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Effectiveness of Point of Entry Health Screening Measures among Travelers in the Detection and Containment of the International Spread of COVID-19: A Review of the Evidence

Author

Listed:
  • Remidius Kamuhabwa Kakulu

    (Department of Health and Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Science and Bioengineering, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Arusha P.O. Box 447, Tanzania
    Department of Preventive Services, Ministry of Health, Dodoma P.O. Box 743, Tanzania)

  • Esther Gwae Kimaro

    (Department of Health and Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Science and Bioengineering, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Arusha P.O. Box 447, Tanzania)

  • Emmanuel Abraham Mpolya

    (Department of Health and Biomedical Sciences, School of Life Science and Bioengineering, Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology (NM-AIST), Arusha P.O. Box 447, Tanzania
    Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
    Center for Global Health (CGH), Perelman School of Medicine University of Pennsylvania, 240 John Morgan Bldg., 3620 Hamilton Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
    Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), Population Health Building/Hans Rosling Center, 3980 15th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA 98195, USA)

Abstract

COVID-19 remains a communicable disease with the capacity to cause substantial damage to health and health systems. Enhanced health screening at points of entry (POEs) is a public health measure implemented to support early detection, prevention and response to communicable diseases, such as COVID-19. The purpose of this study was to review the available evidence on the effectiveness of POE health screening in the detection and containment of the COVID-19 pandemic. This study was registered under PROSPERO and followed PRISMA guidelines in which the literature between 2019 and 2022 was retrieved from Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science, Global Health, CINAHL, Embase, Google Scholar and international organizations. A total of 33,744 articles were screened for eligibility, from which 43 met the inclusion criteria. The modeling studies predicted POE screening able to detect COVID-19 in a range of 8.8% to 99.6%, while observational studies indicated a detection rate of 2% to 77.9%, including variants of concern depending on the screening method employed. The literature also indicated these measures can delay onset of the epidemic by 7 to 32 days. Based on our review findings, if POE screening measures are implemented in combination with other public health interventions such as rapid tests, they may help detect and reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Suggested Citation

  • Remidius Kamuhabwa Kakulu & Esther Gwae Kimaro & Emmanuel Abraham Mpolya, 2024. "Effectiveness of Point of Entry Health Screening Measures among Travelers in the Detection and Containment of the International Spread of COVID-19: A Review of the Evidence," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(4), pages 1-23, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:21:y:2024:i:4:p:410-:d:1365719
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Jui-Yao Liu & Tzeng-Ji Chen & Shinn-Jang Hwang, 2020. "Analysis of Imported Cases of COVID-19 in Taiwan: A Nationwide Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(9), pages 1-12, May.
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