Bone Voyage! How Dogs At Helsinki Airport Are Detecting Covid-19
Finavia
As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to spread rapidly across the world, health professionals advise that early detection is key. Add on the holiday season and one of the busiest times for air travel, and accurate testing becomes that much more crucial. But what if we could access free Covid testing in under one minute before jetting off?
The Helsinki Airport recently began a four month trial to achieve just that. And instead of using needles and nosy cotton swabs, their technique is much more approachable - dogs! This non-invasive technique (unless you count tail wagging) calls on the dog’s ability to determine infection just from scent alone. Afterall, our animal’s sense of smell is 10,000 - 100,000 times stronger than our own.
Sniffing Out The Virus
Using their advanced sense of smell, canines are being trained to detect SARS-CoV-2 infected patients based on Volatile organic compounds and their specific scent imprints. The test is administered by wiping the passenger’s skin and placing the sample in a separate booth where the dogs will sniff out the sample alongside various control scents. If Covid-19 is detected, the animal will make a physical signal (such as pawing or laying down) and the passenger will be sent to a health information point in the airport.
Lehtikuva, via Reuters
How is this all possible? According to an earlier French study published in June, there is strong evidence that covid-positive individuals emit a sweat odor that is different from covid-negative individuals. Fortunately for us, our canine friends can tell the difference.
The Lab(rador) Results
The four month pilot program that began in late September has already shown a great deal of promise. According to veterinary researchers over at the University of Helsinki, the trained animals can detect Covid-19 with close to 100% certainty. Additionally, they are able to make the call before symptoms even appear.
"This research has exceeded our expectations. The dogs have identified cancer and other diseases in the past, but we have been surprised at how much easier it is for the dogs to spot corona," researcher Anna Hielm-Björkman told yle, Finland’s national public broadcasting company.
Following the preliminary success of the pilot program in Finland, other countries like Saudi Arabia and Brazil are following suit and exploring the potential of canine scent detection. We could see even more applications of the alternative method in the future from sporting events to hospitals and nursing homes.
Image: Sara Salmi / Yle
Meet Kössi!
Among the 16 dogs deployed for the project and trained by Finnish organization Wise Nose, four are expected to work at the airport in different shifts. This includes pups ET, Miina, Valo, and Kossi. Eight-year-old greyhound mix, Kössi has been trained to sniff out the coronavirus in seven minutes and was previously trained to detect diseases such as cancer and diabetes too.
What We Have to Learn
With stories like this, it’s hard not to respect the gentle strength and loyalty of our four-legged counterparts. Their heightened sensitivity is such a gift during this time when testing is limited, costly, and often uncertain. With their selfless service to the program, these animals are certainly living out their dharma and helping us come together to deploy creative solutions that will slow the spread of the virus and ultimately save lives. If the global pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we’re all connected. Whether you’re in the US or Europe, two-legged or four-legged, we’re all in this together!