Here you can find the definitions for keywords and terms that are used in the AIRSAN Bibliography.
Definition of Keywords
Animals:
mean animals as defined as "goods" in the International Health Regulations (2005). Animals as "reservoirs" or "vectors" are found under the keyword "vectors and reservoirs".
Baggage:
means the personal effects of a traveller.
Cargo:
means goods carried on a conveyance or in a container.
Contact tracing:
means the investigation procedure aimed at acquiring contact information in order to approach contacts that were potentially exposed to pathogens. Contact tracing also comprises the correct handling of personal data.
Container:
means an article of transport equipment:
(a) of a permanent character and accordingly strong enough to be suitable for repeated use;
(b) specially designed to facilitate the carriage of goods by one or more modes of transport, without intermediate reloading;
(c) fitted with devices permitting its ready handling, particularly its transfer from one mode of transport to another; and
(d) specially designed as to be easy to fill and empty.
Conveyance:
is used as a keyword if inspection, cleaning, disinfection or maintenance procedures are applied to an aircraft.
Coordination:
means the organization of public health procedures in the aviation sector so as to enable the competent personnel to work together effectively. Therefore, the keyword “coordination” also covers multi-sectoral collaboration.
Disinfection, Disinsection, Deratting, Decontamination:
means the application of the following measures.
“Decontamination” means a procedure whereby health measures are taken to eliminate an infectious or toxic agent or matter on a human or animal body surface, in or on a product prepared for consumption or on other inanimate objects, including conveyances, that may constitute a public health risk;
“Deratting” means the procedure whereby health measures are taken to control or kill rodent vectors of human disease present in baggage, cargo, containers, conveyances, facilities, goods and postal parcels at the point of entry;
“Disinfection” means the procedure whereby health measures are taken to control or kill infectious agents on a human or animal body surface or in or on baggage, cargo, containers, conveyances, goods and postal parcels by direct exposure to chemical or physical agents;
“Disinsection” means the procedure whereby health measures are taken to control or kill the insect vectors of human diseases present in baggage, cargo, containers, conveyances, goods and postal parcels.
The keyword also comprises trained personnel, special equipment and personal protective equipment.
Emergency planning:
means the process of developing a strategy to manage crises related to public health threats.
External communication:
means the exchange of information with travellers, the press and other stakeholders not directly involved in the event (e.g. travel agencies; international organizations involved with migration; other airports in the same region or outside region).
Flight restrictions:
means denial of clearance to land for aircrafts on an airport. It encompasses “free pratique” and “airport closure”.
Goods:
mean tangible products, including animals and plants, transported on an international voyage, including for utilization on board a conveyance.
Human remains:
means the body of a deceased person in any stage of decomposition or after cremation.
Identification of ill travellers:
means the determination that a traveller is suspected to suffer from a communicable disease.
Inspection:
means the examination, by the competent authority or under its supervision, of areas, baggage, containers, conveyances, facilities, goods or postal parcels, including relevant data and documentation, to determine if a public health risk exists. It also comprises trained personnel and specific equipment for inspection.
Internal communication:
means the exchange of information about public health topics within the aviation and the health sector via a specific communication infrastructure (e.g. meetings, use of telephones, personal computers, fax).
Isolation:
means separation of ill or contaminated persons from others in such a manner as to prevent the spread of infection or contamination.
Management of suspect or affected travellers (at-airport):
means handling of suspect or affected travellers at the airport after arrival or before departure.
Management of suspect or affected travellers (in-flight):
means handling of suspect or affected travellers during the flight.
Medical management of ill travellers (post-travel):
means provision of medical care to ill persons off the airport, after a flight and temporally separated from the flight. For example, a person being diagnosed with tuberculosis days or weeks after the flight took place.
Medical management of ill travellers (pre-travel):
means provision of medical care to ill persons off the airport, before a flight and temporally separated from the flight. For example, a person being diagnosed with tuberculosis days or weeks before the flight takes place.
Notification:
means first reporting of an identified public health risk within the aviation sector and to the competent public health authority and first reporting to other levels of the public health system (e.g. World Health Organization).
Off-Airport Medical Service:
means the provision of medical care to ill travellers off the airport.
Postal parcel:
means an addressed article or package carried internationally by postal or courier services.
Quarantine:
means the restriction of activities and/or separation from others of suspect persons who are not ill or of suspect baggage, containers, conveyances or goods in such a manner as to prevent the possible spread of infection or contamination.
Safe environment:
means that travellers who use point of entry facilities have access to potable water supplies, eating establishments, flight catering facilities, public washrooms, appropriate solid and liquid waste disposal services and other potential risk areas, by conducting inspection programmes, as appropriate.
Sampling:
means the collection of specimens from travellers (e.g. from blood, secreta, excreta), baggage, cargo, containers, conveyances, goods, postal parcels or human remains who pose or may pose a public health risk. It also comprises trained personnel, special equipment and personal protective equipment as well as safe transport of samples.
Screening:
means the systematic process of identifying suspect or ill travellers. It may require non-invasive medical examinations performed by non-medical or medical personnel, at special premises and with specific equipment, for example entry and exit controls.
Training:
means the action of teaching personnel to make them capable to respond to a public health threat in the aviation sector in a coordinated and effective way. It also includes testing of communication plans and channels.
Transport:
means the transfer of ill travellers in a conveyance, a road vehicle or another means of transport to a medical service. It also comprises trained personnel and specific equipment.
Travel restrictions:
means that travellers are advised to delay travel or that boarding is denied.
Vaccination:
means giving immunization or other protective treatment for disease (prophylaxes).
Vectors and Reservoirs:
“Reservoir” means an animal, plant or substance in which an infectious agent normally lives and whose presence may constitute a public health risk.
“Vector” means an insect or other animal which normally transports an infectious agent that constitutes a public health risk.
Definition of Variables
Comments:
describes additional information the reviewers consider as relevant.
Contributors:
describes the international organizations involved in the preparation of the document, including the publishing organization.
As of January 2014, the specific variable contained the following international organizations: ACI, AEA, EC, ECDC, IAEA, IATA, ICAO, OIE and WHO. This variable will be extended as needed. The existence of other contributors was indicated in the variable “Others” (e.g. national public health authorities like the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or the Robert Koch Institute (RKI)).
Free of Charge:
describes whether or not the document must be purchased.
Highest Level of Detail:
this variable only displays the highest level of detail which has been attributed for the specific keyword in the document. Four different scores could be given in the order from level 1 (attributed to pages, on which information about the keyword was only mentioned) to level 4 (attributed to pages with extensive or very important information about the keyword). Forms, like the Passenger Locator Form were always quoted with “4”.
ID (Identification Number):
is a consecutive number allocated to a document by the reviewers. The review might reveal that some documents do not fulfill inclusion criteria. The document specific ID will not be reallocated.
Keyword:
lists the name of the specific keyword (further information see: definition of keywords).
Link:
indicates the specific website where the document or its pdf file can be found.
Public Health Function:
contains the categories “Risk management”, “Risk assessment” and “Event management”.
Public Health Threat:
describes the specific risk the document addresses. The public health treat can be “Biological”, “Chemical”, “Radiological”, “Environmental” or of “Unknown origin”. If all threats are addressed, the variable “All Threats” contains “Yes”.
Published by:
describes the organization or organizations who issued the document. As of January 2014, the specific variables of the category “published by” contain the following international organizations: ACI, AEA, EC, ECDC, IAEA, IATA, ICAO, OIE and WHO. This variable will be extended as needed.
Published Language:
describes the language the document is written in. As of January 2014, the specific variables contain the following languages: Arabic, Chinese, Czech, English, French, German, Lithuanian, Russian and Spanish. This variable will be extended as needed.
Reference Pages:
lists all pages which provide relevant information about the keyword. Additionally, the level of detail is displayed in brackets for each page or page range.
Target Group:
describes the audience who is either clearly addressed in the document or would benefit to use the document. The following target groups were chosen: “Airline Operator”, “Airport Operator”, “Aviation Authority” and “Public Health Authority”.
Title:
describes the distinguishing name of the document as listed on its front page.
Type of Document:
can be categorized as “Treaty”, “Standard”, “Guidance Document”, “Recommendation” and “Assessment Tool”. If the type of document was not clear the document was categorized as “Guidance Document”.
A “Treaty” is a document which has been agreed under and entered into international law by sovereign states and international organizations.
A "Standard" refers to ICAO Standards that are found in the Annexes to the Convention on International Civil Aviation and are defined as "Any specification for physical characteristics, configuration, matériel, performance, personnel or procedure, the uniform application of which is recognized as necessary for the safety or regularity of international air navigation and to which Contracting States will conform in accordance with the Convention”.
A “Guidance Document” can be any document that gives specific technical assistance, such as guides and guidelines.
A “Recommendation” is
(a) a document which gives specific suggestions or
(b) the part of an ICAO Standard and Recommended Practice which is desirable in the interests of safety, regularity or efficiency of international air navigation, and to which Contracting States will endeavour to conform in accordance with the Convention.
An “Assessment Tool” is a document which can be used for evaluation.
Year of Publishing:
describes the year the document was issued in.
Back to top