Page 19 - World Airnews Magazine June 2020 Edition

NEWS AFRICA

CONTACT TRACING, MASKS AFRICAN NATIONS SEEK

AND TEMPERATURE CHECKS THEIR OWN SOLUTIONS

irlines and airports are recommend-
Aing a layered approach to tempo-
rary safety measures as air travel restarts,

warning that no single measure can mitigate loud hiss and grunt come from
all of the risks during the pandemic, according Aa green bag pressing air through

to a briefing document seen by Reuters. a tube, as Senegalese researchers work to

The plan laid out by the Internation- develop a prototype ventilator that could

al Air Transport Association (IATA) and cost a mere (US) $160 each instead of tens

Airports Council International to reassure of thousands of dollars.
governments it is safe for the public to The team is using 3-D printed parts as

fly includes contact tracing, temperature it works to find a home grown solution to

screening, social distancing, extra cleaning The industry supports reliable COVID-19 measures will cap airport and aircraft capacity a medical shortfall that has struck even

and wearing masks. testing, but at the moment virus and once travel demand grows, the document said. the richest countries: how to have enough

“Successfully restarting air passenger antibody tests are not a viable solution Security and health screenings should be breathing machines to handle an avalanche

travel while restoring confidence in the at airports and there is no confirmed evi- mutually recognised when possible so that of COVID-19 patients who need the devices

safety of air travel are vital pre-requisites dence yet that antibodies confer immunity, transfer passengers do not need to line up to help increase their blood oxygen levels.

to enabling the global economy to recover according to the IATA and ACI document. and be re-screened, leading to additional Complicating the task in Africa is the fact

from COVID-19,” the groups said in the doc- Should health-screening measures be nec- human contact, IATA and ACI said. that the peak in corona virus cases for the
ument, which has not been made public. essary, it should be done long before passen- “There is currently no single measure continent' is expected to come later than

“In normal times, aviation delivers (US) gers arrive at the airport, the document said. that could mitigate all the risks of restarting in Europe and the United States, well after
$2.7 trillion in global GDP contribution.” Temperature checks on airport entry and air travel,” the document concluded. dozens of other countries have bought

IATA and ACI declined to comment specif- exit are not likely to prove 100% effective “However, we believe that an effective out available supplies. "Africans must find

ically on the document but both said they because they may miss mild cases and those implementation on an outcome basis and their own solutions to their problems. We

were working with industry partners on a in the incubation period, but the measures layered approach, of the above-mentioned must show our independence. It's a big

consistent global approach. Many airlines could play a useful role in reassuring passen- range of measures that are already possi- motivation for this," said Ibrahima Gueye,

and airports around the world are imple- gers and deter travel in the case of suspect- ble, represents the most effective way of a professor at the Polytechnic School of

menting measures such as requiring masks ed infections, according to IATA and ACI. balancing risk mitigation with the need to Thies in Senegal, on the 12-member team

and leaving middle seats empty, in some Social and physical distancing should be unlock economies and to enable travel in developing the prototype ventilator.

cases due to government requirements. limited to the initial restart phase because the the immediate term.” Q Their efforts are being mirrored else- Mologic, which developed a rapid Ebola He predicted there would be a "new pub-

where across the continent, where medical test. They hope the corona virus test, lic health order" after the pandemic, with

supplies are usually imported. which can give results in 10 minutes, changes in global supply chains. Countries
could be distributed across Africa as early
already are taking steps toward not having

Many hope that these efforts to develop
B-17 FLIGHT - ‘THE FINAL MISSION’ ventilators, personal protective equipment, as June. Once a prototype is validated, to rely on help from abroad.

the test kits will be made in the U.K. and
Developing countries are scrambling

sanitizers and quick-result antibody tests
will lead to more independent solutions for at a new facility in Senegal for infectious for equipment as deliveries are hindered.

of EAA’s B-17 tours, we have been priv- future health crises. Although the quality of disease testing, DiaTropix, that was But even India, where some engineers are
ileged to hear hundreds of remarkable some products won't meet as high a standard founded by Institut Pasteur. also trying to build low-cost ventilators,

ersonal and poignant accounts stories and anecdotes from individuals as in the U.S. or Europe, Gueye said there is Workers in Dakar are using laser cutters has access to more than 19,000 of them in

Pof fl ying the Boeing B-17, one of and families who are connected with excitement that level can be reached eventu- to make about 1,000 face shields per week addition to domestic manufacturers who are

history’s most significant aircraft, are the B-17 Flying Fortress,” said Jim Busha, ally, with enough time and investment. for health care workers. They also are cre- expected to deliver tens of thousands more.

revealed in the book The Final Mission, EAA’s vice president of publications, In Ethiopia, biomedical engineer Bilisum- ating key chains with prevention messages AFRICAN NATIONS UNDERSTAND

newly published by the Experimental marketing, and membership. “This ma Anbesse is among those volunteers re- such as "Stay Home." THE IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL

Aircraft Association. treasure trove of deeply moving first- pairing and upgrading old ventilators. While Alcohol-based hand sanitizers are being PRODUCTION AND INGENUITY
hand accounts has never been brought
The book, written by Chris Henry with together in one place. That is why EAA the country has tried to procure more than produced in Zimbabwe on university and

Hal Bryan, collects personal remem- thought it so important to publish this 1,000 ventilators abroad, progress has technical college campuses that have Ghana is using drone technology to
transport COVID-19 tests and protective
brances from World War II veterans volume, while we can still salute some been thwarted by the high demand. been transformed into "COVID response gear in collaboration with a US -based

factories." Higher education minister Amon

who flew combat missions aboard B-17s, of those who originally built, flew, and "US and Chinese companies that produce Murwira said the teams are also producing company called Zipline that already was

including those who flew again aboard maintained the B-17, along with remem- mechanical ventilators are saying they can't distributing vaccines and other medical

EAA’s aircraft more than 75 years later bering those who made the ultimate accept new orders until July. The same is face masks, gowns and aprons. products to remote parts of the country.

during one of its national tours each year. sacrifice. Especially now in conjunction experience firsthand each of the 10 crew true with other medical items like PPE and It's not known whether these projects “This is a global pandemic: 210 countries

The stories are uniquely categorized with the 75th anniversary of the end of positions aboard the aircraft. gloves," Annbesse said, referring to the will be finished before the virus hits its

by the 10 crew positions in the aircraft. World War II, we feel these stories need The book also features forewords personal protective gear worn to minimize peak in Africa, but observers say the and territories across the globe are affect-

ed,” Nigeria’s President Muhammad Buhari
exposure to health hazards.
longer-term impact of such ingenuity is
The book also includes recollections to be shared for future generations.” from Gemini and Apollo astronaut Frank substantial. tweeted recently. “We cannot expect

from “Rosie the Riveter” builders, The Final Mission is illustrated with near- Borman, a US Air Force veteran and EAA AFRICANS ARE ALSO HELPING TO others to come to our assistance. No one is

Women Air force Service Pilots, current ly 200 photos and features in its pages QR lifetime member and Dr. Harry Friedman of DEVELOP TOOLS FOR DISEASE "Necessity is the mother of invention," coming to defeat this virus for us.” Q

B-17 tour pilots, and others who have codes that lead to exclusive video content, the Memphis Belle Memorial Association. PREVENTION AND SURVEILLANCE said Ahmed Ogwell, deputy director of
unforgettable memories of the B-17. including an actual flight of EAA’s B-17 The book is available for order on Institut Pasteur in Dakar is working on the Africa Centre for Disease Control and

Prevention. "What we're seeing in Africa is

“Over more than a quarter-century Aluminium Overcast that allows viewers to EAA.org/FinalMission. Q a rapid test for COVID-19 in partnership going to change the way medical supplies in Article courtesy:
https://apnews.com/

with the British biotech company particular are manufactured." 66e8d6229ce8cfa535c3db2e821e7753

World Airnews | June 2020 World Airnews | June 2020
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