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Pandemic passenger screening
May 20, 2009Simulating the pandemic disease airport screening system
Four major US national laboratories have worked together to develop a computer model to help airport authorities screen passengers for pandemic influenza. The tool can help estimate false negatives, people with influenza who slip through the screening process, and so assess the risk of infected passengers unknowingly spreading disease across the nation.
Robert Brigantic, and colleagues at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, in Richland, Washington, and teams at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Tennessee, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, California, and Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, report details of their simulations in the current issue of the International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management.
When there is a confirmed human outbreak of a pandemic influenza virus overseas, the US National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza calls for screening of passengers scheduled to fly into the US at international airports, en route screening and arrival screening at US ports-of-entry. However, the efficacy of screening procedures is not known and so Brigantic and colleagues have built a computer model, a simulation of US airport entry screening that combines epidemiology with knowledge about evolving disease states and conditions of passengers over time.
They have tested their simulation under different pandemic scenarios and carried out an analysis of the impact of alternative mitigative, diagnostic and quarantine measures that can be used. Their results could help decision makers plan for the resources needed at the port-of-entry airports, anticipate possible developments during a pandemic, and devise appropriate courses of action to prevent the spread of disease through the US.
"The simulation work is easily adaptable to model other types of outbreaks, to include non-influenza virus type outbreaks or disease spread," says Brigantic.
The researchers conclude that there are several key factors that could reduce the risk of a pandemic influenza spreading widely in the US. First, if possible passengers should be screened before they board a plane bound for the US. Second, passengers presenting symptoms on arrival should be tested for the pandemic influenza virus and potential quarantine. The authorities should be aware that passengers may infect each other before and during their flight and that any screening program is likely to increase delays and queues.
Finally, the team suggests that advances are now needed in diagnostics for infection to automate and speed up confirmation.
Inderscience Publishers
When there is a confirmed human outbreak of a pandemic influenza virus overseas, the US National Strategy for Pandemic Influenza calls for screening of passengers scheduled to fly into the US at international airports, en route screening and arrival screening at US ports-of-entry. However, the efficacy of screening procedures is not known and so Brigantic and colleagues have built a computer model, a simulation of US airport entry screening that combines epidemiology with knowledge about evolving disease states and conditions of passengers over time.
They have tested their simulation under different pandemic scenarios and carried out an analysis of the impact of alternative mitigative, diagnostic and quarantine measures that can be used. Their results could help decision makers plan for the resources needed at the port-of-entry airports, anticipate possible developments during a pandemic, and devise appropriate courses of action to prevent the spread of disease through the US.
"The simulation work is easily adaptable to model other types of outbreaks, to include non-influenza virus type outbreaks or disease spread," says Brigantic.
The researchers conclude that there are several key factors that could reduce the risk of a pandemic influenza spreading widely in the US. First, if possible passengers should be screened before they board a plane bound for the US. Second, passengers presenting symptoms on arrival should be tested for the pandemic influenza virus and potential quarantine. The authorities should be aware that passengers may infect each other before and during their flight and that any screening program is likely to increase delays and queues.
Finally, the team suggests that advances are now needed in diagnostics for infection to automate and speed up confirmation.
Inderscience Publishers
Pandemic Current Events and Pandemic News RSSAsthma a significant risk factor for complications in children with H1N1
A new study on pediatric H1N1 influenza admissions has found that asthma is a significant risk factor for severe disease in children with pandemic H1N1 compared with the seasonal flu.
Preventing H1N1 spread to health care workers: Dilemma, debate and confusion
A commentary in the December issue of The Lancet Infectious Diseases brings to light the gaps in knowledge on the transmission of a common pathogen - the influenza virus - and its impact on decisions about how best to protect health care workers.
New culprit for viral infections among elderly -- an overactive immune response
Researchers at Yale School of Medicine have found that exaggerated responses of the immune system explain why the elderly succumb to viral infections more readily than younger people.
New research helps explain why bird flu has not caused a pandemic
Bird flu viruses would have to make at least two simultaneous genetic mutations before they could be transmitted readily from human to human, according to research published today in PLoS ONE.
Mechanical ventilation for patients with lung damage don't always work as planned
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90 percent of Africans are not protected by smoke-free laws
As African nations are poised to undergo the highest increase in the rate of tobacco use among developing countries, nearly 90 percent of people on the continent remain without meaningful protection from secondhand smoke, according to a new report released at a regional cancer conference today.
Researchers mobilizing global resources to test new treatments for severe H1N1 infection
An important, ground-breaking initiative is unfolding in the global critical care community in response to the H1N1 pandemic.
New Synthetic Molecules Trigger Immune Response to HIV and Prostate Cancer
Researchers at Yale University have developed synthetic molecules capable of enhancing the body's immune response to HIV and HIV-infected cells, as well as to prostate cancer cells. Their findings, published online in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, could lead to novel therapeutic approaches for these diseases.
When should flu trigger a school shutdown?
As flu season approaches, parents around the country are starting to face school closures. But how bad should an influenza outbreak be for a school to shut down?
Sneezing in times of a flu pandemic
The swine flu (H1N1) pandemic has received extensive media coverage this year. The World Health Organization, in addition to providing frequent updates about cases of infection and death tolls, recommends hyper vigilance in daily hygiene such as frequent hand washing or sneezing into the crook of our arms.
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