Passengers aboard a US Airways flight were advised to get tested for tuberculosis after they landed in a Phoenix airport Saturday night because of a sick man on board.
A Phoenix-area woman said her family was returning home from Austin, Texas, on US Airways Flight 2846 when the plane stopped short of the terminal, a local ABC News affiliate reported.
She said paramedics and police then boarded the plane and removed a man who allegedly had active tuberculosis.
All 74 passengers and crew members were told they should get tested and follow up with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ABC News said.
US Airways spokesman Bill McGlahsen said the airline was notified after the plane departed Austin that the passenger’s status had been changed to “no-fly,” the Associated Press reported.
Tuberculosis is a respiratory disease that can be fatal. It can be spread through the air, but the Centers for Disease Control told ABC News even if the passenger has tuberculosis, “exposure to other passengers would be unlikely.”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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