A dozen passengers returning from pilgrimage to Mecca with ‘flu-like symptoms’ on two American Airlines planes are quarantined in Philadelphia
A dozen people on two separate American Airlines planes became ill Thursday
Passengers are believed to have been returning from Hajj – the pilgrimage to Mecca which all Muslims are expected to make at least once in their lifetimes
Officials said the sick passengers were quarantined and are being treated after falling ill with flu-like symptoms
Out of precaution, CDC officials said all passengers and crews from both flights were being held for medical review
One flight originated in Paris and landed in Philadelphia and the other originated in Munich, Germany
Several of the passengers on both American Airlines flight had traveled to Mecca for an annual religious pilgrimage
The incident comes one day after 19 people on an Emirates flight from Dubai to New York were quarantined at John F Kennedy Airport because of sick travelers
By MINYVONNE BURKE
DAILYMAIL.COM
7 September 2018
Passengers traveling on two separate American Airlines planes were quarantined in Philadelphia on Thursday afternoon after becoming sick with flu-like symptoms, airport officials said.
A dozen travelers on Flight 755 and Flight 717 complained of feeling ill after departing from their planes at Philadelphia International Airport.
The passengers are believed to have been returning from Saudi Arabia after completing Hajj – the pilgrimage to Mecca which all Muslims are expected to make at least once in their lifetimes.
As a precaution, all passengers and crews from both flights were held for medical review, according to an airport spokeswoman. A total of 250 people were evaluated, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was notified.
CDC officials said people who are healthy are being released. They also said neither plane was quarantined because passengers reported feeling sick after disembarking.
Flight 755 originated in Paris and landed in Philadelphia in the afternoon. Flight 717 originated in Munich, Germany and landed in Philadelphia around the same time. NBC Philadelphia reports that numerous travelers were returning from pilgrimages in Mecca, Saudi Arabia before boarding in Paris and Munich.
Customs and Border Protection officials said most of the passengers on the Philadelphia-bound flights have been released. Several are still being evaluated by the CDC of local doctors.
Health officials said after the scare in New York on Wednesday, they are taking ‘an abundance of caution’ in Philadelphia.
There has been reports of a flu outbreak in Mecca, where more than one million religious observers have traveled to for Hajj, an annual Islamic pilgrimage . It’s unclear how many may have become ill during their travels.
On Wednesday, an Emirates fight from Dubai to John F Kennedy Airport in Queens was quarantined after 19 people became ill with what was described as flu-like symptoms.
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