MCLEAN, VA – MSC Cruises will use thermal imaging cameras to detect whether its passengers might be infected with H1N1 swine flu.

Since the worldwide outbreak of the flu last spring, most cruise lines use enhanced influenza screening procedures at embarkation such as questionnaires and secondary screening for passengers with flu-like symptoms.

MSC is going a step further, explaining that one of the principal indicators of influenza is body temperature. The Italian line said it will have sophisticated thermal imaging cameras on every one of its 11 ships, allowing its medical staff to monitor the temperature of every embarking passenger.

"An infrared camera is a very effective yet non-intrusive tool for detecting people infected with a viral disease even at a very early stage," MSC cruises spokeswoman Cheryl Fenske said in an email.

Fenske said that the within seconds, the cameras produces infrared images, or heat pictures, of a person’s body which detects whether that person's temperature exceeds a certain threshold.

MSC has not given up on old-fashioned detection methods either. The line has also upgraded the hand sanitizers in most public areas of its ships and introduced a new “How to Stay Safe” video on each ship’s in-cabin TV network.

Copyright 2009 USA Today. All rights reserved. From http://www.usatoday.com. By Johanna Jainchill, Travel Weekly.
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