September 2nd, 2009 by MWilhelm

(NBC) – At the world’s busiest airport, protecting passengers against an outbreak of H1N1 swine flu is a top priority.

Every day, thousands of passengers arrive and depart at Hartsfield from every corner of the globe. A special effort is now being made to protect them from getting the flu or H1N1.

It’s a series of seven kiosks that will be set up to give inoculations starting September 15. The cost will be $35.

With scores of passengers passing through the Hartsfield-Jackson AeroClinic, a privately held urgent care facility, full-time doctors keep a careful eye out for possible H1N1 swine flu symptoms.

“We have a low threshold for testing people with these types of symptoms and if there is a positive test for it then we will assume the patient could have it,” said AeroClinic physician Dr. Steven Long.

“The official guidelines and protocol right now is to have them transported to Atlanta Medical Center and other centers around the city that are designated as testing sites,” he said.

Long says passengers can be kept off airplanes.

“We’ve seen people with influenza type symptoms and we have made those recommendations,” he said.

The option of a flu shot before getting on a plane relieves passenger anxiety.

“I think I am going to take something home to my kids. I think about someone coughing, sneezing, and I wonder if it’s contagious; is it going to cause me to get sick,” said airport passenger Pleasure Allen.

AeroClinic says it will add more kiosks if there’s a strong airport demand.