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| AP |
The program, run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), asks international passengers to voluntarily undergo a nasal swab test and answer questions about their trip.
The program is implemented in six airports, and on Tuesday, the CDC announced they would add two more, O'Hare in Chicago and Miami.
These sites will need to provide more information about respiratory infections, particularly those originating from South America, Africa, and Asia, CDC officials said.
"Miami and Chicago allow us to collect samples from areas of the world where global surveillance is not as intense as it used to be (...) What we really need is a good overview of what is happening in the world to be prepared for what is coming," said Allison Taylor Walker, from the CDC.
The program began in 2021, and it has been credited with detecting variants of the coronavirus faster than other systems. The genomic test of the nasal swab from travelers has mainly focused on Covid-19, but tests are also conducted to detect two other respiratory viruses: influenza and respiratory syncytial virus.
Participants are not notified of the results. However, they are provided with a home testing kit to take with them, CDC officials said.
Samples have been obtained from more than 475,000 air travelers who have arrived on flights from more than 135 countries, according to officials.
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Health authorities have also been testing wastewater from international flights at some airports.
These tests are conducted to detect Covid-19, but CDC officials are considering the possibility of monitoring wastewater for other pathogens, Walker noted.
The CDC's program currently has a budget of about $37 million. The agency pays two companies, Ginkgo Bioworks and XWell, for sample collection and testing. The companies work with the CDC to expand the program and detect more than 30 disease-causing germs.