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1 In September 2009, about 100 people assembled in Washington, D.C., to participate in a symposium on research on the transmission of disease in airports and on aircraft. The symposium brought together indi- viduals from the public sector (federal, state, and local agencies including public airports), private sector (air- lines and consultants with expertise in various facets of airport emergency response), and research institutions to learn about current research and to consider ways to conduct and fund future research. The symposium goals were to examine (a) the status of research on or related to the transmission of disease on aircraft and in airports, (b) the potential application of research results to the development of protocols and standards for managing communicable disease incidents in an aviation setting, and (c) areas where additional research is needed. To plan the event, TRB assembled a committee appointed by the National Research Council (NRC) to organize and develop the symposium program. The planning committee was chaired by Katherine B. Andrus, Air Transport Association of America, Inc. The symposium program was designed to provide an opportunity for the aviation community to share data, models, and methods; discuss findings and preliminary conclusions of ongoing research; and identify gaps to inform future research projects. During the symposium, consecutive sessions were organized according to differ- ent approaches to research as identified by the planning committee. These approaches included case study investi- gations, theoretical modeling, and âbench scienceâ experi- mental methods. A session discussing different approaches to policies and planning to minimize the spread of disease along with an open dialog among all attendees on candi- date topics for future research was also conducted. This summary report contains white papers, authored by the invited speakers to each session, that summarize the presentations they gave during the symposium. It includes a summary of the discussion of topics for future research. The planning committee was solely responsible for organizing the symposium, identifying topics, and choosing speakers. The responsibility for the published symposium summary rests with the symposium rappor- teur and the institution. This report has been reviewed in draft form by indi- viduals chosen for their diverse perspectives and techni- cal expertise in accordance with procedures approved by the NRC Report Review Committee. The purposes of this independent review are to provide candid and criti- cal comments that will assist the institution in making the published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the project charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confiden- tial to protect the integrity of the process. TRB thanks the following individuals for their review of this report: Katherine B. Andrus, Air Transport Asso- ciation of America, Inc.; Deborah C. McElroy, Air- ports Council InternationalâNorth America; and Phyllis Kozarsky, Expert Consultant, Centers for Disease Con- trol and Prevention. Although the reviewers provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they did not see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by C. Michael Wal- ton, Ernest H. Cockrell Centennial Chair in Engineering, Preface
2 RESEARCH oN THE TRANSMISSIoN of DISEASE IN AIRPoRTS AND oN AIRCRAfT University of Texas at Austin. Appointed by NRC, he was responsible for ensuring that an independent exami- nation of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. The committee extends special thanks to the Airport Cooperative Research Program oversight Committee for providing funding support for the workshop along with the vision and encouragement that made the event the success that it was.
