No more excuses about not getting your flu shot. Airports across the country are setting up shop for travelers to get vaccinated.

 

When you’re traveling, you come in contact with more germs than normal. “With the holidays around the corner, more people are traveling and visiting families and friends. What many do not realize is that traveling can increase your risk of contracting flu,” COO of Families Fighting Flu Serese Marotta said. “And flu can easily spread in confined spaces such as on an airplane.” Airports in San Francisco, New York, Chicago, and Hawaii jumping on board to help travelers fight the sickness.

 

San Francisco Airport has a clinic that doubles as an urgent care facility. They accept checks and credit cards and offer a full reimbursement from your insurance company. John F. Kennedy International Airport has a shuttle that takes you to and from your appointment and provides vaccinations for other diseases like pneumonia, yellow fever, and hepatitis. Nashville International Airport offers both urgent and primary care as well as flu shots to travelers in transit. Demographics expert and author Matt Carmichael remembers seeing the clinics in Nashville while traveling for work. “It was simple, quick and easy. Totally recommend it,” Carmichael said.

 

There are other ways to avoid sickness while traveling. Of course, washing your hands every chance you get or having a travel health kit that includes tissues,  fever medicine, and sanitizer, can help avoid sickness. Thinking about where you are on the plane helps, as well. Studies show that if you are two seats or even one row near a sick passenger, there is an 80 percent chance you will get sick as well. A passenger that gets out of their seat often is more likely to contract an airborne sickness. If you are a passenger that stays still while in the air, the chances of you catching a bug hover around three percent.

 

Flu shots are supposed to be covered by health insurance, but the Center for Disease Control says the average cost for flu shots is about $20. An additional clinic or service fee, however, may be required.