Nigerian Dies Inside US Bound Plane

A passenger reportedly died on a Nigeria-to-JFK flight after vomiting Thursday but an examination of the remains proved that the death was not Ebola-related.

This is as another passenger who was on Air France Lagos-Paris-Madrid flight who developed fever midflight and was quarantined on suspicion of having the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease was later certified free of the infection.

However, Representative Peter King said in a letter to Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection that the handling of the remains exposed serious flaws in airport preparedness for an Ebola outbreak.

Between 70 and 100 passengers a day arrive at JFK from the Ebola endemic countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, King noted, pointing out that they had access to public restrooms and mingle with other travellers before their first screening.

“Given the high volume of travellers at JFK, it is essential that extraordinary measures are taken to intercept possible Ebola-infected passengers. These individuals transit the airport with the rest of the travelling population, including using the restrooms.

“It is only after they arrive at the Customs and Border Protection primary screening location that they are separated and sent to secondary inspection for a medical check and to complete the questionnaire”, he wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Customs Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske.

His letter demanded Homeland Security immediately beef up protocols for potentially infected passengers both in flight and at the terminal itself, prior to their reaching the screening location.

The letter also demanded better training and safety equipment for the Port Authority police and Customs and Border Protection officials who could come into contact with high-risk passengers.
The unnamed passenger, age 63, had boarded an Arik Air plane Wednesday night out of Lagos, Nigeria.