Ebola hopefully the scare

[nitpicker]

According to the news, a plane pulled into LAX with a passenger who took ill enroute.

[City Lights]

1. Please let us know if you have any additional information.

Hopefully, it's nothing serious.

[ecstatic]

2. link

http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Possible-Ebola-Case-Reported-at-LAX-Sunday-278955751.html

[DeadLetterOffice]

3. UPDATE: ill passenger doesn't have ebola

Los Angeles County health officials said an ill passenger who fanned fears of Ebola exposure at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday does not have the virus.

The passenger, who arrived about 2 p.m. on an inbound flight from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, exhibited flu-like symptoms with vomiting, prompting fear of Ebola exposure.
<snip>
The sick passenger had been to South Africa, not the area of western Africa where the Ebola virus has killed thousands, and is prone to getting sick on flights, Los Angeles Fire Department Capt. Jaime Moore said.
<snip>
After assessing the passenger’s travel history and symptoms, health officials determined that the passenger does not have Ebola.
"There is no risk of Ebola infection to any of the passengers or crew on the flight," the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said in a statement.

[Louisiana1976]

4. With the scare that's going on every time someone has stomach flu or some similar upset they'll be

thought to have Ebola.

[DeadLetterOffice]

5. Which is going to get really untenable...

...as we head into 'flu season.

Are they going to put everyone with influenza symptoms in quarantine, since early stage 'flu & early stage Ebola look so similar? Not likely, because there's no way there are enough hospital beds for that. Seems to me like an inevitable "damned if you do damned if you don't" scenario for hospitals.

Normally the health care system begs people with 'flu symptoms to stay home, and only go to the ER for what they call 'emergency' flu symptoms. How's that going to mesh with people freaked out about Ebola, especially in communities with a history of actual Ebola patients (Dallas)? How many people are going to go to the ER needlessly with 'flu symptoms, worried they have Ebola, drowning the entire system AND exposing other people to influenza?

[TorchTheWitch]

6. no, only if they've recently come from West Africa

from an outbreak area or had contact with anyone that was and was ill. In an abundance of caution those people exhibiting Ebola symptoms that have recently been in an outbreak area of West Africa or been in direct contact with anyone that was who was ill should be scrutinized - better safe than sorry.

This case shouldn't have been taken as such a scare because the person didn't come from West Africa in the first place nor were they in an outbreak area or had direct contact with anyone who was ill that was.

How is it that the people running flights don't already know what questions to ask and what the answers mean by now is anyone's guess.