Review of the efficacy of infrared thermography for screening infectious diseases with applications to COVID-19

Area of Science:

• Biomedical engineering
• Public health surveillance

Background:

• The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for effective infectious disease screening.
• Infrared thermography (IRT) has been used for pandemic-related febrile individual screening since the 2003 SARS outbreak.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the efficacy of infrared thermography (IRT) for screening infectious diseases, with a focus on COVID-19.
• To compare IRT with traditional temperature measurements and assess additional vital signs for screening.

Main Methods:

• A literature review was conducted using Google Scholar, PubMed, and ScienceDirect.
• Searched for studies from 2002 to present evaluating IRT screening for infectious diseases.
• Included comparisons with core body temperature measurements and assessment of other vital signs.

Main Results:

• Studies indicate IRT has unreliable sensitivity and specificity for detecting core body temperature.
• IRT screening during past outbreaks (SARS, Dengue, Swine Flu, Ebola) showed very low reported sensitivities.
• Asymptomatic carriers are not identified by IRT.
• Screening additional vital signs like heart and respiratory rates may improve early infection detection.

Conclusions:

• The efficacy of IRT for infectious disease screening yields varied results.
• Additional physiological parameters are needed to enhance the sensitivity and specificity of non-invasive biosensors for disease screening.