Despite the easing of the Covid-19 epidemic, researchers continue to work to prevent the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Exactly: in a new publication, researchers from Inserm, Sorbonne University and the Spanish CSIC-IFISC Institute looked at the places that allowed the global spread of the epidemic at the end of 2019 – airports.
The airports “are characterized by a constant flow of inflows and outflows, with a high risk of disease spreading internationally“explain the researchers, who point out that”crowds and gatherings, with the resulting prolonged contact between individuals, are a crucial factor in the transmission of infectious diseases“like Covid-19.
A higher risk of catching an infectious disease in “common areas”
To analyze this phenomenon, the researchers took the example of Heathrow airport (in England): they studied in particular the movements of more than 200,000 people within the airport, thanks to the geolocation of their mobile phones, between February and August 2017.”From these data, the researchers were able to (…) reconstruct the contact networks between these different people and thus detect the places where the contacts were the most intense, with a greater risk of contamination“.
They then compared these statistics with data concerning the spread of diseases such as the H1N1 flu or Covid-19. Result ? “Common areas such as bars where the restaurants are where the highest number of infections occur, as they bring together travelers and airport workers who are in the same place for long periods of time“conclude the experts.
“These places are not always the busiest within the airport, but they involve more sustained contact over longer periods between individuals, making it possible to transmit diseases.By “targeting” these particular areas (with appropriate ventilation and UV sterilization lamps, for example), the researchers estimate that the risk of catching the H1N1 flu could be reduced by around 50% and by 40% of catching Covid-19.
Source : Inserm press release
