Border Screening for SARS

Border Screening for SARS

Ronald K. St. John, Arlene King, Dick de Jong, Margaret Bodie-Collins, Susan G. Squires, Theresa WS Tam

With the rapid international spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) from March through May 2003, Canada introduced various measures to screen airplane passengers at selected airports for symptoms and signs of SARS. The World Health Organization requested that all affected areas screen departing passengers for SARS symptoms. In spite of intensive screening, no SARS cases were detected. SARS has an extremely low prevalence, and the positive predictive value of screening is essentially zero. Canadian screening results raise questions about the effectiveness of available screening measures for SARS at international borders.

2005

SARS, airport screening, thermal scanners, Health Alert Notices, quarantine, travelers

DOI: 10.3201/eid1101.040835

Emerging Infectious Diseases

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Infectious and parasitic diseases, Medicine

EN