From Caribbean360

HAMILTON, Bermuda, Friday September 5, 2014, CMC – A sick passenger on a flight that originated from Nigeria was forced to remain on the aircraft by health officials after it was diverted to Bermuda on Thursday amid fears that the passenger may have contracted the deadly Ebola virus.

Health authorities would not divulge the identity of the passenger after the plane landed at the L.F. Wade International Airport during the early hours.

Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) called for personal protective equipment in case the passenger was infected with Ebola virus which has already claimed more than 1,900 lives in West Africa, according to the World Health Organisation. There is no known cure for the virus.

A Ministry of Heath spokeswoman said the decision to keep the passenger on the plane was made out of “an abundance of caution”.

The spokeswoman said that the Emergency Dispatch Centre had received a call that the unidentified plane was being diverted “due to a medical emergency.

“An ambulance from (the hospital) responded and Bermuda Fire Rescue Service staff were standing by.

“Upon meeting the aircraft, having learned that it had originated in Nigeria, emergency responders began the process to determine whether or not there was a risk that the passenger could have been infected by Ebola.

“Preliminary reports indicate that, out of an abundance of caution, it was decided that the passenger should be kept on the aircraft until the EMT’ received personal protective equipment (PPE) appropriate for dealing with a possible Ebola infection.”

But the spokesman said before the equipment arrived “emergency responders were advised by the airline representative that the aircraft would continue to its destination” in Atlanta, Georgia.

“The ambulance waited at the airport until the flight departed and returned to (the hospital) around 5.30 a.m. It is understood that the flight landed in Atlanta early this morning,” the spokeswoman said, adding that the Department of Health’s Surveillance Committee has advised that “the incident is being reviewed by public health, emergency services and airport operations”.

IMAGE: EBOLA VIRUS (CREDIT: CARIBBEAN360 / BIGSTOCK

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