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Ebola Scare Delays Flight at Boston Logan Airport

Not taking any chances, an emergency crew decked out in hazmat suits boarded an Emirates Airlines flight when it landed at Boston's Logan International Airport on Monday after reports that at least five people on board had flu-like symptoms.

The incident comes amid growing fears in the U.S. over the spread of the deadly Ebola virus by those traveling from outside the country. Tensions have heightened particularly since the death of Thomas Eric Duncan, a man who contracted the Ebola virus outside the United States, and later died in the United States at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.

What would probably heighten tensions in the U.S. even more is, if any of these people have Ebola because none of the five sick people had been traveling in West Africa, according to Matthew Brelis, spokesman for Massport, which operates the airport. However, out of an abundance of caution, airport officials decided to isolate the sick passengers and evaluate their condition.

With all the activity surrounding the Emirates jet, social media journalists swung into action.

"Coming up on 2 hours now @emirates @BostonLogan. Here's what looks like the 1st pssngr escorted off #takingnochances," tweeted Tracy Barahona (@barahont).

Tweet Tracy-Barahona two-hours Hazmat Crew Escort Sick Passenger Ebola-Scare cropped

Emirates Flight 237, which originated in Dubai, was held on the tarmac for more than two hours while emergency personnel wearing protective gear swarmed the plane and then boarded it.

The deadly Ebola virus has already killed more than 4,000 people in 2014, according to the World Health Organization.

 

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