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April
07, 2003
Lehigh Northampton Airport Authority Statement
To Media On Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS)
Contact:
Susan J. Kittle, Director Business Development
Lehigh-Northampton Airport Authority
1 - 800 - FLY - LVIA
Lehigh Valley, PA - The U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services and its Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
are keeping the Lehigh Northampton Airport Authority up-to-date
to ensure that travelers to/from Asian countries be informed about
POSSIBLE exposure to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), and
what they should do should they begin to exhibit any of the SARS
symptoms.
Health Alert
Notices are now being distributed to all deplaning passengers from
Asian countries that may have connecting flights to the U.S. The
Health Alert Notices advise passengers that they MAY have been exposed
to SARS if they traveled to or through certain Asian countries,
that they "should monitor their health for at least 7 days,"
and that if they "become ill with fever accompanied by cough
or difficulty in breathing" they should consult a physician.
A copy of the alert is available at http://www.cdc.gov.
In the meantime,
U.S. Public Health officials have advised airport and airline officials
that if a suspected case of SARS is reported onboard an inbound
flight, federal public health officials will respond as requested,
and it is unnecessary to isolate the aircraft. Passenger(s) reporting
or exhibiting SARS-like symptoms will be assessed and isolated,
if necessary. If passengers exhibit acute symptoms, they will be
transported to a hospital, as needed.
Passengers' seated two rows around any suspected case(s) will be
advised to take their temperatures every two hours and monitor their
medical condition for 10 days. Airlines are also being advised that
the level of disinfecting that occurs during normal aircraft cabin
cleaning between flights should be sufficient (see http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/sars/aircraftcleanup.htm
for cleaning aircraft guidelines).
All passengers on a flight where a suspect SARS case has been evaluated
are asked to complete contact information sheets so they may be
contacted, if necessary. Otherwise,
passengers who do not exhibit or report any SARS-like symptoms will
be processed through federal inspection services (i.e., INS, U.S.
Customs, U.S. Agriculture, etc.) in a normal manner.
The federal
public health officials are the first line of defense before any
cases of passengers reporting or exhibiting SARS-like symptoms come
into contact with the general public. They are supported by other
federal inspection agencies, such as the U.S. Customs Service, who
are also monitoring arriving international passengers for issues
of public health concern.
The CDC Media Relations Office has a 24-hour, live operator at (404)
639-3286, and its website address is www.cdc.gov.
Also, following
are some questions-and-answers based upon media inquiries we have
received during the last couple of days:
| Q1: |
How
many flights does Lehigh Valley International Airport (LVIA)
have from Asia?
None. |
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| Q2: |
What
is the impact of SARS on operations at LVIA?
It is difficult to separate the operational impacts of SARS
with the impacts due to the
Iraqi war. In general, the number of operations (i.e., landings
and takeoffs)
has not been affected. |
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| Q3: |
What
about Toronto or other Canada flights?
The U.S. Dept. Health and Human Services/CDC reports that
it is coordinating their efforts with Canadian public health
officials. (Please refer media to the CDC.) At the present time,
the federal public health service reports it does not see a
need to conduct the same type of screening and alerting procedures
for inbound flights from Toronto or other Canadian cities because
the transmission pattern of the disease is different from the
general community transmission experienced in the risk areas
in Asia. Airport officials have been told that if the pattern
of transmission changes in Canada such that it warrants instituting
similar monitoring and alerting procedures on inbound Canadian
flights, we will be notified by the federal public health service.
Lehigh Valley International Airport has 3 daily flights from
Toronto. |
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| Q4: |
Does
the airport recommend passengers wear face masks while traveling?
There is no U.S. Dept. Health & Human Services/CDC advisory
to this effect. That is the prerogative of the passenger. The
CDC does advise the general public to practice good hygiene
such as washing their hands frequently with soap and water,
similar to general advice given to avoid contracting other types
of flu. It is recognized that people may choose to be cautious
in taking additional means to alleviate their fears about being
exposed to infected droplets (i.e., sneezing, coughing, etc.)
and wear such masks during a flight. |
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| Q5: |
Where
else can the public get information about SARS?
The CDC's Office of Communication is conducting several media
conferences and the complete transcriptions are made available
on its website at www.cdc.gov.
Press releases and Frequently Asked Questions are also available
on its website. CDC's emergency hotline is being heavily used
for SARS inquiries with a live operator at (703) 888-246-2675
in English; 888-246-2857 in Spanish; and TTY 874-2646. |
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| Q6: |
What
are the travel restrictions?
It is recognized that the World Health Organization has issued
a travel restriction advisory regarding Guangdong Province and
Hong Kong, and the CDC issued a travel restriction advisory
last weekend. Please see both of their websites for these media
advisories. |
Lehigh Valley
International Airport is located near Allentown, Pennsylvania and
serves a twelve-county area with a population of 3.6 million people.
The Airport is easily accessible from communities in eastern Pennsylvania
and northern New Jersey areas. Travelers can contact the Lehigh
Valley International Airport at 1-800-FLY-LVIA (359-5842) or visit
the Airport's website at www.lvia.org for more information on services
and facilities.
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