HSIA starts temperature screening for Mpox symptoms

Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) has started screening the temperatures of the arriving air travellers in view of the global public health alert on Mpox formerly known as monkeypox issued by the World Health Organization (WHO).

HSIA Executive Director Group Captain Kamrul Islam said the authority is screening arrival passengers with the ‘Thermal scanner archway’ and if required travellers with symptoms will be sent to Kurmitola General Hospital, Infectious Diseases Hospital (IDH) and Kuwait Bangladesh Maitree Hospital.

In this connection, Dhaka airport authorities yesterday held a meeting amid WHO’s declaration of a global health emergency in response to the upsurge of cases of mpox, a press release said here today.

Officials of Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB), Communicable Disease Control(CDC)a unit of Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS), HSIA health department and airlines joined the meeting.

Decisions were made in the meeting for concerned stakeholders to remain alert and take responsibility in this situation to tackle the passengers with the Mpox symptoms.

CDC representatives have taken several protective measures such as avoiding close contact with people with suspected or confirmed monkeypox, wearing medical masks, avoiding skin-to-skin contact and using disposable gloves and washing hands regularly with soap and water or an alcohol-based hand rub.

Airlines were asked to remain alert and inform the health department promptly in case of any passenger with the symptoms.

Besides, passengers are requested to call 10655 in case of any symptoms developing within 21 days of arrival.

The meeting was presided over by Member Operations Air Commodore AFM Atikuzzaman while HSIA Executive Director Group Captain M Kamrul Islam, CDC-DGHS Director Sheikh Daoud Adnan, IHR Senior Adviser Dr. Nasir Ahmed Khan, National Professional Officer – WHO Dr. ASM Alamgir, AOC Chairman Dilara Ahmed, and Airlines representatives were present, among others.

According to WHO, common symptoms of mpox are a skin rash or mucosal lesions which can last 2–4 weeks accompanied by fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy, and swollen lymph nodes.

The resurgence of mpox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and a growing number of countries in Africa constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR). (BSS)