Passengers arriving at Helsinki airport are given a voluntary coronavirus test, which takes 10 seconds without the need for a nasal swab. And testing is done by dogs.
As part of a pilot program, a couple of coronavirus-sniffing cans began work at the Finnish airport on Wednesday aimed at detecting infections using sweat collected on wipes from arriving passengers.
Over the past months, international airports have introduced a variety of methods to detect the virus in passengers, including saliva testing, temperature testing and nasal swabs. But researchers in Finland say the use of dogs could prove cheaper, faster and more effective.
After passengers from abroad collect their luggage, they are invited to collect sweat samples and clear the throat and leave the wipes in the box. Behind the wall, a dog trainer places bucks next to different scented cans, and a dog works.
Dogs can detect a patient infected with coronavirus in 10 seconds, and the whole procedure takes a minute to complete, the researchers say. If the dog indicates a positive result, the passenger is directed to the airport health center for a free virus test.
Why dogs?
Dogs have a particularly strong odor and have long been used at airports to sniff out bombs, drugs and other restrictions on luggage.
They have also been able to detect diseases such as cancer and malaria. Therefore, in the midst of an epidemic, dogs trained to detect Covid-19 became a clear choice, said Anna Hilm-Barkman, a researcher at the University of Helsinki who oversees the trial.
And they seem to be working, he said. In the first stage of the trial, dogs can sniff the virus in an asymptomatic person or before symptoms appear. They The most commonly used diagnostic tool for new coronaviruses is the one found before the PCR test.
In July, researchers at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Hanover, Germany, also discovered that after a week of training, dogs were able to separate saliva samples from coronavirus-infected people with unsafe samples with a 94 percent success rate.
Dogs will not be easily infected with coronavirus, although they do appear to be in a few cases. Other animals like cats seem to be more sensitive. There is no evidence that dogs develop any symptoms or that they can transmit the virus to humans or other animals.
How do they do that?
According to the Department of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Helsinki, sniffer dogs, which are trained to recognize the odor of the virus, can smell urine or sweat samples.
Ms. Hilm-Budd Ork Carmen said the dogs positive sample indicates that she and her team immediately trained the dogs by making a specific sound – “and yes, a treat, too,” he said. When dogs smell a negative pattern, nothing happens, and they move on.
Wise Nose, a Finnish organization that specializes in fragrance detection, partnered with faculty to train 16 dogs, four of which are starting work at the airport this week. Six were still training, and others were unable to work in noisy environments.
“All dogs can be trained to sniff out coronavirus, but they are individuals and not all of them can work at airports,” said Virapi Perla, a network of hospitals and veterinary clinics that fund the first phase of the trial. Was.
Does this mean that the coronavirus has a scent?
This is what the researchers believe. But what exactly do dogs find when it comes to smelling the virus is a million-dollar question, she said. Said Hilm-Budj ork Rkman.
“We know how dogs can detect it – by smell – but we have no clue what they’ve found yet.” “If we find this, we will be able to train thousands of dogs around the world.”
Scientists in the United States are investigating whether an infected person is hiding a chemical that can cause a dog to smell. And a French study published in June found “very high evidence” that the smell of an infected person’s sweat was different from that perceived by dogs.
Could this be a thing?
Finland’s pilot program is the first to be used at airports. Susanna Pavilene, managing director of Wise Nose, said by the end of November she would be working at 10 dog airports and Ms. Hillem-Bud ork Karman said it would collect data by the end of the year.
More such programs may be on the way. In recent months, tests conducted in Britain, France, Germany and the United States have assessed how dogs can detect coronavirus.
In Finland, researchers say that if the pilot program proves effective, dogs can be used in retirement homes or hospitals to avoid unnecessary quarantine for health care professionals.
But scaling such programs can be difficult: once they can work outside the laboratories they need to train their skilled people and then help them through their instructors.
At Helsinki Airport, two dogs worked together on Wednesday while the other two rested.
Ms. Hilm-Bud ork Karm acknowledged that resources were modest – at least for now. The program will try to assess how many dogs can work in a day and whether the same animals can be used to detect drug-like substances.
Ms. of Evidenceia Network. Perla said Finland would need 700 to 1,000 coronavirus-sniffing dogs to cover schools, malls and retirement homes, but more trained animals – and trainers – would also be needed for comprehensive coverage.
“If we had enough dogs we could keep our country open,” he said.
