The year 1918 saw an unprecedented medical phenomena, which although, was known to be a medical possibility was never taken seriously until it reached catastrophic proportions. The world was still recovering from the massive toll of the Great war when the influenza virus struck. It did not take much time for the pandemic to spread to virtually every corner of the world as a result of the lack of urgency that the outbreak deserved. Almost 50 million people lost their lives to the devastating disease. Thus now, when the world has become an even smaller place with millions of people traveling locally as well as globally, no scale of measurements can be thought of as an exaggerated reaction to this deadly strain of virus.
Since the infection originates in a rather localized manner, the source of the outbreak can be accurately pinpointed. In the swine flu outbreak, the origin seems to be in Mexico. It has however spread to at least 8 countries at the time this article was written. It therefore becomes necessary for the major airports to install specialized screening mechanisms to insure that no undiagnosed case of swine flu manages to slip in (inadvertently, of course) or escape out of the premises and if a suspected case is detected, then is reported to the medical authorities and quarantined immediately.
Several such mechanisms are being utilized including many systems which were already in place. A major problem with the existing methods is the time it takes for a full test for swine flu to be conducted. This not only creates inconvenience to the customers, but also poses a risk of spreading the infection. Thus, a fast and effective mechanism is required at this time, when each new infection can cascade into an uncontrollable situation.
Many airports have since adopted a novel way of screening the passengers, by using thermal cameras already installed at the airports for security checks. Thermal imaging is proving to be an effective test since even at early stages of swine flu, the infected person radiates heat signatures, that can be identified by person or through minor hacks in the pattern recognition software's already functioning on the terminals. These thermal signatures are characteristic of a set of viral infections closely related to the swine flu. Thus further tests after isolation of the person can confirm or negate the premise.
Several factors make this approach a sensible one. Firstly no contact whatsoever with the subject is required for accurate readings. The remote nature of this test makes it perfectly suitable for such a use. An algorithmic tool can be utilized for an initial screening. This allows a wider sample space with several subjects being scanned at the same time. More than one such thermal cameras maybe installed to compensate the error probability inherent with such pattern recognition softwares. After an initial filtering, manual scans may be conducted through thermal cameras, on a one by one basis. Thus a multilevel, yet a parallel approach is made possible by such a thermal analysis.And lastly, depending on the intensity of the signature, the stage of the flu can also be made out with reasonable precision. This will let the supervisor choose the necessary action to be taken in case of a positive.
by Manvir Clair
Mrs. Clair has worked with Contour pattern recognition system's integration with IR sensitive devices.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
When Pandemic Prevention Becomes Political
As global fears regarding swine flu increase, world governments are seeking ways to curb the spread of this potential pandemic. In todays complex and struggling economy, recommending travel restrictions is politically difficult. Vice President Joe Biden of the United States recently backpedaled on his recommendation to avoid all unnecessary travel to Mexico. Governments are leery of any action which could potentially bankrupt the travel industry, especially when they are struggling to stimulate their economies, not weaken them. Yet the H1N1 virus is a serious threat, and while travel restrictions might be an over-reaction, health officials and political leaders know action must be taken to slow the spread of this virus.
Many world leaders are therefore turning to technology. Thermal imaging scanners have been installed at airports around the globe in an attempt to prevent individuals who have contracted the virus from entering their home countries. These thermal scanners, when trained on incoming passengers, alert airport officials when a passenger with a high fever passes. This allows health officials to approach the patient, who is then isolated from the general population until the cause of his illness is determined.
Most of Asia already has these thermal imaging scanners in place from the 2003 SARS crisis. Other countries are moving quickly to install thermal imaging technology in their own airports. In the United States, however, most airports do not have thermal technology in place. In Houston, which receives more passengers arriving from Mexico than any other American airport, airport officials have been offered scanners from the Houston fire department but the CDC has refused them. Critics of thermal imaging argue that these scanners do not detect illness in individuals who are in the latency period of the virus, when individuals display no symptoms but are still contagious. Now, health leaders are fighting against a wildly spreading virus. If airport thermal imaging had been in place, swine flu might have been detected sooner and been better contained. If government officials are unwilling to take aggressive action against the spread of the virus by imposing economically-problematic travel bans, they must seek other solutions, including thermal imaging scanners. If an ounce of prevention is worth indeed a pound of cure, then if thermal imaging scanners had already been in place in border airports, health
officials might have prevented a pandemic. Even now, if the government acts quickly and decisively, thermal scanners still might mitigate the rapid spread of the swine flu.
by Martha Jarden
Mrs. Jarden is a healthcare professional.
References
Jackson, David. "Biden: Revising and Extending His Remarks." The Oval, USA Today. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2009/04/66203683/1 (30 April 2009).
Keith, Damala. "Swine Flu Measures in Place at Bush Airport." My Fox Houston. http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/health/090427_swine_flu_bush_airport (30 April 2009).
Kole, William J. and Cheng, Maria. "World takes action on swine flu: Killing pigs, kissing bans and fever-seeking cameras." Newser.http://www.newser.com/article/d97sego00/world-takes-action-on-swine-flu-killing-pigs-kissing-bans-and-fever-seeking-cameras.html (30 April 2009).
For more information please click on the links below:
Medical Infrared Imaging
Infrared Imaging Cameras
Many world leaders are therefore turning to technology. Thermal imaging scanners have been installed at airports around the globe in an attempt to prevent individuals who have contracted the virus from entering their home countries. These thermal scanners, when trained on incoming passengers, alert airport officials when a passenger with a high fever passes. This allows health officials to approach the patient, who is then isolated from the general population until the cause of his illness is determined.
Most of Asia already has these thermal imaging scanners in place from the 2003 SARS crisis. Other countries are moving quickly to install thermal imaging technology in their own airports. In the United States, however, most airports do not have thermal technology in place. In Houston, which receives more passengers arriving from Mexico than any other American airport, airport officials have been offered scanners from the Houston fire department but the CDC has refused them. Critics of thermal imaging argue that these scanners do not detect illness in individuals who are in the latency period of the virus, when individuals display no symptoms but are still contagious. Now, health leaders are fighting against a wildly spreading virus. If airport thermal imaging had been in place, swine flu might have been detected sooner and been better contained. If government officials are unwilling to take aggressive action against the spread of the virus by imposing economically-problematic travel bans, they must seek other solutions, including thermal imaging scanners. If an ounce of prevention is worth indeed a pound of cure, then if thermal imaging scanners had already been in place in border airports, health
officials might have prevented a pandemic. Even now, if the government acts quickly and decisively, thermal scanners still might mitigate the rapid spread of the swine flu.
by Martha Jarden
Mrs. Jarden is a healthcare professional.
References
Jackson, David. "Biden: Revising and Extending His Remarks." The Oval, USA Today. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2009/04/66203683/1 (30 April 2009).
Keith, Damala. "Swine Flu Measures in Place at Bush Airport." My Fox Houston. http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/health/090427_swine_flu_bush_airport (30 April 2009).
Kole, William J. and Cheng, Maria. "World takes action on swine flu: Killing pigs, kissing bans and fever-seeking cameras." Newser.http://www.newser.com/article/d97sego00/world-takes-action-on-swine-flu-killing-pigs-kissing-bans-and-fever-seeking-cameras.html (30 April 2009).
For more information please click on the links below:
Medical Infrared Imaging
Infrared Imaging Cameras
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