Following the World Health Organization’s declaration that the Mpox outbreak across several African countries is a global health emergency of international concern, several countries have put additional screening measures in place at their airports and seaports.
The measures include screening questions, temperature checks and thermal scanning, secondary examinations, saliva-swab Mpox testing, saliva-swab rapid Mpox testing, organised quarantining spaces, and resources to refer travellers to hospitals.
India
India has achieved a significant milestone in the battle against the Mpox virus by developing an RT-PCR kit, specifically designed for the detection of the viral disease, which can provide results in one to two hours, reports the First Post.
The local health research company that developed the kit, Siemens Healthcare, also created a rapid Mpox testing kit that can deliver accurate results in 40 minutes.
Indian states have instructed Airport Health Officers and Port Health Officers in the states to carefully screen passengers arriving from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and other African countries.
“Any person with a travel history in South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria needs to be particularly screened. If a person has rashes and fever they require isolation… and the remaining work of screening and testing will be done by the health department," said Ratan Suman, Director of Uttar Pradesh Health Department for Infectious Diseases.
According to reports, central hospitals in Delhi such as Safdarjung, Ram Manohar Lohia, and Lady Hardinge have also set up facilities for isolating suspected Mpox cases. In districts with points of entry, temporary transit isolation facilities are also being prepared.
The United States
The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, along with the US Department of Homeland Security, is implementing Mpox screening at several major airports across the country, including New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, Los Angeles International Airport and Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, reports Passenger Terminal Today.
“More than 200 staff including epidemiologists, laboratorians, and risk communication experts have been deployed to support response efforts in the United States and Africa,” the US CDC said in a statement made on August 7.
Indonesia
Mpox screening is now in place at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Airport, Bali.
At the international arrivals terminal all passengers go through a thermal scanner. Passengers with a body temperature over 37,5ᵒC will be re-examined with a thermal gun. If the body temperature remains high, passengers will be directed to the examination room to take a swab sample Mpox test. If the examination results show positive for Mpox, passengers will be immediately referred to the hospital.
The Ministry of Health has installed Mpox awareness and prevention information on digital screens at the international arrival terminals of the airport.
Philippines
The Philippines has modified its e-travel form to include screening questions that will help authorities prevent the entry of Mpox into the country, according to Global Nation Inquirer.
On August 28, the Department of Health (DOH) said inbound travellers who had been sick within the past month must declare their illness on their e-travel form, and whether they had experienced “rashes, vesicles, or blisters”.
If the traveller has come from a country with an Mpox outbreak, has a history of exposure to Mpox cases, or exhibits signs and symptoms of the disease, then the etravel.gov.ph system will alert the Bureau of Immigration and the DOH Bureau of Quarantine.
They will undergo a second screening and, if they are a suspected case, be transferred to an Mpox referral hospital.
Malaysia
Every traveller arriving at Kuala Lumpur International airport’s main international terminal 1 will be screened by thermal scanners.
“If the flight originates from a high-risk country or if there are symptomatic passengers, all passengers and crew will be directed to the ministry’s health screening centre where further screening will be conducted,” said Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad to the media, as reported by Free Malaysia Today.
If passengers show symptoms such as a high temperature, blistered skin or swollen glands, they will be given a health alert card and referred to the nearest healthcare facility.
China
China announced that from August 16 it would step up efforts to prevent Mpox from entering the country.
According to the publication Xinhua, arrivals from regions with confirmed Mpox infections must declare their condition to customs if they have been exposed to the virus or show symptoms. Customs officers will then conduct sampling and Mpox testing.
Malawi
Malawi has begun screening for the virus at all ports of entry, according to Africa News. In a statement from the Blantyre District Health Office, it was announced that all travellers passing through the airport will be subjected to body temperature checks, health assessments and the completion of health declaration forms.
This is part of a collection of preventative measures implemented by Malawi authorities. Other measures include an awareness campaign and a mobile diagnostic unit at a hospital in the country’s capital of Lilongwe.
Singapore
From August 23, Changi and Seletar Airports began implementing temperature and visual screening, according to The Star. Similar screening measures will be put in place at sea checkpoints for crew and passengers arriving on ships from affected areas.
Those found to have a fever, a rash or symptoms compatible with Mpox will be referred for medical assessment.
