Sniffer Dogs vs Covid-19: A Less Invasive Approach
The use of tech as a way of curbing the spread of covid-19 has proven to be very invasive to people’s privacy even if it’s producing good results. These covid-19 tracking solutions are being tested and they involve advanced facial recognition, surveillance, contact tracing apps, and also state censorship.
Most users feel uneasy because of these methods and as such, countries are trying to use privacy-friendly and less invasive methods. One of such is the use of covid-19 tracker sniffer dogs.
Dogs are used because of their generosity when it comes to detecting smell as they can pick up a wide variety of smells that are imperceptible by humans. And so countries are relying on this and testing if dogs can sniff out people with covid-19 at public places like the airport. Research to prove this premise is being conducted by experts from medical detection dogs, and Durham University.
Jump Directly To –
- What It Aims to Solve
- How The Study Would Work?
- Covid-19 Tracking Dependence On Sniffer Dogs
- The Use of Sniffer Dogs for Surveillance
- Keeping The Virus Away from The Dogs
- Less Invasive Searches with Covid-19 Tracker Sniffer Dogs
What It Aims to Solve
Sniffer dogs would be very beneficial as the dogs are fast learners and can do more within a short time. So the screening process of covid-19 cases would be a quick one. This will facilitate the reopening of public places and points of entry into countries and cities thanks to the efficient and rapid screening rates as provided by the sniffer dogs. And it’s non-invasive even at that.
The use of sniffer dogs is by no means a replacement to routine covid-19 tests, no. But it’s a way to help the government detect and control the spread of the virus, especially with a large population. There are already sniffer dogs that work with the police for drugs and bomb detection. So it’s all about reprogramming their minds to the possible smell of the coronavirus for rapid detection.
How The Study Would Work?
Sniffer dogs have been used as far as the first world war and are still being relied on today to help control the spread of covid-19. Human noses are lined with only 5 million olfactory receptors whereas those of dogs are lined with about 200 million olfactory receptors. This huge gap is what researchers are relying on in their use of sniffer dogs.
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In carrying out the study, the odor of the disease would first have to be isolated. It is hoped that the resulting smell after a culture of infected cells and a mixture of volatile compounds that the cells release in the air would be different from that of healthy cells. Once this is established, it would be easy to distinguish an infected person from a healthy person using sniffer dogs.
The sniff test is already being carried out in some airports such as the Helsinki Airport. According to The Guardian, passengers use wipes to dab their sweat which is then sniffed by a sniffer dog. A positive case would be indicated by the dogs yelping, pawing, or lying down. This is of course not a conclusive test but helps in accurate follow-up as the passenger would be advised to do the proper test for certainty.
The use of sniffer dogs at the Helsinki Airport has shown 100% accuracy so far even with persons who are not symptomatic of covid-19. The entire idea was a result of the French study that found evidence of the difference between the sweat of covid-19 positive and covid-19 negative people.
Covid-19 Tracking Dependence On Sniffer Dogs
The use of sniffer dogs would make it more efficient to detect covid-19 positive patients. The rate of detection would be higher as the dogs are easy to train and fast learners. It would also be efficient as the number of individuals tested would be high and this can help in rapid checks around areas of high population density.
The use of dogs would also be far more accurate than the use of thermometers to blow the whistle on suspected cases. So resources would be managed better and better results would be achieved.
The Use of Sniffer Dogs for Surveillance
Sniffer dogs are mostly used to search for bombs, drugs, and other forms of contraband at airports and other places of entry. They are also used wherever law enforcement agencies deem fit and so far they have been accurate.
As with every other means of search, the use of dogs without a warrant to perform sniff duties has been debated. The use of dogs has also been abused by their owners, as some dogs have been trained to respond to the cues of the owners rather than the cue of smell. This could lead to false-positive and negative results.
Keeping The Virus Away from The Dogs
You may wonder how the dogs can be kept safe from the virus as they go about their sniffing duties. It’s a risk to both the dogs and their handlers as any exposure could lead to infection. Biodesiv invented a technique that uses tubes with a polymer in them to trap and release the volatile compounds produced by the cells.
So if the tubes are placed near cells, the gas can be gotten without the handler and dogs having any risk of contamination.
This phase of the project is critical as it will determine the viability of the method and its sensitivity. The dogs must be very sensitive to the smell of the volatile compounds even if the carriers are asymptomatic, and the dogs have to only react to covid-19 and no other smell. Only then can the test be trustworthy enough to be dependable.
Less Invasive Searches with Covid-19 Tracker Sniffer Dogs
It isn’t a crime to have the virus. No! so don’t be worried when you see a dog sniffing you at the airport because a positive sniff test is only for the benefit of others as it will help the authorities keep the spread of the virus in check better.
The methods that are being used now to monitor the spread of the virus can be hacked, or malfunction and leak your information such as location. This privacy loophole won’t exist with the use of dogs as dogs can’t be hacked into or leak your information to hackers.
Even with this level of privacy, having a dog smell you can be a bit intrusive for some, and it’s quite normal. But compared with the use of cameras and contact tracing apps amongst others, the use of dogs is far better and ensures your safety and privacy more.
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Conclusion
The use of covid-19 tracker sniffer dogs has come up to take care of the problem of privacy breaches that technology exposes the public to. It’s also an effective way to check individuals at the various points of entry for the virus without causing so many delays as the process of using sniffer dogs is rapid and even more accurate than the use of thermometers. So the use of dogs not only gives us better privacy, but it also saves us from stress at checkpoints.
There is only so much the use of sniffer dogs instead of tech can do to your privacy. So when going online for whatever reason, using a VPN is a sure way of staying private. Note that not all VPN service providers offer you the same quality of service, and so only go for premium services if you must enjoy the full package.
LimeVPN is a reputable VPN service that gives you absolute anonymity and privacy so you can exchange data without any eavesdropping going on, and without even your ISP knowing what you are up to.
Rachael Chapman
A Complete gamer and a Tech Geek. Brings out all her thoughts and love in writing blogs on IOT, software, technology etc
