Korean J Aerosp Environ Med.
2003 Mar;13(1):1-6.
Spread of Communicable Disease by Air Travel
- Affiliations
-
- 1Department Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- 2Department of Preventive Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. bychoi@hanyang.ac.kr
Abstract
- International movement of individuals, population, and products is one of the major factors associated with the transmission of infectious diseases. Travel can be associated with disease transmission because diseases arise in an area of heavy tourism and tourists may be at heightened risk because of their activities, or because they can act as vectors to transport an agent to new areas. Rapid air travel, in particular, has increased the potential for international transmission of infectious diseases. Important aspects of this problem include the transmission of foodborne and waterborne illnesses, the translocation of insect vectors, the rapid transport of individuals with incubating illnesses, the direct transmission of diseases inside aircraft, the transmission of zoonosis through animal transport, and the transmission through human waste.
