Airport security and type 1 diabetes technology
JDRF Australia has received an update from the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) regarding the guidelines for type 1 diabetes (T1D) technology and airport security and screening.
This follows ongoing issues faced by community members when travelling through airport security with insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitors (CGMs).
Advice varies for each specific device, but it is generally recommended that T1D technology does not pass through body scanners or x-ray machines. Check the guidelines for your specific device on the manufacturer’s website.
What you need to know:
- There have been no changes to the rules and regulations regarding medical devices and airport screening technology.
- Ask your doctor or healthcare specialist for a letter that specifies your particular T1D device and the relevant guidelines advising that they should not pass through body scanners and x-ray machines. These letters will not be issued by the Government, as some earlier reports have suggested.
- It is recommended to travel with information about your devices and screening technology from the technology manufacturer. These can be printed from the manufacturers’ websites.
- It is advisable to have easy access to the DHA website with information regarding medical devices and screening technology. Bookmark or save this page on the DHA website.
- Be open to any form of safe, alternative screening that is available, such as pat-downs. Some people also choose to remove their CGM or pump and pass through the full body scanners.
We understand that this is the protocol most travellers are already using, and that community members are continuing to have difficulties with airport security screening. We recognise that this can cause significant distress and anxiety to members of the T1D community.
We hope that recent media attention on this issue will have shined a much-needed light on T1D technology and airport screening, increasing awareness amongst security staff and reducing the likelihood of continued issues.
If you experience difficulties with airport security screening and your T1D devices while travelling, please reach out to JDRF and let us know. We will raise these cases with the Department of Home Affairs and specific airports, if required. You can email us at info@jdrf.org.au.
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