'Promising method': Finland's Helsinki airport deploys sniffer dogs to detect coronavirus

On September 24, Finland’s Helsinki airport deployed sniffer dogs to detect the COVID-19 among the travellers. The country launched a state-funded trial to deploy a faster, and efficient method to testing, and hence, deployed dogs at the international airport that could sniff the coronavirus in as quickly as 10 seconds. An in-charge to the 4-month trial, Anna Hielm-Björkman from the University of Helsinki said that the process took entirely a minute to complete as the dogs effectively detected the coronavirus infection in the tourists entering Finland via the airport. The city of Vantaa “believes that the dogs will be an efficient method of ensuring health and safety at airports,” it said in an official press release.

“It’s a very promising method. Dogs are very good at sniffing,” the University of Helsinki professor of equine and small animal medicine, said. “If it works, it will be a good (coronavirus) screening method at any other place,” she added.

At least 4 different breeds of dogs trained professionally by Finland’s Smell Detection Association were deployed at the Helsinki airport. The airport shared the images of the dogs on duty, smelling, and inspection of the area at arrival hall 2B. In a post on Twitter, the Helsinki airport informed that the service was mandatory for all overseas passengers arriving in Finland from other countries, with a special emphasis on the high-risk countries. The dogs have been trained to identify the potential carriers of the virus with their nose at the Helsinki-Vantaa airport, run by Finavia. This is among the first government-funded pilot projects in Finland. 

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Using 'canine scent detection'

The Director of Finland’s Helsinki-Vantaa airport told local finish agencies that the airport was relying on the canine scent detection, a technique employed by Finland’s airport in a first to detect the Covid-19 patients. In an official press release, Ulla Lettijeff said, “The pilot that will be kicked off on Tuesday. We are among the pioneers. As far as we know no other airport has attempted to use canine scent detection on such a large scale against COVID-19." Additionally, according to Finland’s government, the dogs are able to sniff the much smaller sample than the PCR tests used by health care professionals. A huge dog can smell 0-100 molecules while a test detects 18,000,000. 

“We are pleased with the city of Vantaa’s initiative. This might be an additional step forward on the way to beating coronavirus," Director of Finland’s Helsinki-Vantaa airport said. 

CEO of Suomen Hajuerottelu—WiseNose Ry, University of Helsinki’s DogRisk research group, Susanna Paavilainen said, “We are working with Finnish Customs to prepare for a potential scenario where it takes charge of the operation.” The sniffing from the dog wouldn’t be directly done at the airport but at a separate booth and of the test result is positive, the traveller will be asked to quarantine and eventually shifted to the healthcare center. 

[Sniffer dogs named K'ssi, left and Miina react with trainer Susanna Paavilainen at the Helsinki airport in Vantaa, Finland. Four corona sniffer dogs are trained to detect the Covid-19 virus from the arriving passenger samples at the airport.]

[Sniffer dog E.T. with trainer Anette Kare at the Helsinki airport in Vantaa, Finland.]

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(Images Credit: AP)