Sick travelers slipping past screeners

Scary news if you are flying any time soon: Airport screening procedures to stop the spread of infectious diseases miss half to three-quarters of infected travelers who make it to their destinations, according to a new study.

The study, authored by researchers at the University of Cali­for­nia, Los Angeles, and published last month in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Elife, comes shortly after a measles outbreak and an Ebola scare put more Americans on high alert about the spread of infectious diseases.

One key reason that the detection rate is so low, the study suggests, is that many travelers are not honest about their exposure to diseases. In most cases, health authorities rely on questionnaires to try to detect infected travelers. During the Ebola scare, infrared thermometers were also deployed to identify passengers with fevers arriving from select African countries.

"Increasing honest exposure reporting not only has the potential to enhance detection of infected travelers, but is essential for implementation of follow-up monitoring of travelers who may have been exposed but have not yet developed symptoms," according to the report.

The study analyzed airport screenings for six viruses including SARS, Ebola and H1N1, the so-called swine flu virus.

Hotel chain serving up free booze

The hotel industry has increasingly been adding new charges for an assortment of services and extras — parking, Internet and resort fees — to squeeze bigger profits out of each room.

So, it’s news when a hotel offers a freebie. It’s bigger news when that giveaway is booze.

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, based in San Francisco, has launched a Nightcap Program that treats guests at 17 boutique hotels to a free nighttime swig — dubbed a "wee dram" — accompanied by a bedtime snack.

The drinks will vary by property, and include brandy, scotch, cognac and port, along with a bite of shortbread cookies, nuts or chocolate. Staff at the front desks will serve up the drinks and snacks, but guests can take them to their rooms.

"It’ll be fun to see how different hotels bring this to life from location to location," said Kimpton’s master sommelier, Emily Wines.

Yes, that’s her real name.