Thermal screening: a non-invasive technique to help stop the Influenza A(H1N1) pandemia
Safety is a paramount concern of our modern world. New threats are constantly appearing; and with globalization, new ways in which these threats can affect us appear as well. Take for instance the new Influenza A(H1N1) virus. This became, in a matter of weeks, a global pandemic, as confirmed by the World Health Organization (WHO) calling for a phase 6 alert.
Fortunately so far, the Influenza A(H1N1) virus is not as deadly as others, but yet it made the world reflect on how prepared we really are when facing such a problem of global proportions. To put it in figures, according to the latest WHO report, just below 90,000 cases have been reported, with deaths nearing 400 cases worldwide.[1]
When dealing with a threat that might scale up very quickly, while at the same time wanting to prevent the general public from falling into generalized panic, one has to act promptly in detecting and pinpointing the real source of threats. According to the World Health Organization, the Influenza A(H1N1) is characterized by a "sudden onset of high fever, aching muscles, headache and severe malaise, non-productive cough, sore throat and rhinitis."[2] Fortunately a solution can be found in the medical application of Digital Thermographic Cameras.
Thermal screening is a technique that, through the use of Digital IR sensing, helps detect possible cases of fever in crowds. Using Digital Thermographic Cameras one can obtain an infrared scan of passengers travelling through busy places, particularly transportation sites. Several countries have installed this type of technology to quickly and non-invasively measure body temperatures at entry and exit points, such as airports, to identify those passengers that reflect a higher than 38'C (100'F) thermal reading, thus indicating the possibility of fever. This, as was noted above, is one of the signs of the infection, and therefore can offer the authorities a way of isolating the patient for a more thorough screening and targeted testing for the virus.
The use of Digital Thermographic Cameras for the massive screening of people has become widespread. A few of the many countries that have stated this as a public health policy are Argentina, Kuwait, Mexico, Oman, Taiwan, which also donated a unit to El Salvador, Thailand, Turkey, etc.[3,4,5,6] It must be noted that as this type of threats is recent, the application of thermal screening and other types of technologies is under research[7,8]. One thing is for sure: not one single measure will be enough, and governments will have to find a balance between its people's safety and its people's comfort, and between a country's security and its normal economic activity.
by Rocío Ortega|
References
1 2009_07_03 http://www.who.int/csr/don/2009_07_03/en/index.html
2 http://www.who.int/topics/influenza/en/
3 http://www.formosa.gov.ar/desarrollohumano.influenza-gripeporcina
4 http://www.arabtimesonline.com/client/pagesdetails.asp?nid=33567&ccid=9
5 Issue 159 (2009/04/30) http://www.doh.gov.tw/ufile/doc/Understanding_the_H1N1_Influenza_Virus.pdf
6 http://www.taiwanembassy.org/ct.asp?xItem=90292&ctNode=2237&mp=1&nowPage=53&pagesize=15
7 http://www.aph.gov.au/house/committee/jfadt/asean1/subs/sub16.pdf
8 http://www.bag.admin.ch/influenza/
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