About 20 passengers fell ill on a United Airlines flight from Vancouver, Canada to Houston, Texas on Friday.
About 25 of the 75 passengers on board reported nausea, according to Houston Fire Department Capt. Cedric Robinette, who said the Houston Fire Department examined three passengers when the plane landed at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, but none were taken to the hospital.
“Several passengers who became ill from the same cruise were aboard United Airlines Flight 1528 from Vancouver to Houston on Friday night,” United Airlines said in an emailed statement to USA Today. The airline did not respond to questions about which cruise line or ship the passengers had been on prior to the flight.
“United is actively working with health authorities to address this situation,” the airline’s statement continued. “As a precautionary measure, the aircraft will be grounded and undergo a deep cleaning before resuming service. Ensuring the health and safety of our guests and crew remains our top priority.”
Is there a doctor on board?Typically, yes. Here’s why:
The Houston Health Department referred a request for comment to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“CDC’s Port of Houston Health public health officers worked with EMS to evaluate the sick passengers on the flight,” a CDC spokesperson said in an emailed statement. “Most of the sick passengers reported mild gastrointestinal symptoms. No passengers had a fever during the flight or during public health screening upon landing. No passengers met CDC’s criteria for further public health follow-up. Passengers on the flight continued with their travel plans.”
The news comes after dozens of passengers on a Condor flight from Mauritius to Frankfurt, Germany, suffered unexplained symptoms of nausea and vomiting last month.
Nathan Diller is USA TODAY’s consumer travel writer based in Nashville. He can be reached at ndiller@usatoday.com.
