Sniffer dogs are being used at Sharjah and Abu Dhabi airports to detect suspected COVID-19 cases among passengers, the Ministry of Interior recently confirmed. Specialised teams have deployed sniffer dogs under the supervision of the ministry as an additional line of defence to detect Coronavirus cases among travellers arriving in the UAE. As of now, the sniffer dogs have been mobilised at the Sharjah airport and Abu Dhabi airport, along with the Ghwaifat Border Crossing to ensure that passengers entering the UAE from both land and sea are checked for Coronavirus.

As per a statement released by the ministry, these intensively trained dogs are detecting samples taken from the armpits of the travellers at the border crossing. Later, the samples are placed in specialised medical devices in an isolated room where the sniffer dogs take a few seconds to detect the suspected cases. The ministry confirmed that there is no direct contact between passengers and sniffer dogs during the process.

Explaining the process, Lt Col Dr Ahmed Adel Al Maamari, Head of the K9 Security Inspection Department at Sharjah Police, stated that the dogs have been trained to sniff out suspected cases by smelling test samples in the specialised room. During the training period, the dogs were made to smell the test samples in an isolated room designed for the purpose of drilling them.

In July, the Ministry of Interior had announced the completion of training of K9 Police dogs as part of the efforts to enhance its preventive and precautionary measures aimed at containing the spread of COVID-19. Significantly, the new step will help in boosting the safety and security of the community amid the national efforts to combat the pandemic.

The sniffer dogs were trained with high-speed sampling technique using the armpits of presumed infected cases. Dogs sniffed the samples without coming in contact with the individuals, following which results were disclosed at the spot.

Traditionally, K9 police dogs are deployed for securing and monitoring crucial events and sensitive facilities.

According to the Ministry, the K9 dogs were employed for the purpose, keeping in mind their proven abilities to deal with other contagious diseases including malaria and tuberculosis. Their capabilities have helped health authorities to combat the spread of these diseases in the UAE.

At the same time, the ministry organised a series of workshops in cooperation with world experts and several countries to discuss and understand theoretical studies conducted on using dogs in detecting suspected cases of COVID-19.

"Trained detection dogs are known for their extraordinary capabilities and skills that outdo other dogs, and are especially renowned for their strong sense of smell. For this reason, they can be used in police patrols and securing malls, events, airports and other vital facilities" the ministry added.

A number of field experiments have been carried out at several health sites with the joint efforts of the Ministry of Health and Community Development, the UAE police general commanders, Abu Dhabi and Dubai Health Authorities, the Ministry of Interior, Federal Customs Authority and Departments of Customs in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. According to the data derived from these experiments and other studies conducted in the matter, a 92 per cent accuracy rate in the detection of suspected COVID-19 cases has been achieved.