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. 2010 Mar 30:10:82.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2334-10-82.

Entry screening to delay local transmission of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1)

Benjamin J Cowling  1 , Lincoln L H Lau, Peng Wu, Helen W C Wong, Vicky J Fang, Steven Riley, Hiroshi Nishiura
Affiliations

Entry screening to delay local transmission of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1)

Benjamin J Cowling et al. BMC Infect Dis. .

Abstract

Background: After the WHO issued the global alert for 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1), many national health agencies began to screen travelers on entry in airports, ports and border crossings to try to delay local transmission.

Methods: We reviewed entry screening policies adopted by different nations and ascertained dates of official report of the first laboratory-confirmed imported H1N1 case and the first laboratory-confirmed untraceable or 'local' H1N1 case.

Results: Implementation of entry screening policies was associated with on average additional 7-12 day delays in local transmission compared to nations that did not implement entry screening, with lower bounds of 95% confidence intervals consistent with no additional delays and upper bounds extending to 20-30 day additional delays.

Conclusions: Entry screening may lead to short-term delays in local transmission of a novel strain of influenza virus. The resources required for implementation should be balanced against the expected benefits of entry screening.

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