UAE vows to take fresh measures to prevent entry of bird flu

[Sally Furniss]

Bird Flu Body Scan

http://www.7days.ae/en/2007/03/07/bird-flu-body-scan.html

Every passenger arriving at Dubai airport may have to undergo medical tests for bird flu if their body temperature is just one degree above normal.
Under plans being considered by the authorities, all 80,000 thousand people arriving daily at the airport will have to walk through scanners testing their body temperature.
If a passenger registers more than one degree above the normal 37 degrees Celsius (98.6F), they face being pulled aside to undergo tests that will determine why their temperature is higher than normal. Details of the tests passengers may have to undertake have yet to be revealed, as well as how long the process might take or the delays involved.
?We already have all the required devices but we are waiting for approval from the higher authorities in the government,? said Ibtesam Bastaki, head of the Department of Health and Medical Services (DOHMS) clinic. The move is part of the department?s effort to prepare for any possibility of bird flu reaching the Emirates, said officials.
The scanners were earlier implemented at Dubai airport during the SARS outbreak in 2005, but have since been withdrawn from service. The thermo scanners were suggested to authorities following reports of bird flu being found in some countries in the Middle East. No cases have yet been discovered in the UAE. ?The device will help the early detection of any cases entering the country,? said Bastaki.
DOHMS said based on the success of the scanners they may be introduced on a long- term basis, claiming the scans would not adversely affect travellers. ?These scanners may be introduced permanently if we get approval from the authorities. High temperature is not always indicative of bird flu. However, these scanners need to be installed, but they will not cause any delays in the airport procedures.?
Thermo scanners have already been introduced in countries in the Far East and New Zealand. The H5N1 strain, the most aggressive form of bird flu, has killed more than 160 people worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation, and seen millions of birds destroyed.

[Sally Furniss]

UAE: Bird Flu Body Scan

Bird Flu Body Scan

http://www.7days.ae/en/2007/03/07/bird-flu-body-scan.html

Every passenger arriving at Dubai airport may have to undergo medical tests for bird flu if their body temperature is just one degree above normal.
Under plans being considered by the authorities, all 80,000 thousand people arriving daily at the airport will have to walk through scanners testing their body temperature.
If a passenger registers more than one degree above the normal 37 degrees Celsius (98.6F), they face being pulled aside to undergo tests that will determine why their temperature is higher than normal. Details of the tests passengers may have to undertake have yet to be revealed, as well as how long the process might take or the delays involved.
?We already have all the required devices but we are waiting for approval from the higher authorities in the government,? said Ibtesam Bastaki, head of the Department of Health and Medical Services (DOHMS) clinic. The move is part of the department?s effort to prepare for any possibility of bird flu reaching the Emirates, said officials.
The scanners were earlier implemented at Dubai airport during the SARS outbreak in 2005, but have since been withdrawn from service. The thermo scanners were suggested to authorities following reports of bird flu being found in some countries in the Middle East. No cases have yet been discovered in the UAE. ?The device will help the early detection of any cases entering the country,? said Bastaki.
DOHMS said based on the success of the scanners they may be introduced on a long- term basis, claiming the scans would not adversely affect travellers. ?These scanners may be introduced permanently if we get approval from the authorities. High temperature is not always indicative of bird flu. However, these scanners need to be installed, but they will not cause any delays in the airport procedures.?
Thermo scanners have already been introduced in countries in the Far East and New Zealand. The H5N1 strain, the most aggressive form of bird flu, has killed more than 160 people worldwide, according to the World Health Organisation, and seen millions of birds destroyed.

[Susie]

Dubai plans bird flu blood tests at airport: report

Dubai plans bird flu blood tests at airport: report

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=69359

DUBAI (AFP) - Air passengers suspected of carrying the lethal H5N1 strain of bird flu might have to undergo blood tests before being allowed entry into the Gulf emirate of Dubai, a newspaper reported Thursday.

Blood samples could be taken as part of a medical exam carried out on travellers with higher than normal body temperatures upon arriving at Dubai airport, health officials told the English-language 7Days.

The officials did not state when the tests would start but told the paper they already have the necessary equipment and are waiting for the go-ahead from higher authorities.

Under the plan, all 80,000 passengers arriving daily at Dubai airport would pass through temperature scanners. Anyone with a body temperature more than one degree above the normal 37 degrees Celsius (98.6 Fahrenheit) would undergo the medical exam, health officials said.

The H5N1 strain, the most aggressive form, has killed more than 160 people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, and seen millions of birds destroyed.

Dubai is one of seven members of the United Arab Emirates, and it was not immediately clear if other emirates that have international airports would introduce similar tests.

H5N1 is an avian influenza subtype with pandemic potential, since it might ultimately adapt into a strain that is contagious among humans.

A team of experts from the World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) arrived earlier this week in the neighboring Gulf state of Kuwait, where 52 birds have been found infected with the virus.

[Sally Furniss]

UAE: Country remains vigilant against bird flu

Country remains vigilant against bird flu

http://archive.gulfnews.com/nation/Health/10109836.html

By Rania Habib, Staff Reporter


Dubai: The emirate is prepared to deal with any bird flu outbreak, authorities said yesterday, adding that cooperation between the emirates is increasingly important in dealing with the issue.

Majid Al Mansouri, spokesman of the National Committee for Emergency Response to Bird Flu and Secretary-General of the Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi (EAD), and Dr Mohammad Saeed Al Kindi, Minister of Environment and Water, spoke to the press after a secretariat meeting, attended by representatives from the various emirates.

"We follow up with all concerned parties on a daily basis and entry points ... are being monitored," said Al Kindi.

"We have enforced stricter laws at all entry points, even with buses carrying cargo. All members of the bird flu committee submit test results on a daily basis, and report on any cases of dead or confiscated birds."

The official said all free-roaming birds must be put in enclosures, and that the law applies to all emirates. "Emirates other than Abu Dhabi were not implementing the law before, but it is now mandatory for everybody," said Al Kindi.

Al Mansouri explained that there was no reason for concern about bird flu in the UAE, and that the meeting was put together to address the issue following the outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus in Kuwait.

"I hope all people are aware and careful about bird flu as it is a national responsibility.

"The outbreak in Kuwait happened because of one selfish person who brought back falcons from hunting, so cooperation is the only way we can keep the virus from entering the UAE," said Al Mansouri.

[Sally Furniss]

UAE vows to take fresh measures to prevent entry of bird flu

UAE vows to take fresh measures to prevent entry of bird flu

http://english.people.com.cn/200703/09/eng20070309_356029.html

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has vowed to take a series of fresh measures to prevent the entry of the H5N1 bird flu virus that has been detected in the sister Gulf state of Kuwait, local newspaper Khaleej Times reported on Friday.

The government decision was made at a meeting of the National Emergency Committee on Bird Flu which discussed a ban on entry of poultry products with inbound passengers' baggage.

In view of the fact that most cases infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus in Kuwait were among falcons, the meeting also discussed a quarantine of the birds of prey in the UAE and their testing for the H5N1 virus.

UAE Minister of Environment and Water Mohammed Saeed Al Kindi was quoted as saying after the meeting that "a decision was taken to publicize the precautionary measures being taken by the emirates, such as the closure of bird-selling outlets located in residential complexes."

He noted that food shipments will only be allowed into the country via the Ghuweifat border check post and international airports at Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah.

"The imported food consignments must also carry the certificates of origin. Trucks carrying food consignment will be thoroughly screened at all border check points," he added.

According to the official, a follow-up committee was formed to submit daily reports on any suspected bird flu cases.

Earlier, the UAE government has already taken a number of measures to prevent a possible outbreak of bird flu, including setting up a new quarantine center at the UAE-Oman border and stockpiling over one million tablets of Tamiflu, the best known drug to treat bird flu among humans.

It was reported that at least 46 cases of the H5N1 strain of bird flu have been detected in Kuwait since Feb. 25, which has raised concerns over the contagious disease in the Gulf region.