Aleteia logoAleteia logoAleteia
Thursday 28 March |
Holy Thursday of the Supper of the Lord
Aleteia logo
Lifestyle
separateurCreated with Sketch.

Man with Ebola Virus Flew Roundabout Trip to US

Christ at the Airport

Professional Images

Aleteia - published on 10/02/14

Arrived after 3 flights on 2 airlines with lengthy layovers

Please consider a gift for Aleteia!
Help us spread the joy of Christ's victory.
Aleteia depends on your support.

Join our Lenten Campaign 2024.

DONATE NOW

The first reported case of Ebola in the United States is spooking airline investors and raising the prospect that some frightened travelers might stay home despite repeated reassurances from public-health experts.

Details of the man’s 28-hour trip from western Africa emerged Wednesday. He flew on two airlines, took three flights, and had lengthy airport layovers before reaching Texas on Sept. 20.

Still, federal officials say other passengers on the flights are at no risk of infection because the man had no symptoms at the time of his trip.

Thomas Eric Duncan left Monrovia, Liberia, on Sept. 19 aboard a Brussels Airlines jet to the Belgian capital, according to a Belgian official. After a layover of nearly seven hours, he boarded United Airlines Flight 951 to Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C. After another layover of nearly three hours, he then flew Flight 822 from Dulles to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, the airline confirmed.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Duncan sought medical care Sept. 25 in Dallas after falling ill the day before.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Disease at the National Institutes of Health, told The Associated Press that even though Duncan took several flights to reach the U.S., his lack of symptoms at the time made it "extraordinarily unlikely" that he infected anyone else on the planes.

Still, the incident spooked airline investors. Shares of United and other leading U.S. airline companies dropped 2.8 percent or more. Shares of European carriers fell by similar margins.

"The fear is if this gets worse, it would affect people’s travel behavior," said Joseph DeNardi, an analyst with Stifel, Nicolaus & Co. Health officials "sound confident that they’ve got it under control. Hopefully they’re right."

The CDC typically notifies an airline when it learns that an infectious person traveled on that carrier. The airline then turns over the flight manifest to the CDC, and health officials notify other passengers while the airline deals with crew members.

In this case, the CDC told United but not the public what flights the man took. In an interview Wednesday with the AP, Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of the CDC, suggested that doing so would divert public-health resources away from controlling an outbreak of the virus. He said the CDC was focused on finding and tracking anyone who came in contact with Duncan after he began showing symptoms.

Public health officials have assured fliers that airports in Africa, Europe and the U.S. are taking all necessary precautions to prevent the spread of the virus, including screening passengers for fever.

An outbreak of SARS — severe acute respiratory syndrome — crippled air travel in Asia in 2003. Michael Derchin, an analyst with CRT Capital Group, said it is too early to draw a comparison between one Ebola patient and the 2003 SARS outbreak. He noted that SARS is an airborne disease that health officials say is transmitted more easily than Ebola.

Tags:
Ebola
Support Aleteia!

Enjoying your time on Aleteia?

Articles like these are sponsored free for every Catholic through the support of generous readers just like you.

Thanks to their partnership in our mission, we reach more than 20 million unique users per month!

Help us continue to bring the Gospel to people everywhere through uplifting and transformative Catholic news, stories, spirituality, and more.

Support Aleteia with a gift today!

jour1_V2.gif
Daily prayer
And today we celebrate...




Top 10
See More
Newsletter
Get Aleteia delivered to your inbox. Subscribe here.