I agree. A new report indicates that WHO wants to take it to the level of airport screenings.
03/27 11:40
World Health Organization Wants Airport Screening for New Virus
By Warren Giles
Geneva, March 27 (Bloomberg) -- The World Health Organization has recommended passenger screening at airports for a new respiratory disease that has infected hundreds of people around the world in a bid to stop it from spreading.
``We are now going to step up our recommendations to focus on reducing the likelihood of people from affected areas taking international travel,'' Max Hardiman, head of international health regulations at the WHO, told reporters.
Hong Kong and Singapore have both begun quarantining citizens and said they will shut schools to prevent further infections of the disease, known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS, which has affected more than 1,300 people in countries including Canada, Taiwan, China and Vietnam. At least 49 people have died from the disease.
The screening should consist of two questions -- about a passenger's health and whether they may have been exposed to the disease -- asked at the same time as security questions about travelers' baggage when checking in, Hardiman said.
The disease may be spread by close contact, including passengers sitting within two rows of an infected person on an aircraft, the United Nations' health agency said.
``People leaving an affected area should be screened for symptoms or signs of SARS, and people who test positive would not be allowed to travel,'' Hardiman said.
The measure will be difficult to implement, he said, because governments will need extra staff, including health-care workers to assess suspected cases, at airports and sea ports.