If you have plans to fly, don't forget to wash your hands before you head to the airport, and after you land.

Researchers have released a list of the U.S. airports most likely to spread disease -- and they said it has nothing to do with how clean the airports air.

The list appears in the journal PLoS ONE, published by the Public Library of Science.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology looked at each airport's location, its links to other airports, and how many passengers fly through to determine which are the riskiest for contagious diseases.

Topping the list: JFK International Airport, in New York, which has a staggering number of daily international flights and travelers.

Los Angeles International Airport was ranked second, and No. 3 was more of a surprise, the much smaller Honolulu International, in Hawaii.

The reason: Honolulu's connections to busy, distant hubs in Asia and elsewhere around the world.

Orlando International Airport was not ranked in the survey, nor were any airports in Central Florida or Tampa Bay.

However, Miami International Airport came in at No. 8.

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Top airports most likely to spread disease

  1. JFK - John F. Kennedy International (New York)
  2. LAX - Los Angeles International (California)
  3. HNL - Honolulu International (Hawaii)
  4. SFO - San Francisco International (California)
  5. EWR - Newark Liberty International (New Jersey)
  6. ORD - Chicago O'Hare International (Illinois)
  7. IAD - Washington Dulles International Airport (D.C.)
  8. ATL - Atlanta International (Georgia)
  9. MIA - Miami International (Florida)
  10. DFW - Dallas/Fort Worth International (Texas)
     
  11. DTW - Detroit Metro (Michigan)
  12. PHX - Phoenix Sky Harbor International (Arizona)
  13. IAH - Bush Intercontinental, Houston (Texas)
  14. SEA - Seattle/Tacoma International (Washington)
  15. BOS - Boston Logan International (Massachusetts)
  16. PHL - Philadelphia International (Pennsylvania)
  17. MSP - Minneapolis/St. Paul International (Minnesota)
  18. LAS - McCarran International, Las Vegas (Nevada)
  19. PDX - Portland International (Oregon)
  20. SLC - Salt Lake City International (Utah)
     
  21. ANC - Anchorage International (Alaska)
  22. SAN - San Diego International (California)
  23. BWI - Baltimore/Washington International (Maryland)
  24. CLT - Charlotte/Douglas International (North Carolina)
  25. PIT - Pittsburgh International (Pennsylvania)
  26. CLE - Cleveland Hopkins International (Ohio)
  27. SMF - Sacramento International (California)
  28. TUS - Tucson International (Arizona)
  29. IND - Indianapolis International (Indiana)
  30. DCA - Ronald Reagan Washington National (D.C.)
     
  31. BTV - Burlington International (Vermont)
  32. MSY - New Orleans International (Louisiana)
  33. BNA - Nashville International (Tennessee)
  34. MEM - Memphis (Tennessee)
  35. MCI - Kansas City International (Missouri)
  36. FAI - Fairbanks International (Alaska)
  37. SDF - Louisville International (Kentucky)