An American Airlines flight made an emergency landing in Midland, Texas, Tuesday night due to an Ebola scare after a passenger vomited on the plane.
American Airlines Flight 2791 landed at Midland International Airport and Spaceport after a female passenger fell ill. The 69 passengers aboard were released and told to look for potential Ebola symptoms, a local CBS affiliate reported.
Midland County Sheriff’s Department said paramedics at the scene were discussing Ebola symptoms, but city spokeswoman Sara Bustilloz said it’s unlikely the passenger is infected.
“At this point we are considering it not to be Ebola but we never want to rule anything completely out,” she told the station. “It’s highly unlikely that it is Ebola.”
The passenger was traveling from Istanbul through London to Dallas-Fort Worth, where the flight then departed for Midland.
This isn’t the first Ebola scare during a flight inside the United States.
Chicago firefighters responded to O’Hare International Airport after a female passenger fell ill on United Flight 1543 from LaGuardia Airport in New York City, CBS reported.
A male passenger on Southwest Airlines Flight 718 at Orlando International Airport was also removed and isolated after getting sick when it was revealed he had traveled to West Africa. Neither passenger had Ebola, the station reported.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.