Fever-detecting cameras installed at airport arrival lounge |13 December 2014

Two thermal cameras to detect high fevers in arriving passengers have been installed at the Seychelles International Airport arrival lounge.

The two cameras have been sponsored by the Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA) and in a short ceremony yesterday morning documents relating to their operation were officially handed over to the public health commissioner Dr Jude Gedeon by SCAA chief executive Gilbert Faure.

The ceremony was attended by Health Minister Mitcy Larue, SCAA executive team as well as staff from the public health authority.
Dr Gedeon said the cameras will be very useful to the Public Health Authority in its surveillance of dangerous diseases propagation as they will help in detecting high fevers in arriving passengers queuing up to go through immigration procedures.

With the threat of Ebola still potentially real as the disease continues to ravage West Africa, though there are signs of it abating in some countries, Dr Gedeon said predictions are that the threat will continue to stay with us for months to come if it is not controlled at its source.

“This means the chance of it spreading to other countries and getting to Seychelles is still real,” Dr Gedeon pointed out, adding that the two cameras, though small, are very technical and important tools and expensive too --costing over €12,000 (R150, 000).

On behalf of the Ministry of Health Dr Gedeon expressed his gratitude to the SCAA whom he described as a very proactive partner who make important donations to the Ministry of Health every year.

He also expressed the hope that the good collaboration will continue.

The SCAA IT team installed the equipment as well as provided training for public health officers who are  based at the airport to operate them.

The two cameras became operational yesterday and will remain in the arrival lounge even after the end of the Ebola outbreak.

It is worth noting that the equipment will still be useful to the international airport in helping to detect if passengers have other highly infectious fevers  that may be a cause for concern or in case there is other global/regional epidemic in the future.  
 
Following the handover SCAA technicians gave a demonstration of how the cameras work for everyone present to see.