THERAPEUTIC CLASS

Coronavirus disease-2019: is fever an adequate screening for the returning travelers?

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On Thursday, 30 January 2020, World Health Organization declared Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-2019) a Public
Health Emergency of International Concern. Since its identification in late December 2019 in Wuhan, Hubei
Province, People’s Republic of China, the number of cases imported into other countries is increasing, and the
epidemiological map is changing rapidly. On the other hand, body temperature screening (fever) is the major test
performed at points of entry, i.e., airports, in the returning travelers in most of the countries with limited resources.
However, the recent report on asymptomatic contact transmission of COVID-19 and travelers who passed the
symptoms-based screening and tested positive for COVID-19 using reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction
(RT-PCR) challenges this approach as body temperature screening may miss travelers incubating the disease or
travelers concealing fever during travel. On this note, travel restrictions to and from high risk areas and/or 14 days
quarantine of travelers coming from high risk areas are recommended to prevent possible importation of COVID-19.
Currently, RT-PCR is a reliable test in detecting both symptomatic and asymptomatic COVID-19.

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: .,

Collation

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Language

English

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Classification

NONE

Content Type

Therapeutic Class

Media Type

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Edition

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Subject(s)

Coronavirus disease-2019
Returning travelers

Specific Detail Info

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Statement of Responsibility

Tropical Medicine and Health (2020) 48:14

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