Paramedics meet flight at RDU Airport
RALEIGH DURHAM INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (WTVD) -- The Ebola crisis has everyone on high alert at RDU Airport. Wake County EMS met the daily American Airlines flight from London Thursday afternoon after a passenger became ill.
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The flight was slightly delayed. Passengers who spoke with ABC11 said in spite of being on an eight-hour flight from Heathrow Airport, they had no problem waiting.
Emergency responders met an American Airlines flight right after it landed at RDU. New CDC Ebola guidelines encourage airline crews to take an abundance of precaution with sick travelers. Wake County EMS, which has been trained to handle a potential Ebola case, was immediately called in.
"Everyone's scared so, you never know," said Raleigh resident Mario Foy. "You can only be safe."
Once the plane's wheels touched the ground, passengers were told to stay put.
"There was no emergency declared, but they did ask us to remain in our seats after landing so that paramedics could board the flight," said Cary resident David Stafford.
EMS went inside the cabin and escorted off the sick passenger. Shortly afterward, everyone else was allowed to exit.
"As I disembarked the plane, I saw her sitting in a wheelchair being talked to by paramedics," said Stafford.
The passenger was checked out. An airport spokesperson says she did not have Ebola-like symptoms. It was determined the woman just had a cough and fever and she was treated on site.
If though, there ever were a suspected case of Ebola, RDU says they have an emergency plan in place for the deadly disease.
The CDC says the risk of Ebola spreading on a plane is low. The disease is not airborne and spreads through direct contact with infected fluids.
