in the upright and locked position. That’s because disease-causing germs like MRSA and E. coli can linger on airplane armrests, window shades, tray tables, and toilet handles for days, according to scientists from Auburn University. Plus, contact with those pathogens could lead to antibiotic resistant infections and a gut bug that can cause kidney failure. And that’s not an exaggeration… the MRSA found on a cloth seatback pocket lasted 168 hours — which is a week… and the E. coli on an airplane armrest hung around for 4 days. So wash your hands frequently when you’re flying, and don’t touch your eyes, nose or mouth until you do.