Exercises to prevent the importation of dangerous diseases were held at Irkutsk International Airport

Comprehensive exercises with the identification of a conditional patient took place at the international airport of Irkutsk. The main goal of the event is to ensure the sanitary and epidemiological well-being of the population of the region, preventing the importation and spread of dangerous infectious diseases. The press service of the international airport of the regional center reported this on April 26, 2024.

According to the educational legend, a passenger with a preliminary diagnosis of moderate cholera was found on board the plane operating the Harbin-Irkutsk flight. The situation is aggravated by the fact that most of the passengers who came into contact with her plan to go to other cities in the region after landing.

During the exercises, airport and department employees practice the clarity and coherence of the actions of all participants. A signal about a passenger with a suspected acute intestinal infection is received at the airport control center 20 minutes before landing. All services of the enterprise, sanitary and quarantine point, customs and border control are instantly notified. Upon arrival, the plane is towed to the sanitary parking lot and a cordon is set up, additionally blocking posts at the entrance to the airport terminal and the arrival area. Specialists from the sanitary control point and health center go to the isolated aircraft. Doctors interview the sick passenger and establish a preliminary diagnosis, after which they carry out customs control, take her to the isolation ward, and then to the Irkutsk Regional Infectious Diseases Hospital. In order to prevent the importation and spread of a dangerous disease in the region, a decision is made to transfer the remaining passengers to self-isolation. The event ends with the disinfection of the aircraft, vehicles, isolation ward, arrival hall and bathrooms, after which it is allowed to return to work as usual.

The exercises were attended by employees of various services of the international airport, Rospotrebnadzor, the Center for Hygiene and Epidemiology, the customs post at Irkutsk Airport and the Baikal checkpoint, the regional department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for transport, the Ministry of Health, and various medical institutions. Specialists from the Irkutsk Anti-Plague Research Institute of Rospotrebnadzor acted as observers. An IrAero airline aircraft was used in the training.

Such planned comprehensive training exercises are carried out annually. Prompt and precise implementation of all necessary procedures to prevent the importation and spread of a dangerous infection is the key to the well-being of the population of Irkutsk and the entire region.