Benefits of using our services and products
- Aircraft disinsection insecticides compliant with World Health Organization (WHO) and Automotive Engineers (AMS 1450A)
- Aircraft disinsection procedures compliant with Port Health Office of Department of Health, Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Department of Agriculture and Water Resources Australia and Ministry for Primary Industries New Zealand requirements
- Issuance of Aircraft Disinsection Certificates for Residual Cabin and Hold Treatments
- Full range of aircraft insecticides for the use of “Residual Disinsection, Top of Descent/On-arrival, Pre-flight/Pre-embarkation and Cargo Holds”
Aircraft Disinsection
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines “disinfection” as the procedure whereby health measures are taken to control or kill the insect vectors of human diseases present in baggage, cargo, containers, conveyances, goods and postal parcels. WHO recommendations cover the use of disinsection techniques in aircraft to help to minimize the spread of mosquito-borne diseases (WHO, 1985). Mosquitoes act as vectors of pathogens and parasites that cause a number of serious diseases, including dengue, yellow fever and malaria (WHO, 2005a).
The International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) establish global benchmark standards to prevent, protect against, control and provide a public health response to the international spread of disease in ways that are commensurate with and restricted to public health risks and that avoid unnecessary interference with international traffic and trade (WHO, 2005a).
Port Health Office (Department of Health HKSAR)
The Port Health Office enforces relevant provisions of the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance and the International Health Regulations (IHRs) at the seaport, Hong Kong International Airport and land boundary control points of Hong Kong so as to prevent infectious diseases from being introduced into or carried away from the territory.
At the Airport : surveillance of the food catering services provided for airlines, monitoring of hygiene and sanitation standard within the Airport, management and care of air disaster victims, and implementation of aircraft disinsection programme for incoming flights from Zika virus affected areas.
Disinsection pesticides
For aircraft disinsection, WHO currently recommends d-phenothrin (2%) for space spraying and permethrin (2%) for residual disinsection (WHO, 2005b).
Disinsection procedures
Three methods are currently recommended by WHO for aircraft disinsection: They are ‘blocks away’; preflight and ‘top-of-descent’ spraying; and residual treatment, This involves, in practice, four techniques.
Residual disinsection
The residual disinsection method involves the regular spraying of certain internal surfaces of the aircraft cabin (excluding food preparation areas) and hold with a residual insecticide.
Blocks away disinsection
Aerosol spraying is carried out by crew members when the passengers are on board, after closure of the cabin door and before the flight takes off.
Pre-flight (Pre-embarkation ) and top-of-descent spraying
Pre-flight and top-of-descent spraying is a two-part process. The pre-flight spray is carried out before the passengers board. A subsequent in-flight spraying is carried out at “top-of-descent”, i.e. as the aircraft starts its descent to the destination airport.