I noticed on our visit to Goa at New wYear that there was a lot of coughing on the aircraft when we came home. I too have Asthma and although I was ok there two weeks upon returning I developed flu. I was very poorly and my Asthma was bad. Of course I could have picked up the virus from anywhere but as I say there were lots of people coughing and sneezing! I hope you are ok now gramps.

Well that is strange because I noticed that too, coughing sneezing etc on the plane, my friends and I all came down with a fluey type thing

I also had an awful cough the first couple of weeks we arrived in goa, then my sister developed a cough, she ended up having to get antibiotics, as she felt poorly kinda flu symptoms.
There was quite a few people on our complex with the same problem, dont know the cause, but seems strange doesnt it.

I think that especially in Winter, there will be passengers travelling with coughs and colds. With so many people crammed into such a small space on the Aircraft the germs are easily passed around, especially to people with low immune systems.
As to Goa, I don't know if there are more infections around, but did see a lot of locals ,especially in Margao going around using hankies to protect themselves from what I thought was the the dust and exhaust fumes, and there was a lot of coughing but I put that down to the dust, maybe there was a bug going around.

It could also be the pollution levels in Goa, with all those cars, taxis and buses it must irritate asthma...

My partner suffers from asthma and has done so since she was 15. However while we were in Goa despite, heat and humidity etc she had no problems at all. In fact she never felt better. Perhaps honeybee has medicinal properties?

well i can say i definatly picked some kind of infection from goa in march ,ended up in hospital here,treated for every infection from uk to india the consultant told me ,chest type infection but nothing shown on scans ,blood results told another story, same thing went through the list ,,blood clot .pluresy ect,malariia and typhoid,will know more when i return to out patients in may .when cultures have grown , i have never felt ill as i did and it was that bad my hubby even prayed,i took every precaution going as i have no spleen and cant fight infection as well as another person .i will probaly return next year who knows

2 Years ago I came back with a dreadful cough and tiredness. It took ages to go a way, was out of breath for ages. The cold weather made it worse, doctor did not know what it was.

I had a hacking cough whilst in Goa last time, thankfully it's virtually gone now. I wondered whether it was the humidity at the time, but perhaps it was a germ.

I had a terrible cough and sore throat while I was there, I just put it down to the Air Conditioning.

well Gramps like you i have controlled asthma and also COPD and last season i was constantly ill with hoirrendous chest infections which would not shift, i was so scared i used to go to bed every night thinking i MUST stop smoking and thinking how really stupid i was (ok all, i know!! I was really stupid to be smoking with copd!!) anyhow i gave up this season and have been fine apart from when we have made along journey like to Palolem or Margao / Panjim (city's) and the next day i have been really wheezing so i think it must be the traffic pollution? makes sense to me anyway
chilly

There were a lot of colds and flu like bugs about at Christmas. Both me and OH suffered with terrible colds and chest infections which we got antibiotics for. Then to top it all I picked up another on the flight home.

Went back in March and didn't have any problems at all.

I was really ill when we got home this year, I felt as though I had flue, but it lasted for 4 weeks I was so week that I couldn't climb the stairs. We didn't have air conditioning, which I usually put it down to.

It won't stop me from going back though, Ive already booked the flights.

Yes I have booked our holiday again too,so it cant be that bad! My asthma is well controlled and I am especially alergic to dust, but whilst in Goa I was fine, no wheezing,coughing nothing. It was only when I returned home I started with the dreaded Virus!

i also had a very bad cough this year jan i was told by the locals oh you have the goan cough whatever that means had 2 lots of antibiotics which still did not shift it after being home for 1 week it suddenly went i wonder

I too came home and started with a chest infection with flu type symptoms, after a course of anti-biotics I felt fine but three weeks later it was backa and required more anti bio's.
Touch wood its gone now!
Perhaps I will take the anti biotics before I go back, beacause go back I will

I've had a cold/sore throat on and off for the lat 3 months!!! It's been quite irritating... But I just put that down to not enough rest... The thing that really gets me is those skin infections this time of year (when it's really hot and humid)... Lovely!!

I came back from Goa in Feb, felt reaaly ill and went to hospital where they tested me for malaria, then a few days later, gave me a CT scan! Had a month of wrok, cos just felt like I was about to die! Wating for an mri now (long wait) Feeling a lot better now, just still not able to sleep, could do with going back to Goa for some sleeping pills!!

Docs still puzzled and testing me for all sorts of things (but not tropical diseases, as he says he hasnt a clue)

Wont stop me retuning to Goa, I would mone there tomorrow if I could!

personally i think a big part of the problem is the nasty cheap charter flights with their over recycled air ( ive read an article/report into the air quality on some of these airlines & it wasnt good!!! - must try & find it again) that is the problem, and as said as most of us go to goa in uk winter months thats when you're sharing a confined space for 9hrs or so (+nasty bug ridden air) with 260+ other people of whom quite a few are probably flying with coughs,splutters & various other winter afflictions - and result its spread around the rest of us!!!!!!!!!
i think as well you tend to build up a degree of resistance to the bugs that 'live' in your own country but when you go somewhere new your immune system is not used to dealing with that particular countries current viruses/bacteria floating around!
the worst ive ever had was after a flight to egypt last year within 3 hrs of getting off the flight (a charter - thomsons) i had the worst sinusitis you could ever imagine, my nose ran like a tap for the entire 2 weeks holiday(sorry maybe too much info there!!!) and ive never had sinusitis before in my life! not pretty!! mrs perma red drippy nose!!!!