A vast segment of society is taking the Ebola threat lightly but this mid-Air incident should remind all of us that the Ebola threat is real and the fear of Ebola for some is the beginning of wisdom.
Here is how Fox reported the incident:
A joke by an American passenger traveling to the Dominican Republic caused panic among passengers and the airplane crew and caused authorities to isolate the plane for more than an hour on the tarmac.
An unidentified passenger traveling from Philadelphia to Punta Cana yelled out, “I’ve been to Africa!,” just before US Airways flight 845 landed on the Caribbean island, an airport official told Fox News Latino.
Initial reports by the Dominican press and on social media said the passenger had yelled, “I have Ebola!”
The shout caused major concern and panic among passengers and crew because of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in West Africa that has claimed nearly 4,000 lives.
Once the plane landed at Punta Cana International Airport, precautions were taken quickly to ensure the safety of the travelers.
Emergency personnel wearing blue hazmat suits boarded the plane and the passenger was taken to the airport’s medical center for tests.
The passenger, who officials have only identified as a man from North America, was reportedly coughing during the flight. Medics verified that the passenger did not have a fever – a key early symptom of Ebola.
While airport officials would not identify the passenger, a video taken from the plane and posted online shows emergency personnel escorting an African-American man off the flight as the rest of the plane watches.
In the video, he is heard saying, “I ain’t from Africa.”
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