Airport officials in Mexico have invested almost half a million dollars (USD) in purchasing thermal imagers (infrared cameras) from Fluke Corporation, a subsidiary of Danaher Corporation, to help them screen people for H1N1 influenza A or swine flu. Fluke Australia is a subsidiary of Fluke Corporation.
The portable infrared thermal imagers enable airport, transit, public health officials and others to quickly scan and measure the skin temperature of large numbers of people. Those who show temperatures higher than normal can then be isolated for further evaluation to help prevent the spread of disease.
The imagers are being used at airports across Mexico, including Benito Juarez, in Mexico City. Dominion, a system integrator and the Fluke representative for Mexico, has worked with airport officials to provide training and consulting services to insure high quality screening.
The outbreak of H1N1 flu in Mexico has devastated tourism. Mexican authorities have responded decisively to control the outbreak, shutting down buildings and public events. International experts have praised Mexico’s actions such as passenger screening with thermal imagers.
To help understand the technology and how to use it to scan large groups, Fluke has put together a brochure called “Infrared Health Screening” on their website.
While infrared scanners and thermal imagers are designed for industrial use, there are locations where this technology can bebeneficial to public health, including:
- airports, seaports, bus and train stations
- hospitals and schools
- factories and office buildings
- stadium events and conventions
As screening tools, Fluke infrared thermal imagers have many benefits including:
- non-contact screening, which reduces the chance of spreading infection or disease
- fast temperature readings, which means that large groups of people can be screened quickly
IRFusion technology that provides screeners with a visible light image (digital picture) of the crowd so that individuals with elevated body surface temperature are easy to identify, making screening quicker and more efficient infrared temperature measurement, which is completely safe and non-invasive, so there is no risk to public safety or privacy the ability to screen people while moving, so travel is not delayed.
In addition to such public health applications, Fluke thermal imagers are invaluable tools to detect moisture damage and missing insulation, identify energy losses, inspect roofing, inspect electrical and mechanical equipment and for many other everyday troubleshooting and maintenance tasks.