The effectiveness of dogs has not been demonstrated in comparative clinical studies, so passengers who volunteer to be evaluated and suspected of carry the virus should also take a swab to verify the result.
A team of 15 dogs and 10 instructors is trained to paint in Finland through volunteers, sponsored through a personal veterinary clinic, including Kossi, a rescue dog from Spain, who trained as a tracking dog in Finland and painted before detecting cancers.
Anna Hielm-Bjorkman, an adjunct professor at the University of Helsinki who specializes in clinical studies for pets, said her studies showed that dogs can locate the disease five days before patients develop clinical symptoms.
In the dog test, a passenger rubs his or her neck with gauze, places it in a box that is then placed back in the room for a dog to smell and give a quick result.
A few months ago, the government of the United Arab Emirates conducted dog testing at Dubai International Airport with police dogs.
Vantaa Deputy Mayor Timo Aronkyto said that in the future it would be imaginable for dogs to walk among passengers as customs dogs do.