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Title: Simulation to assess the efficacy of US airport entry scrreening of passengers for pandemic influenza

Journal Article · · International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management
OSTI ID:956576
 [1]
  1. Los Alamos National Laboratory

We present our methodology and stochastic discrete-event simulation developed to model the screening of passengers for pandemic influenza at the US port-of-entry airports. Our model uniquely combines epidemiology modelling, evolving infected states and conditions of passengers over time, and operational considerations of screening in a single simulation. The simulation begins with international aircraft arrivals to the US. Passengers are then randomly assigned to one of three states -- not infected, infected with pandemic influenza and infected with other respiratory illness. Passengers then pass through various screening layers (i.e. pre-departure screening, en route screening, primary screening and secondary screening) and ultimately exit the system. We track the status of each passenger over time, with a special emphasis on false negatives (i.e. passengers infected with pandemic influenza, but are not identified as such) as these passengers pose a significant threat as they could unknowingly spread the pandemic influenza virus throughout our nation.

Research Organization:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC52-06NA25396
OSTI ID:
956576
Report Number(s):
LA-UR-09-01352; LA-UR-09-1352; TRN: US201014%%1945
Journal Information:
International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management, Vol. 12, Issue 2-4; ISSN 1466-8297
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English