Sharjah airport to use thermal scanners to detect swine flu cases
posted on 04/05/2009
Sharjah International Airport will put thermal scanners in place on Monday and passengers flying in from the West will be screened for suspected cases of H1N1 (swine flu), a senior doctor said.
"The airport receives flights from Athens, Greece, and transit passengers from Europe and Turkey pass through Sharjah," said Dr Essam Salameh, head of medical services at the Airport.
"Ministry of Health procedures are already in place. Suspected passengers are presently being screened with the help of digital ear thermometers," he said. According to procedures, if a pilot suspects a passenger has the new strain of influenza, he will inform the air traffic controller, who in turn will alert the airport medical centre.
Passengers with high temperature will be isolated until the test report is released, he said. "There is a four-point check in place," said Dr Salaneh.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports already have thermal scanners in place. Each machine costs about Dh200,000.
A camera uses thermal imaging to assess the skin temperature of passengers as they pass through a checkpoint and transforms the data into a coloured image on a screen. If a passenger has more than 38 degrees Celsius temperature, the colour on the screen will be red.
Dubai and Abu Dhabi airports already have thermal scanners in place. "Dubai airport is working very closely with the Department of Health to prevent the entry of H1N1 influenza," an airport spokesman said on Sunday. "The thermal scanners were installed on Friday and all screenings are done over the weekend were normal," he said.
"If any suspected cases are identified, they will be transported to Airport Medical Centre for further tests and handled accordingly," Dubai airport said.
Airlines have been urged to announce about minors onboard a flight ahead of its arrival to facilitate their screening at the airport. Dubai Airport handles 100,000 incoming passengers every day.
The WHO (World Health Organisation) has put the pandemic level at Phase 5, which means that a widespread epidemic is imminent. It is now characterised by human-to-human spread of the virus. Seventeen countries have officially reported 643 cases of influenza A (H1N1) infection. Health Authority-Abu Dhabi (HAAD) continues to monitor the outbreak through its 24-hour Incident Command Centre, according to a statement released on Sunday. – Gulf News
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