New Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) Crossing Borders Beyond Cities, Nations, and Continents: Impact of International Travel

Pooja Arora¹, Sumit Mrig², Yaser Goldust³, George Kroumpouzos^4,5, Ayşe Serap Karadağ⁶, Lidia Rudnicka⁷, Hassan Galadari⁸, Jacek C Szepietowski⁹, Vito Di Lernia¹⁰, Andy Goren¹¹, Martin Kassir¹², Mohamad Goldust¹³

¹Department of Dermatology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital, New Delhi, India
²Department of Ear Nose and Throat, Max Smart Super-Speciality Hospital, New Delhi, India
³Department of Architecture, University of Mazandaran, Faculty of Art and Architecture, Babolsar, Iran
⁴Department of Dermatology, Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island, USA
⁵Department of Dermatology, Medical School of Jundiaí, São Paulo, Brazil
⁶Department of Dermatology and Venereology, İstanbul Medeniyet University School of Medicine, Göztepe Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey
⁷Department of Dermatology, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
⁸College of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain, United Arab Emirates
⁹Department of Dermatology, Venereology and Allergology, Wroclaw Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland
¹⁰ermatology Unit, Arcispedale Santa Maria Nuova, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Italy
¹¹Applied Biology, Irvine, California, USA
¹²Worldwide Laser Institute, Dallas, USA
¹³Department of Dermatology, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, Germany

DOI : 10.5152/balkanmedj.2021.21074

Pages : 205-211

The third outbreak of coronavirus in the form of the COVID-19 infection started in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The early and rapid spread of this infection across borders can be largely attributed to international air travel that has become a part of modern globalization. In this article, we analyze the spread of the novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) along the routes of international travel, both by air and by sea. Pitfalls of various screening methods used at the airports and the importance of optimal aircraft ventilation are discussed. Also, we suggest measures that can be taken to reduce the risk of transmission associated with air travel.