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http://www.vancouversun.com/health/Airports+safe+haven+infectious+disease+Report/2156247/story.html
Airports a safe haven for infectious disease: Report
By Bradley Bouzane, Canwest News ServiceOctober 28, 2009
In the face of an H1N1 pandemic, Canadian airports are serving as "major gateways for infectious diseases," according to a report that suggests more flu screening is required at airports to crack down on the spread, but some fear it's too late to take action in airports.
The report, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, singles out Toronto as the "most vulnerable point of entry in Canada," followed by Vancouver International Airport. Montreal's Trudeau airport is listed as No. 3 in the report.
It suggests airports consider the use of thermal sensors that can detect the body heat of passengers, increased passenger screening and other testing methods, to reduce the spread of infectious conditions.
Christopher McDougall, of the University of Toronto's Joint Centre for Bioethics, which deals with ethical issues of a pandemic response, says protective measures along those lines would not be of much help and believes the time has passed to be largely effective in airports.
"With H1N1, the cat's out of the bag," McDougall said Wednesday. "(We can) do virtually nothing ? it would be a waste of resources at this point. It's very rare that screening for any kind of flu would be effective at airports.
"By the time people are travelling, your early cases will be asymptomatic, but still spreading. It's basically a non-issue for influenza."
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority, which includes Pearson Airport, would not comment specifically on any measures taken to deal with H1N1 and referred all questions to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Heather-Jo McCarley, the Vancouver Airport Authority's manager of emergency planning, said the Public Health Agency of Canada institutes any changes in screening over such cases, but has not called for changes at this point.
"We will take our lead from PHAC and follow any directives they deem necessary," she said.
The CMAJ report ? titled An Analysis of Canada's Vulnerability to Emerging Infectious Disease Threats via the Global Airline Transportation Network ? says Canada needs to establish closer ties to disease-control officials in other countries, with an emphasis on countries with higher air traffic volumes and weaker health systems.
Creating a link to the last major infectious disease outbreak in Canada, co-author Dr. Kamran Khan said air travel became a central focus for preventing the spread when SARS first surfaced in 2002 and continued through 2003.
"The overwhelming number of SARS cases that moved from country to country were by air travel," Khan said in the CMAJ. "Now we're seeing the same with novel H1N1."
Khan and co-author Dr. Michael Gardam, both from Toronto's St. Michael's Hospital, said the study ? which was conducted prior to H1N1 making waves ? was commissioned by PHAC after the air-travel industry became a focal point during the SARS outbreak.
Canadian health authorities addressed travel concerns related to H1N1 Wednesday, and stressed that prevention efforts need to be increased.
"Passengers on trains, planes, ferries and inter-city buses need to feel confident that measures are being taken to prevent and control the spread of infection," Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said Wednesday. "Operators need to have the necessary (information) to be fully aware of the procedures and they need the best advice available to ensure the safety of their passengers."
The federal government released a new set of guidelines Wednesday aimed at travellers, including those who use public transit.
The document says passengers and crew who appear ill should be separated from others as much as possible and that crew minimize their contact with any sick passengers.
People who are sick and cannot avoid travel are being asked to go by car if possible and travel operators are being asked to make it easy for Canadians to re-book their plans if they are sick.
Those travelling internationally should note that operators are required by law to report anyone on board suspected of being able to spread a communicable disease, including H1N1. Quarantine officers would assess the situation and advise whether action is required for the sick passenger.
McDougall believes potential travel advisories would not be of much help, either, because they are not strictly enforced in most cases.
"Travel advisories tend to be worded around non-essential travel and that will take care of a small number of travellers, but not very many," he said.
"If you've planned a vacation and sunk some money into it, you're not likely to throw that away. If you're in business, you're probably under a lot of pressure to continue to travel anyway, and if you're travelling for important family reasons, it's the same thing."
? Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
Airports a safe haven for infectious disease: Report
By Bradley Bouzane, Canwest News ServiceOctober 28, 2009
In the face of an H1N1 pandemic, Canadian airports are serving as "major gateways for infectious diseases," according to a report that suggests more flu screening is required at airports to crack down on the spread, but some fear it's too late to take action in airports.
The report, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, singles out Toronto as the "most vulnerable point of entry in Canada," followed by Vancouver International Airport. Montreal's Trudeau airport is listed as No. 3 in the report.
It suggests airports consider the use of thermal sensors that can detect the body heat of passengers, increased passenger screening and other testing methods, to reduce the spread of infectious conditions.
Christopher McDougall, of the University of Toronto's Joint Centre for Bioethics, which deals with ethical issues of a pandemic response, says protective measures along those lines would not be of much help and believes the time has passed to be largely effective in airports.
"With H1N1, the cat's out of the bag," McDougall said Wednesday. "(We can) do virtually nothing ? it would be a waste of resources at this point. It's very rare that screening for any kind of flu would be effective at airports.
"By the time people are travelling, your early cases will be asymptomatic, but still spreading. It's basically a non-issue for influenza."
The Greater Toronto Airports Authority, which includes Pearson Airport, would not comment specifically on any measures taken to deal with H1N1 and referred all questions to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Heather-Jo McCarley, the Vancouver Airport Authority's manager of emergency planning, said the Public Health Agency of Canada institutes any changes in screening over such cases, but has not called for changes at this point.
"We will take our lead from PHAC and follow any directives they deem necessary," she said.
The CMAJ report ? titled An Analysis of Canada's Vulnerability to Emerging Infectious Disease Threats via the Global Airline Transportation Network ? says Canada needs to establish closer ties to disease-control officials in other countries, with an emphasis on countries with higher air traffic volumes and weaker health systems.
Creating a link to the last major infectious disease outbreak in Canada, co-author Dr. Kamran Khan said air travel became a central focus for preventing the spread when SARS first surfaced in 2002 and continued through 2003.
"The overwhelming number of SARS cases that moved from country to country were by air travel," Khan said in the CMAJ. "Now we're seeing the same with novel H1N1."
Khan and co-author Dr. Michael Gardam, both from Toronto's St. Michael's Hospital, said the study ? which was conducted prior to H1N1 making waves ? was commissioned by PHAC after the air-travel industry became a focal point during the SARS outbreak.
Canadian health authorities addressed travel concerns related to H1N1 Wednesday, and stressed that prevention efforts need to be increased.
"Passengers on trains, planes, ferries and inter-city buses need to feel confident that measures are being taken to prevent and control the spread of infection," Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said Wednesday. "Operators need to have the necessary (information) to be fully aware of the procedures and they need the best advice available to ensure the safety of their passengers."
The federal government released a new set of guidelines Wednesday aimed at travellers, including those who use public transit.
The document says passengers and crew who appear ill should be separated from others as much as possible and that crew minimize their contact with any sick passengers.
People who are sick and cannot avoid travel are being asked to go by car if possible and travel operators are being asked to make it easy for Canadians to re-book their plans if they are sick.
Those travelling internationally should note that operators are required by law to report anyone on board suspected of being able to spread a communicable disease, including H1N1. Quarantine officers would assess the situation and advise whether action is required for the sick passenger.
McDougall believes potential travel advisories would not be of much help, either, because they are not strictly enforced in most cases.
"Travel advisories tend to be worded around non-essential travel and that will take care of a small number of travellers, but not very many," he said.
"If you've planned a vacation and sunk some money into it, you're not likely to throw that away. If you're in business, you're probably under a lot of pressure to continue to travel anyway, and if you're travelling for important family reasons, it's the same thing."
? Copyright (c) Canwest News Service
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