Constantly sick in my first year, is this normal and does it get better?
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#1 Three colds in four months since I started flying. I was never sick before. Is it the recirculated air? Does the immune system adapt?
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#2 Normal, and yes it gets better. It's not the air, HEPA filtration on modern aircraft is excellent, it's hundreds of people in a confined space while jet lag suppresses your immune response, plus surfaces. What helps: hand hygiene before eating, not touching your face during service, the flu shot each season, and above all protecting sleep. Most crew say year two is dramatically better.
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#3 Year one: sick constantly. Year two: almost never. Same for everyone on my base.