Airport checks can stop diseases

Other View vs Mainstream View

There is a non-mainstream point of view that "Airport checks can stop diseases". Let's take a look into pros and cons of this statement:

1. Pros: Airport checks like screening passengers for symptoms, collecting health declaration forms, and testing can help identify potentially infected individuals and prevent them from traveling, thereby reducing the spread of diseases to other areas.
   – Cons: False negatives in airport screening due to asymptomatic cases, incubation periods, and imperfect testing sensitivity can still allow infected passengers to slip through and spread diseases undetected.

2. Pros: Airports are major hubs that connect the world. Implementing proper cleaning protocols, providing hand sanitizers, putting up informative signage about hygiene, etc. at airports can reduce the risk of disease transmission in these high-traffic areas.
   – Cons: The sheer volume of travelers and the constant flow of people through airports make it challenging to maintain perfect hygiene standards consistently. Contamination can still occur despite enhanced cleaning measures.

3. Pros: Having a pandemic preparedness plan and the ability to quickly implement disease control measures like traveler screening and risk communication at airports during an outbreak can slow the international spread of diseases.
   – Cons: Executing airport pandemic control measures requires significant resources, staff training, and coordination between multiple agencies. Many airports struggle to allocate sufficient budget and personnel to respond effectively to disease threats.

4. Pros: Strict airport checks can deter ill travelers from flying in the first place, as they may fear being denied boarding or facing quarantine. This self-selection can help limit the number of sick passengers entering the airport environment.
   – Cons: Some infected travelers may still choose to fly and attempt to evade airport checks by concealing symptoms, providing false health declarations, or taking medication to suppress fever or cough. This dishonesty undermines the effectiveness of screening.

5. Pros: Airport entry and exit screening can be a useful tool for disease surveillance, allowing public health authorities to gather data on the prevalence and geographic spread of infections among travelers.
   – Cons: Airport screening data has limitations and biases, as it only captures a subset of travelers at specific points in time. It may not accurately represent the true disease situation in the general population and can lead to skewed risk assessments.

Terms

• Asymptomatic: Infected individuals who do not show any symptoms of the disease but can still be contagious and spread it to others.

• Incubation period: The time between a person getting infected and when they start showing symptoms. They may be contagious during this period without knowing.

• Pandemic preparedness plan: A predetermined strategy outlining the steps and protocols airports and authorities will take during a pandemic to manage risks and minimize spread.

• Screening: The process of identifying passengers who may potentially be infected, usually by checking for symptoms, taking temperatures, or collecting health declaration forms.

Analogy

Airport disease control is like security screening - it can catch some dangerous items but not everything. Just as metal detectors don't stop all weapons, symptom screening doesn't catch all infected people. Multiple layers of defense are needed.For example, after 9/11 airport security was tightened with more scans and checks. But reinforced cockpit doors, air marshals, and changed protocols were also key to better airline safety. Similarly, airport measures must be combined with community actions to effectively limit outbreaks.

History

1. 1940s-1960s: Airports conducted health checks and required vaccination certificates mainly for diseases like yellow fever, cholera, and smallpox. Quarantine facilities were common.

2. 1970s-1990s: Focus shifted more to food safety, general sanitation, and controlling pests/vectors at airports. Health screenings decreased as diseases like smallpox were eradicated.

3. 2003: SARS outbreak led to renewed interest in airport measures like temperature checks and health declarations. But implementation varied.

4. 2005: WHO revised the International Health Regulations, setting requirements for disease control capabilities at airports. But compliance was slow.

5. 2020s: COVID-19 prompted a major increase in airport measures worldwide, including symptom screening, testing, quarantine facilities, cleaning protocols, and passenger health tracking. Effectiveness has been mixed and measures have been resource-intensive. Debate continues on the best balance and strategies.

How to use it

1. When traveling during a disease outbreak, check the airport website or your airline for any special screening requirements or forms you need to complete. Arrive early as there may be delays. Follow posted guidance on mask-wearing, sanitizing hands, and distancing.

2. If you are feeling unwell or have a fever, postpone travel and seek medical advice. Don't risk spreading illness to others. Be honest in any health declarations.

3. Even if not required, consider getting a COVID test before flying to protect fellow passengers. Respect any quarantine rules on arrival. See airport screening as one helpful step in a multi-layered process of travel risk reduction, along with vaccination, masking, and responsible personal behavior.

Facts

• A study found that half the security trays at an airport tested positive for respiratory viruses like influenza and the common cold.

• According to IATA, as of late 2020, 80% of countries had COVID-19 related travel restrictions in place, many involving quarantine or testing requirements on arrival.

• Airport COVID screening in Canada detected roughly 1 in every 8,600 international travelers as positive in early 2021, at a program cost of CA$2,500 per positive case identified.

• Over 140 countries have the necessary legal framework to implement the International Health Regulations at points of entry like airports, but under 50% reported having operational readiness in place.

• A review of 27 studies found entry/exit symptom screening would miss 46% of infected travelers on average, due to asymptomatic cases, incubation periods, and imperfect screening specificity.