World

Thailand Deploys Dogs to Sniff Out Coronavirus

THE NOSE KNOWS

Six Labrador retrievers have been trained by researchers to detect a unique odor in the sweat of people who are infected.

2020-07-31T200223Z_1034411397_RC2K4I9K55M7_RTRMADP_3_HEALTH-CORONAVIRUS-CHILE-DOGS_ev8mom
Ivan Alvarado/Reuters

Thailand is facing a surge in coronavirus cases and is trying out a new way of detecting hot spots: sniffer dogs. Six Labrador retrievers have been trained to recognize a scent that infected people produce in their sweat—with 95 percent accuracy, the Associated Press reports. The canine teams will be deployed in areas where public health officials suspect clusters could be forming, such as slums and big markets. Thailand isn’t the first country to use dogs, but researchers weren’t sure it would work there because of the cuisine’s strong flavors.

Read it at AP

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.