Crime & Safety

UPDATE: Passenger Removed From Plane At Newark Liberty Airport Is Ebola-Free

The United Airlines flight from Brussels was met by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials, who removed the man.

A passenger believed to be from Liberia who exhibited possible symptoms of Ebola upon arrival at Newark Liberty International Airport Saturday does not have the disease, officials say.

After an examination by physicians at University Hospital in Newark, “the symptoms of one individual were found to be consistent with another, minor treatable condition unrelated to Ebola,” said Donna Leusner, a spokeswoman for the New Jersey Department of Health, in a statement.

The man’s daughter, who was traveling with him, was “asymptomatic,” Leusner said in the statement.

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The United Airlines flight from Brussels was met by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials and removed the man, who was traveling with his daughter on United Flight 998, from the plane by CDC crew in full hazmat gear, according to ABC news. His daughter was removed as well.

A federal official said the passenger was exbihiting “flu-like symptoms,” and other passengers remained on the plane while the two were being removed. The passenger was determined to be not contagious, and the rest of the passengers were allowed to depart, a source with knowledge of the situation told ABC News.

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United Airlines, on its website, released a statement on the incident but made no mention about the passenger possibly suffering Ebola symptoms.

“Upon arrival at Newark Airport from Brussels, medical professionals instructed that customers and crew of United flight 988 remain on board until they could assist an ill customer. We are working with authorities and will accommodate our customers as quickly as we can,” the statement read.

Newark Liberty International Airport recently has been declared one of just 20 quarantine stations around the country designed to combat the deadly international Ebola epidemic and identify potential cases before they leave the airport.

This preventative measure, taken as the country comes to grips with this week’s revelation that a Texas man was diagnosed with Ebola, is designed to combat the catastrophic outbreak which continues to affect people around the world, including one individual in the U.S., according to the federal Centers for Disease Control, as reported by NJ.com.

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