Catch trains, not colds, with anti-germ jacket

Jacket designed to protect commuters from germs and touching unhygienic surfaces.

Too scared to share public transport during the flu season? This jacket might be for you.

"Catch trains, not colds" is the idea behind the Germinator Transit Jacket, an item of clothing custom-made for germaphobe passengers. 

Designed to protect against coughing commuters and germ-infested handrails, the jacket features a high zipped collar made from anti-microbial fabric, and cuffs that extend to cover hands when necessary.

Also useful for commuters, the jacket has a built-in transit pass holder, vents to cool down fast, and a removable hood to protect your head when dozing off against a grimy window pane.

"We noted that people pulling their sleeves down to grab a pole or burying their faces in their scarves when someone around them coughed," said co-creator Nadeem Haidary. 

"These workarounds became inspiration for clothing that helps protect you on public transit."

While the jacket might be stylish, it's not without its skeptics. 


"I cannot understand how the jacket provides any protection against catching cold and flu," Professor Ronald Eccles, director of the Common Cold Centre & Healthcare Clinical Trials at Cardiff University, told HuffPost UK Lifestyle, adding, "It does not cover the nose and eyes, and these are the points of entry for the viruses."

Meanwhile, a study last year revealed that public transport might not be the hotbed for catching flu that many fear. 

The survey of 6,000 people by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine found that fewer people fell ill from catching public transport than other modes. However, public transport did make people who were already sick feel worse. 

Image source: Gravity Tank
Ref:bbc