Abstract:
Faced with the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003, airlines found that they were generally ill prepared to deal with infectious diseases with public health concerns. Since that time, especially for an Asian-based carrier such as Cathay Pacific, there have been a number of other “novel” communicable diseases, including avian influenza and most recently the pandemic A/H1N1 influenza epidemic. Air travel is frequently cited as being responsible for the rapid spread of communicable diseases on a worldwide basis. Since 2003, significant progress has been made among various commercial airline stakeholders to collaborate to minimize the spread of communicable diseases onboard flights. Airlines followed guidance issued by major international organizations such as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), WHO, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, International Air Transport Association (IATA), and Airport Council International (ACI) as well as local organizations such as the Hong Kong Centre for Health Protection. Many initiatives have been introduced by these organizations to promote better alignment and collaboration among key stakeholders in managing infectious diseases in air travel.
