Ebola and Commercial Air Travel - Term Paper Example

Ebola and Commercial Air Travel Name Institution Ebola and Commercial Air Travel Executive summary Commercial air travel is a booming business venture that continues to experience a steady growth in passenger numbers. International airports serve millions of passengers daily, enabling them to move around the world just within hours. Unfortunately, emerging communicable diseases pose new threats to the industry. Passengers may get exposed to various contagious diseases that affect fellow travelers. Later on, these passengers may transfer this disease to their destination countries. The emergence of Ebola around March 2014 has proved the potential of a new disease to spread globally and very fast with the help of air travel. An early detection of Ebola on board aircraft with the help of appropriate risk assessment tools is paramount when initiating a public health response. However, this measure is a central challenge to all public health practitioners globally. In acknowledging the role of air travel in the spreading of Ebola, worldwide countries can impose restrictions to international flights to and from Ebola-hit countries. Those passengers arriving from such countries are kept in isolation for precautionary measures to avoid the risk of spreading the virus. For instance, in the ongoing Ebola-outbreak, the U.S., Nigeria, Senegal and European countries subject arrivals from Ebola-hit countries to close monitoring. Therefore, Ebola importation and exportation is viewed as a fundamental consequence of commercial air travel. This report presents the public health risks of Ebola and the role of commercial air travel in spreading the virus as well as the consequences of Ebola on commercial air travel. The report will then finalize its findings by providing recommendations on how to control the spread of the virus. Introduction Continental and regional inhabitants stayed isolated from each other until the arrival of aero planes. Today, that isolation exist no more: people from all walks of life continue to interact daily. However, the importation and exportation of diseases have marred the whole process that initially seemed to augur well to the world, and these diseases continue to shape the global history. Be it HIV/AIDs or Ebola, commercial air travels are accused of facilitating the transfer of infections to vulnerable populations (Mangili, & Gendreau, 2005). Before globalization, communicable diseases could only afford to move as quick and far as human beings could walk or ran. There is nothing like that in today’s world. The present speed and volume of commercial air travel has increased human mobility worldwide, leading to a quick spread of Ebola into countries believed to be free from the virus. For example, early this year, Ebola was thought to be an African affair only to emerge in some parts of Europe, and the U.S. These incidences have raised questions over the role of commercial air travels in spreading the virus. Such happenings make this report valuable especially to provide information about public health risks of Ebola more so in the commercial air travel as well its consequences. This report will burrow much from the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Health Impacts of Ebola The spread of Ebola virus for example, to the U.S and some parts of Europe remain to be an air travel tale whose occurrences are traced back to West African countries (Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia have been identified as Ebola hot spots). So far, no science has come out to explain how Ebola moves from the environment or animals into human beings. Originally, Ebola virus exists in bats, from where it spreads to humans who come in contact with or eat bats. Alternatively, Ebola may infect neighboring animals such as gorillas or monkeys by feeding on contaminated leftovers dropped by bats. A person may end up feeding on this infected carcasses, and in either way, the person may end-up contracting the virus. This individual may pass the virus to others. Ebola virus resides in the blood and body fluids such as sweat, urine, vomit, ejaculation, diarrhea and nasal secretions of an infected person. According to Khan et al. (2014), exposure and close contacts to body fluids plays a bigger role in causing secondary infections especially to caregivers. The authors also agree that the risk of transmission worsens with increase in poor sanitation, hygiene and infection control. Furthermore, one can get Ebola virus by touching contaminated objects i.e. objects containing pathogens from an infected person. The pathogens may move into the victim’s hands, and thereafter, may accidentally get into the eyes, mouth, and nose or even into the blood stream through cuts on ones’ hand. Those who are at high risk include care-takers, health workers, families and those fellows in congested areas. Funeral practices involving kissing, washing and touching of the dead can cause secondary infections. The virus commence with a sudden onset of fever accompanied by myalgia, malaise and headache. Common gastrointestinal signs include vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. Other signs include cough, sore throat, chest pain and conjunctivitis. Minor cases have shown hemorrhagic results such as hemorrhage and ecchymosis. Prevalent laboratory findings include thrombocytopenia, elevated liver enzymes and leukemia. Ebola virus has an incubation period ranging from 2 to 21 days. Within the incubation period, the infected-Ebola patients may remain noninfectious. The casualty rate varies from 50% to 90%. It is; however, unfortunate that Ebola outbreaks are mostly taking place in countries with limited capacity for medical care. Hence, according to ECDP (2014), these figures may be relatively low in developed countries. Evaluation/ Measurement of the Ongoing Ebola Outbreak Information from European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDP) (2014) indicate that the current pandemic began around March 2014 and by October, through human migration and air travel, Ebola had spread to U.S., Senegal, Nigeria and some parts of Europe. Spain became the country to import Ebola patients in Europe. Moreover, Spain will go into history books as the first country to report Ebola transmission outside West Africa. Ebola is a scary disease and so far it has caused more than 5000 deaths and infected more than 10,000 people cases in West Africa within a period of less than ten months. So far, World Health Organization (WHO) has confirmed eight cases of Ebola in Europe that include Spain, Germany and Holland, and only three death cases were confirmed out of this number. Going by the current situation, Naik (2014) predicts that at most three Ebola-infected patients are likely to board an oversea flight monthly from Ebola-hit countries. The study made its findings based on the recent flight schedules and rate of infection. The researchers associate this probability to the ignorance of passengers from infected countries. According to WHO, the infection rate is expected to rise as high as 10,000 per week in West Africa. Therefore, there is an urgent need to control the virus at its source so as to stop it from spreading internationally. This research by lancet assumed that there is no exit-screening in the airports of the countries soiled by the virus. However, at the ground, exit-screenings are being conducted by various commercial air travelling authorities. Despite this fact, the analysts upheld their conclusion claiming that that screening can miss passengers who have not yet developed Ebola symptoms. Nevertheless, the virus has a maximum incubation period of up to 21 days within which no detection can be made. This explains why Eric Duncan (Naik, 2014) was able to board a flight to the U.S. from Liberia, and after a couple of days, he tested positive for Ebola virus while in the U.S. These findings have forced lawmakers to convene a series of meetings to seek possible ways to combat the virus. Of course, one option include adopting air travel ban to the affected countries. However, health workers claim that the travel ban would not be a sufficient measure as it would only postpone the problem besides barring the flow of health workers and aid to the affect countries. So far, in the 2014 Ebola case, a number of airlines have adjourned their services from these countries, and the trend is expected to continue disrupting air travel schedules. According to Naik (2014), Royal Air Maroc of Morocco, Air France and Brussels Airlines are some of the key passenger carriers still allowing flights to the hot spots; although, under intensified Ebola screening. In early October 2014, the U.S introduced new screening measures in five airports on flights from West Africa. The study indicates that Senegal and Ghana are at the greatest risk of importing the virus whereas the likelihood of the risk is low in U.S and European countries. The research further indicates that for every eight imported cases in France and United Kingdom combined; there will be one imported case in America. The WHO brushed off the findings, terming them as myopic. According to WHO, there will be minimal cases of Ebola overseas given the intensification of screening measures that can detect Ebola in persons with early signs. Moreover, patients are most infectious in advanced stages, and at such stages Ebola patients may be too sick to board a plane. This study forms part of efforts to predict the spread of Ebola virus by merging health data and data about commercial air travel. Another study claims that given a100 Ebola-infected individuals boarding international bound flights from Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone: 2% would end up in America, 12% in Europe and the majority 84% would land in other African states (Naik, 2014). This implies that African countries are at the greatest risk of importing the virus, and given the constrained public health facilities in these countries together with persistent spread of Ebola; the situation could worsen. If the statistics are true, then the Africa continent might turn up to be an Ebola haven. It is true; commercial air travel is behind the spread of Ebola. Thomsen (2014) confirms that countries around the globe have raised an alarm about West Africa’s Ebola outbreak spreading through commercial air travel with slogans like “Ebola only a plane ride away.” There are already three cases to confirm this notion: one happened in the U.S, the other in Spain and the other in Nigeria. In all these cases, the respective passengers infected other people before the epidemic could be controlled. Khan et al. (2014) propose the use of non-commercial aircrafts to transport materials and the necessary personnel so as to maintain a steady supply of essential material to affected countries while preventing the spread of the virus. Moreover, Khan et al. (2014) suggest the use of appropriate communication and education approaches with a view to lessening the peril of international spread of Ebola. Conclusions and Recommendations Increased commercial air travels are happening concurrently with many processes that favor the spread of Ebola. Air travel is the cause of Ebola spreading worldwide. This evident through the ongoing Ebola spread to parts of Nigeria, Europe and U.S from certain West Africa countries. The complexity and speed of the contemporary air travel render both traditional boundary and geographical space strategy of Ebola control and quarantine progressively irrelevant. There seem to be no solution to the increasingly expanding commercial air travels; hence, the world should expect more appearances of other infectious diseases besides Ebola. The public health experts must look for alternative methods that can model, forecast and address the Ebola issue. These approaches should be efficient in surveillance and controlling of Ebola. Passenger screening should be made mandatory for departing and arriving flights, especially those from Ebola-hit countries. The screening of passengers from Ebola-hit countries should be conducted thoroughly to ensure no Ebola case crosses the border. This can be achieved by having their temperatures checked accompanied with a completion of a brief health survey. If this measure had been implemented earlier on, it would have prevented an Ebola patient in Liberia from boarding a Nigeria bound aero plane. Unfortunately, this measure would not have prevented an Ebola victim who showed no symptoms while in Liberia when he boarded a U.S bound plane since the signs started to develop after arriving in America. Such challenges can be addressed by adopting functional early detective and suitable infection control measures for travelers arriving from Ebola-hit countries. International and state laws should authorize and monitor the passengers’ movements, especially those from Ebola hot zones. This legislation may range from travel warnings to quarantine of travelers landing at various airports. Although it is the discretion of air carriers to whether or not carry an Ebola patient, appropriate screening of travelers should be conducted for Ebola virus. And in case a passenger tests positive for Ebola virus, she/he should be isolated from the rest of the passengers. Alternatively, the airports authority can bar such person from entering into the aero plane. Commercial air travel authority should deploy qualified Healthcare workers to conduct the process of identifying those unfit for air travel. Everybody knows that the prevention is better than cure; hence, the passengers should be advised to suspend any air travel when they feel unwell. All in all, the most efficient approach to curbing global spread of Ebola is by controlling the epidemic at its source. This include restricting movements in and out of Ebola-hot spots. Lastly, good hand hygiene can reduce the risk of spreading Ebola; therefore, air travelers should also integrate this habit as their travel routine. This report has revealed how the risk of spread of Ebola virus through commercial air travel can be predicted and contained to avoid it from further spreading. Future research should concentrate on integrating information on temporal variations in passenger numbers; population at risk and Ebola breeding site as well quantify the relative significance of air transport for Ebola spread. Reference European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. (ECDP). (2014). Outbreak of Ebola virus disease in West Africa. Retrieved from http://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications/Publications/Ebola-RRA-West-Africa-8April2014.pdf Khan, K. et al. (2014). Assessment of the potential for international dissemination of Ebola virus via commercial air travel during the 2014 West African outbreak. Retrieved from http://simonhay.zoo.ox.ac.uk/uploads/publications/228/Bogoch_EbolaAirTravel_Lancet-2014.pdf Mangili, A. & Gendreau, M. A. (2005). “Transmission of infectious diseases during commercial air travel.” journal Lancet 365(12): 989–96. Retrieved from http://www.pall.com/pdfs/Aerospace-Defense-Marine/Transmission_of_infectious_diseases_during_commercial_air_travel.pdf Naik, G. (2014). Ebola Study Projects Spread of Virus on Overseas Flights. The Wall Street Journal 20 October. Retrieved from http://online.wsj.com/articles/ebola-study-projects-spread-of-virus-on-overseas-flights-1413846023 Thomsen, A. (2014, July 29). Ebola Update: Death in Nigeria, Impact on Healthcare Workers, and Containment Measures in Liberia. The Disease Daily. Retrieved from http://healthmap.org/site/diseasedaily/article/ebola-update-death-nigeria-impact-healthcare-workers-and-containment-measures Read More