| Summary: | Thermography involves the quantification of emitted radiation to measure temperature, and provides a quick non-invasive means to measure body temperature. Infrared thermography (IRT) can be implemented at international airports in order to detect febrile passengers and prevent the introduction and spread of infectious diseases to other countries. Border control strategies were enacted as a response to the emergence of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in 2003, which included the introduction of non-contact infrared thermal scanners at international airports and bus or railway stations for mass screening of individuals. IRT has also been used as a measure to detect and prevent influenza outbreaks and transmission of dengue fever across borders. IRT may be influenced by several confounding factors including age and outdoor temperature. In addition, results from studies looking at IRT as a tool to detect fever tend to have small positive predictive values due to the small prevalence of febrile passengers. However, advantages of using IRT include its ability to screen mass numbers of individuals and reduce close contacts with infected individuals. Recently, the 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa has renewed concerns of disease transmission across borders and increased vigilance to identify individuals entering the country who may harbour infection. The purpose of this review is to examine the effectiveness of screening for fever at border crossings to reduce the risk of infectious disease outbreaks
|
|---|