Ensuring Food and Water Safety at King Abdulaziz International Airport: Observational Study on Environmental Health Departments’ Surveillance Activities.

Abstract

Airports are an important part of any society because they facilitate travel to different destinations around the world. There are many airports around the world, and they form a center for different people to meet as they board and alight flights. It is also an opportunity for people to restock their essential supplies including, specifically food and water. This means that these essentials need to meet public health standards for them to be safe for consumption. Airports are key in the discussion on the need to ensure safety of food and water because they serve millions of people each year. An example of an airport of interest is the King Abdul Aziz Jeddah Airport (KAIA). The airport forms a hub for many tourists seeking to visit the country and enjoy its unique touristic places. A study Saudi Arabia showed that the country welcomed more than 2.5 million Hajj pilgrims and an estimated 10 million Umrah visitors, with a significant proportion passing through Jeddah Airport. This is to show the importance of an airport and the number of people using it to access important services and travels. However, the airport can also be a public health risk, especially if essential supplies like food and water are unsafe for consumption. People depend on airport services to replenish these commodities and serving the people unsanitary food increases a risk of a disease outbreak. Some of the diseases that are more likely to be transmitted in this setting include typhoid and cholera. These diseases are highly contagious and often lead to adverse health outcomes, including death of individuals. It means significant effort needs to be put in place to ensure safety of the food and water given to the people using airports. It also transfers majority of the responsibility to the airport management to ensure standard practices.