FDA Cautions Against Relying On Fever Checks For Public Safety

From the Florida Phoenix:

By Laura Cassels

July 14, 2020

In April, as coronavirus took hold in the United States, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration OK’d the emergency use of unapproved, non-contact temperature gauges to screen for fever, in order to reserve more precise instruments for use by health-care professionals.

As their use in commerce gains popularity, the FDA cautions that the devices must be used in controlled environments, according to specific manufacturing instructions, to perform well.

In a story Tuesday, the Phoenix wrote about the use of fever checks as safety protocols for admitting people to amusement parks and other venues. But critics say the devices are more about marketing than public health.

According to the FDA, non-contract infrared thermometers, which are handheld devices sometimes described as temperature guns, can accurately measure surface body temperature but only in settings with optimal ambient air temperature and absence of radiant heat, draft and humidity.

This is what the public should know, according to the FDA:

The forehead of the person whose temperature is being measured must be clean, dry and unaffected by recently wearing head covers or being wiped with cleansing products such as cosmetic wipes.

The device must be precisely perpendicular to the subject’s forehead and positioned at a fixed distance specified by the manufacturer.

Thermal imaging systems, or thermal imaging cameras, accurately measure a person’s surface skin temperature only when the person is still and alone.

In a crowd, like at a casino? Not so much.

“Thermal imaging systems have not been shown to be accurate when used to take the temperature of multiple people at the same time,” the FDA says on its website. “They should not be used for measuring temperatures of many people at the same time in crowded areas, in other words “mass fever screening” is not recommended.”

In nursing homes? “Other assessment options and following infection control practices may be more effective,” the FDA warns.

In airports, workplaces, grocery stores, concert venues and the like? The FDA says no. “These systems will likely miss most individuals with COVID-19 who are contagious.”

In a hospital emergency room? Yes. The FDA considers thermal imaging systems a helpful tool for rapidly checking for fever in a triage situation, but not as the last word on a patient’s body temperature.

This story was originally published by the Florida Phoenix. For more stories from the Florida Phoenix, visit FloridaPhoenix.com.