AircrewHealth.com

Suspected Communicable Disease

General Guidelines for Passenger Agents:

The following are general guidelines for Passenger Agents (Check-in and Gate) when facing a suspected case of communicable disease at the departure airport.  During an outbreak of a specific communicable disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) or member states may modify or add further procedures to these general guidelines.  However, these general guidelines would always provide a basic framework of response that would reassure passenger agents and help them through any unplanned incident.

A communicable disease is suspected when a passenger:

• has a visible skin rash or,
• is obviously unwell and/or,
• complains of any of the following:
• severe cough
• high fever
• high fever accompanied by abnormal bleeding
• persistent diarrhea
• skin rash

It is well understood that most of these signs and/or symptoms may not be obvious at the counter.  However the point is, when in doubt regarding the health of a passenger, especially during an outbreak, go back to an established procedure.

1. Call your supervisor.
2. If the supervisor agrees with your concerns and if medical support is available (own medical department or outside designated physician or group) contact that support immediately.
3. If supervisor agrees with your concerns but medical support is not immediately available, deny boarding and ask the passenger to consult a physician and request a medical clearance before travel is accepted.
4. If assistance is required to escort a passneger, appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) should be worn as necessary.

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