Flier has TB; 17 others sought for testing

[Ma Yingshen]

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/03/...9911237211293/DETROIT, March 16 (UPI) -- Health authorities are looking for 17 passengers from a Northwest Airlines (NYSE:NWA) flight to Detroit they say may have had contact with a tuberculosis-infected man.

The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta confirmed Sunday that a man carrying the disease traveled from Frankfurt, Germany, to Detroit a week ago, The Detroit News reported Monday.
The man was detained at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after customs officials noticed he showed signs of the disease. He was admitted to a Detroit-area hospital.

As a precaution, CDC officials are trying to contact 17 people who were seated near the man on the plane, spokeswoman Shelly Diaz said.

"The patient is still receiving care," Diaz said to the newspaper. "The threat to the public is low. This is a cautionary measure."

Northwest spokeswoman Leslie Parker told the News, "Northwest has been proactively working with (health officials) to contact passengers who may be at risk. The health and safety of our passengers and crew is of the utmost importance."

[Ma Yingshen]

Hunt For Co-Travelers Of TB Patient On U.S. Flight

(RTTNews) - The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is looking for passengers who may have come in contact Tuesday with a passenger, who was infected with tuberculosis, aboard a Northwest Airlines Flight No 51 from Frankfurt, Germany, to Detroit, media reports say.

The CDC confirmed said the passenger was taken to a local hospital and is responding to the treatment. A representative for the CDC said the risk level for the area is extremely low, and there is no reason to panic. The CDC is contacting other passengers from the flight.

"Anyone near a coughing patient with TB is of risk of catching it," said Local 4 Doctor Frank McGeorge. Tuberculosis, a disease that affects the lungs, is spread from person to person through tiny droplets in the air.

The U.S. government had issued a quarantine order in June 2007 after a man suffering from a rare and dangerous strain of TB flew to the country. Despite being warned not to take a flight home, he returned to North AmericaMay 24 aboard Czech Air Flight 0104 from Prague to Montreal and then drove into the U.S.

[Treyfish]

Re: Flier has TB; 17 others sought for testing

TB alert issued for Northwest flight
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control is alerting 17 passengers who were on a Northwest flight Tuesday from Frankfurt, Germany, that they may have been exposed to tuberculosis, a spokeswoman said.
Customs officials at Detroit Metro Airport noticed a passenger arriving on Northwest Flight 51 about 6 p.m. was sick and notified the CDC, CDC spokeswoman Shelly Diaz said Sunday. The man, who is not a U.S. resident, is hospitalized and undergoing treatment for tuberculosis, said Diaz.
The CDC is required to alert passengers who sat within two rows of the man that there is a low chance that they may have contracted the disease, she said. Other passengers with questions should contact the Michigan Department of Community Health at 517-373-3740, she added.

http://www.freep.com/article/20090316/NEWS05/903160324/1007/NEWS05/Local+news+in+brief++TB+alert+issued+for+Northwest+flight

[Treyfish]

Re: Flier has TB; 17 others sought for testing

No press releases from the CDC yet.. http://www.cdc.gov/media/archives.htm

No travel advisories on it yet. http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/default.aspx

hmmm.. glad we are prompty notified..