Airports act as ideal hubs for disease transmission

The Homeland Security News Wire published an article in March 2011, “Stemming the spread of diseases at airports”, which focused on airports acting as ideal places for dangerous diseases to quickly and easily transport themselves to other countries in a matter of hours. The CDC is quoted saying “Advancements in transportation coupled with the growth and movement of human populations enable efficient transport of infectious diseases almost anywhere in the world within 24 hours.” This quote emphasizes the importance of amping up security in airports. Thermal scanners could be used in order to detect fevers, a sign of infectious disease, in passengers moving throughout the airport. These scanners could help prevent the spread of diseases, such as SARS and measles, which are two of many ailments that are spread rapidly by air travel. With 2 million people traveling through airports every day, it is a serious challenge to contain major disease outbreaks.