Further Ebola scares in Madrid

MADRID-Barajas airport activated emergency protocol on the morning of Thursday October 16 when one of the 183 passengers on-board an Air France flight from Paris was found to have a fever and uncontrollable trembling. Upon landing the person affected was examined by doctors before the other passengers were able to disembark in the normal manner. The aircraft was immobilised while the ill man was taken to the Carlos III Hospital in Madrid by an ambulance escorted by the police and Guardia Civil.

In accordance with preventive procedures agreed last summer, the aircraft crew informed health authorities of the presence of a man from Lagos (Nigeria) presenting symptoms during the flight. Spanish airports have a protocol for on-board cases which may produce a public health risk, whereby the pilot must warn air traffic control, enabling airport authorities to inform the health service.

At the time of writing no additional measures have been put in place.

Meanwhile, one of the 68 “low-risk” contacts who had travelled in the same ambulance as Teresa Romero, the Spanish nurse suffering from Ebola, has been taken into hospital with a fever for tests to be performed. At this time the 15 “high-risk” contacts remain in voluntary quarantine in Carlos III hospital and show no symptoms.