The Concern Over H1N1 Continues...

A SAFO contains important safety information and may include recommended action. SAFO content should be especially valuable to air carriers in meeting their statutory duty to provide service with the highest possible degree of safety in the public interest. Besides the specific action recommended in a SAFO, an alternative action may be as effective in addressing the safety issue named in the SAFO.

Subject: Swine Flu Information from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Purpose: To inform air operators of recently developed guidance from the CDC.

Background: The swine influenza A (H1N1) virus that has infected humans in the U.S. and Mexico is a novel influenza A virus not previously identified in North America. Illness signs and symptoms have consisted of influenza-like illness: fever and respiratory tract illness (cough, sore throat, runny nose, and pneumonia), headache, muscle aches, and in some cases vomiting and diarrhea. Investigations of these cases suggest that infection is occurring human-to-human.

Discussion: Recently, the CDC developed and distributed interim guidance for airlines regarding the swine influenza. These documents contain recommendations on identifying and reporting passengers who demonstrate symptoms of swine flu and on controlling infection using industrial hygiene practices. These documents also contain guidance for the management of crewmembers or passengers with symptoms of influenza and management of crew exposure after the completion of a flight. You may find these documents at http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/guidance/. As the guidelines for swine influenza evolve and new information is learned, more detailed guidelines will be published to this Web-site.

• The CDC will update general information about the swine influenza outbreak on its swine influenza webpage: http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/
   
• Additional relevant information can be found at the following Web-sites: Interim Guidance for Airline Flight Crews and Persons Meeting Passengers Arriving from Areas With Avian Influenza:  http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentAvianFluArrivingFromAreas.aspx
   
• Travel Industry Pandemic Influenza Planning Checklist:  www.pandemicflu.gov/plan/workplaceplanning/travelchecklist.html
   
• Department of Health and Human Services: /www.pandemicflu.gov/

Recommended Action: Directors of safety, directors of operations, and fractional ownership program managers should be familiar with the CDC Web-site and its recommendations about the swine flu. The FAA expects that these individuals will adopt new or revised CDC recommendations, as appropriate, and distribute this information to its crewmembers.

FMI: www.faa.gov/other_visit/aviation_industry/airline_operators/airline_safety/safo