EGG-NEWS recently commented on dangers associated with foodborne infection as a result of improper procedures in food preparation, storage and serving in air travel.

A central kitchen supplying a large international or hub airport can potentially infect thousands of travelers with diverse destinations thereby obscuring the emergence of an infection.  The University of Zurich in association with the World Health Organization has developed the Illness Tracking in Travelers app.  This facilitates reporting of symptoms and provides details relevant to identifying a foodborne outbreak and relating it to a specific source.

According to a recent release by the University of Zurich, gastrointestinal symptoms were reported for 19 percent of 470 air trips.  The Illness Tracking in Travelers app will be validated by more extensive use and will obviously be refined based on experience gained.

The app. may have application in identifying outbreaks of infections other than those affecting the intestinal tract. If correctly configured it could be useful as an early warning system for contagious diseases that may be spread within the confines of an aircraft or terminal.