Rep. Peter King dashed off an urgent letter Thursday to the Department of Homeland Security and Border Protection demanding answers regarding a passenger that died Thursday on a flight from Nigeria to New York after vomiting in his seat, reported the New York Post.
The CDC performed a “cursory” exam and determined that the passenger had not died from Ebola, and the body was given to New York law enforcement for removal, the Post reported.
The passenger was reportedly a 63-year-old man who boarded the plan in Lagos, Nigeria, on Wednesday, the Post reported. According to recent account on BBC.com, Nigeria has been clear of the virus for close to the 42-day period required by the World Bank to declare the country Ebola-free.
Despite the exam and Nigeria’s near-Ebola-free status, the New York Republican remained concerned.
“Based on what I know of this situation, I have very serious concerns about the cursory exam conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) official to determine the passenger did not have Ebola, as well as the lack of instructions provided to CPB and [airport authority police] regarding handling the remains and the remainder of the passengers,” the letter reads.
Mr. King, who was not present at the airport, said first responder at the scene were concerned about the apparent speed of the exam and diagnosis.
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“But their concern was, how could you tell so quickly? And what adds to the concern is how wrong the CDC has been over the past few weeks.”
In his letter, he asked that DHS and CBP respond to a series of question about protocol for infected passengers on flights, establishing isolation zones in terminals, the training and equipment provided to Border Patrol officials at JFK, and sanitizing procedures for inspection areas.
• Jennifer Pompi can be reached at jpompi@washingtontimes.com.
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