Passengers contract “mystery illness” on New York bound flight

Passengers contract “mystery illness” on New York bound flight
By Alexandra Coulton


As many as 100 people have contracted a “mystery illness” on an Emirates flight from Dubai to New York on Wednesday.

If you’ve ever been worried about falling ill on a plane, it’s probably best you skip this one.

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The double-decker Airbus A380-800, carrying around 500 passengers landed around 9 am on Wednesday local time and was met by health workers who evaluated the sick passengers on the tarmac of JFK Airport.

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention said the symptoms included a cough and fever with nine people being taken to New York hospitals, though they were not in a life-threatening condition.

The ABC reports one passenger said those who were ill had a “very deep, intense cough” and were “violently sick, going to the bathroom a lot”.

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90’s rapper, Vanilla Ice, who was onboard the plane, Tweeted that it was only passengers on the lower level of the double-decker flight who fell ill.

An Emirates spokeswoman told Fairfax only nine passengers underwent additional medical screening and were released afterwards.

“The rest of the passengers were allowed to leave and clear customs,” she said.

White House spokeswoman, Sarah Sanders said the situation was being monitored and President Donald Trump was being updated as information became available.

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