Programme overview
Introduction:
Points of entry public health, built on IHR core capacities at airports, seaports and land crossings, is a 1-week course for port health units, port operators and border agencies, ending with a Point of Entry Public Health Emergency Contingency Plan for a case entry point. Entry points lose time when an ill traveller, an infested hold or an uncertified ship arrives and nobody owns inspection, isolation or transfer. Nominees already inspect or operate ports and crossings, and learn through inspection walkthroughs of ships, aircraft and terminals. CoreConcept Training Center delivers this points of entry public health course.
Course Objectives:
- Assess a designated airport, seaport or ground crossing against the IHR routine and emergency core capacities and record the gaps in a capacity checklist
- Inspect ships against the Ship Sanitation Control Certificate and Exemption Certificate criteria and decide whether to issue, extend or require control measures
- Review conveyance health documents, including the Maritime Declaration of Health and the health part of the Aircraft General Declaration, and act on reported illness on board
- Run traveller screening, interview, referral, isolation and transfer of ill or suspect travellers with safeguards for personal data and non-discrimination
- Organise vector and rodent surveillance and control within the port perimeter, including aircraft disinsection, deratting and conveyance decontamination
- Write and exercise a public health emergency contingency plan that links the entry point with the National IHR Focal Point, receiving hospitals and transport operators
Target Audience:
- Port health inspection units responsible for boarding vessels, inspecting aircraft and issuing ship sanitation certificates
- Airport operator health and safety units responsible for terminal hygiene, water, food outlets and waste at the airside and landside
- Seaport authority environmental health units responsible for berths, cargo areas, ballast and waste reception facilities
- Border agency frontline supervisors responsible for passenger processing lanes at land crossings, ferry terminals and arrival halls
- Airline, shipping agent and freight operator liaison staff responsible for reporting illness on board and arranging disinsection
- Point of entry emergency planners responsible for drills, isolation rooms and coordination with ambulance services
Course Outline:
Day 1: Designated Entry Points and the IHR Capacity Baseline
- IHR Definitions of Point of Entry and Competent Authority
- Designated Airports, Ports and Ground Crossings Selection Criteria
- Routine Core Capacities Checklist for Water, Food and Waste
- Joint External Evaluation Points of Entry Indicators Review
- Current-State Gap Assessment of a Case Seaport Terminal
Day 2: Health Documents, Event Assessment and Proportionate Measures
- Ship Sanitation Control and Exemption Certificate Issuing Rules
- Maritime Declaration of Health Review and Follow-Up Questions
- Aircraft General Declaration Health Part and Pilot Reports
- Annex 2 Decision Instrument Applied to Entry Point Events
- Proportionate Health Measures Avoiding Unnecessary Traffic Interference
Day 3: Conveyance Inspection and Traveller Health Operations
- Ship Inspection Route Through Galley, Potable Water and Holds
- Aircraft Cabin, Lavatory and Catering Inspection Sequence
- Ground Vehicle and Cargo Container Health Inspection Steps
- Traveller Screening Interview, Referral Form and Data Safeguards
- Isolation Room Readiness and Ambulance Transfer Route Mapping
Day 4: Vector Control, Decontamination and Emergency Contingency Planning
- Mosquito and Rodent Surveillance Grid Within Port Perimeter
- Aircraft Disinsection by Space Spraying and Residual Application
- Deratting, Disinfection and Decontamination of Cargo and Baggage
- Public Health Emergency Contingency Plan Structure for Entry Points
- National IHR Focal Point Notification and Hospital Liaison Chain
Day 5: Inspection Walkthrough Exercises and the Contingency Plan
- Walkthrough of a Cargo Vessel With Expired Sanitation Certificate
- Walkthrough of an Arriving Flight Reporting Febrile Passengers
- Walkthrough of a Ground Crossing Bus With Suspect Traveller
- Functional Drill Debrief and Contingency Plan Gap Corrections
- Point of Entry Public Health Emergency Contingency Plan Completion
Skills You Will Gain:
- Entry Point Capacity Assessment
- Ship Sanitation Inspection
- Conveyance Health Document Review
- Traveller Health Screening
- Port Vector Surveillance
- Aircraft Disinsection Oversight
- Contingency Plan Drafting
- Functional Drill Facilitation
Why Attend This Course:
- Deliver a Point of Entry Public Health Emergency Contingency Plan to the port health manager and the airport or seaport operator for adoption and drill scheduling
- Decide on board whether a vessel receives an exemption certificate, a control certificate after measures or further inspection
- Prevent missed illness reports, unmanaged suspect travellers in arrival halls and vector introduction through cargo and cabins
- Share inspection checklists, the referral form and the isolation and transfer route with terminal, border and airline staff
Conclusion:
Back at work, the participant hands the port health manager, the terminal operator and the border agency supervisor a Point of Entry Public Health Emergency Contingency Plan for their airport, seaport or ground crossing. Inspection units use its checklists for ships, aircraft and vehicles, operators use its isolation and transfer arrangements, and planners use its contact chain with the National IHR Focal Point and receiving hospitals. After the first real event or functional drill, the unit should review notification times, isolation readiness and which capacity gaps remain open.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ):
What should participants know before the points of entry public health course?
Participants should already inspect, operate or supervise an airport, seaport or ground crossing. Bringing an anonymised inspection form, a terminal layout or an existing emergency plan helps them apply the capacity checklist and walkthrough exercises to their own entry point.
How does the points of entry public health course differ from a hospital pandemic preparedness course?
It works at the border: ship sanitation, conveyance inspection, traveller screening, vector control in the port perimeter and the entry point contingency plan. Hospital preparedness courses cover bed surge, contact tracing and clinical continuity, which appear here only at the hospital transfer interface.
Why do points of entry public health measures need to be proportionate?
The IHR aim to protect health while avoiding unnecessary interference with international traffic and trade. Measures stronger than the assessed risk delay ships, flights and travellers, raise disputes with operators and can breach safeguards on personal data and non-discrimination.
What do participants take back from the points of entry public health course?
Participants take back a Point of Entry Public Health Emergency Contingency Plan for a case airport, seaport or ground crossing, with a capacity gap checklist, ship and aircraft inspection routes, a traveller referral form, an isolation and transfer map and a notification chain.