Miami International Airport is the first in the United States where a canine unit, consisting of “One Betta” and “Cobra”, will be responsible for detecting COVID-19 by its sense of smell in humans.
This will be part of a pilot program after training at the Global Forensic Justice Center of the International University of Florida, FIU and under its corresponding protocols.
This initiative is part of MIA’s ongoing efforts to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in Florida and therefore in the United States.
The resolution for the implementation of this pilot program, which will last about 30 days, through partnership in addition to FIU with American Airlines, was presented to the Miami Dade County Board of Commissioners by Commissioner Kionne L McGhee, who approved its application.
At the event where the execution of the program was made official, were the interim director of Miami International Airport, Ralph Cutié, Dr. Kenneth G. Furton, Rector of FIU and Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry of the referred educational institution, besides the commissioners Raquel Regalado and Jose Pepe Diaz.
Miami International Airport, used by millions of Dominicans annually, is the point of entry and exit that connects the United States with the Dominican Republic and other countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The interim director of MIA, in highlighting this program, has argued that, “the COVID-19 Detector Dog Pilot Program is MIA’s latest effort to serve as a test bed for new security innovations. We are proud to do our part in the fight against COVID-19 and hope that this pilot program will potentially benefit the rest of Miami-Dade County and airports across the country. “
Meanwhile, FIU researcher and Rector Dr. Kenneth G. Furton has stressed that, “being able to apply decades of research in this way, to provide an additional layer of protection to airport employees at the Airport Miami International is a lesson in humility. “
“These dogs are another valuable tool we can take advantage of to help us live with this ongoing pandemic,” he emphasized.
The Canine Unit
“One Betta” and “Cobra” will be responsible for performing their delicate function, for which they were previously trained in coronavirus detection in humans.
“Cobra”, belongs to a breed of Belgian shepherd (Malinois) and “One Betta”, is also a shepherd, but Dutch.
“They have been trained to warn about the smell of COVID-19. The virus causes metabolic changes in a person that result in the production of volatile organic compounds (VOCs),” FIU experts say.
“VOCs are excreted by a person’s breath and sweat, producing an odor that trained dogs can detect. Metabolic changes are common to all people, regardless of their individual aromas. If a dog indicates that a person is carrying the odor of a virus, this person will be instructed to undergo a rapid COVID test “, as reported in the official presentation of the canines where this medium was present.
“Numerous studies have shown that detection dogs are one of the most reliable tools available to identify substances based on the odors they emit,” MIA authorities argue.
“Previous studies include demonstrating that detection dogs can reliably detect people with diseases such as diabetes, epilepsy and certain cancers.”
They point out that “detector dogs have long been used by federal and local agencies in MIA to detect currency, drugs, explosives and agriculture banned at this terminal.”