Remote-sensing infrared thermography

The outbreak of the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 has ignited studies and research (and even the general public interest) in the field of infrared (IR) imaging systems for blind mass human fever screening to control the spread of the pandemic. The ideal device for blind mass fever screening should be speedy, noninvasive, and able to accurately detect people with fever. IR thermography has been used to detect inflammatory abnormalities and has the potential to serve as a tool for mass screening of fever. This article reviews the IR fever-screening systems and suggests the performance and environmental requirements for characterizing thermography for possible fever screening, during the onset of a pandemic, under indoor controlled-environmental conditions.