CDC Escorts Sick United Passenger From Flight
Update: NBC News is reporting the passenger has been cleared and released.
Reuters is reporting that agents from the United States Center for Disease Control wearing biohazard suits escorted a man off of United flight 998 after it landed in Newark earlier today.
According to the CDC, the man was vomiting during the flight which originated in Brussels, but was not suspected of having Ebola. All passengers and crew were temporarily quarantined and later relased.
WABC-TV reported that the man escorted from the flight with his daughter was believed to be from Liberia which is the country that has been hardest hit by the epidemic.
My Opinion
It is very important that we are prudent, but that we don’t overreact to this Ebola outbreak. We need to remember that Ebola has been around for quite some time and has killed far fewer people than other viruses like the flu.
Also many people I have spoken to over the past few weeks are mistaken with how Ebola spreads. I highly recommend easing your mind by reading the CDC’s website about the virus. It is not airborne.
I personally don’t think the CDC being cautious with people flying into the country is a step too far, however this outbreak is being sensationalized by the media. Too many people have not taken the time to familizarize themselves with the disease. Fear is our enemy.
The U.S. and other countries have had containment protocols in place for awhile and continue to work to stop the spread of Ebola. Quite frankly it is highly unlikely that it will spread in the U.S. since we have the money and resources to prevent it.
What is puzzling about the case today is the CDC has not come out and said they suspected the passenger had Ebola. Why else would they remove him from the flight? I guess time will tell.
What do you think? Are you scared? Does this make you think twice about flying and are people’s fears unwarranted? Let me know what you think!
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is the old king of travel rewards cards. Right now
bonus_miles_full
Learn more about this card and its features!
Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed or approved by any of these entities.
I don’t think the media has sensationalized ebola at all. First of all, this is the FIRST time ebola has gone outside of Africa. In the previous ebola epidemics, it was contained in small rural African villages, NOT capital cities like Freetown, Monrovia, and Conakry. Think of small towns in Wyoming, North Dakota, or Missouri. Those towns are very different from Washington DC, Dallas, or Atlanta!
Since this has not really affected the West, barely and I mean BARELY any research has been done on ebola. Personally, I think it’s more contagious than what the CDC/media is stating to control fear/hysteria. Yes, I have read the CDC site and it states that it can only be spread through bodily fluids, including saliva and sweat, only when the person is showing symptoms. I believe it probably can spread a day before the person starts showing symptoms but that’s just my opinion.
In addition, the only 2 airlines that are still commercially flying to Monrovia is Brussels Airlines and Royal Air Maroc. All it takes is ONE and I mean ONE person infected with ebola to be in one of these planes to spread it around the world. Hey if a volcano in Iceland can disrupt European air traffic for 2 weeks, I don’t understand why commercial airlines can’t temporarily suspend commercial flights in the region.
If we just continue as is, I wouldn’t be surprised if there are ebola cases in Brussels, Washington DC, New York City, & Chicago within the next month or two.