Federal Health Workers On Hand As "Sick" Plane Lands At JFK Airport
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NEW YORK (CNN) - Federal health workers met a plane landing at John F. Kennedy International Airport on Wednesday after passengers reported feeling ill.
Emirates Flight 203, which originated in Dubai, was carrying about 500 passengers and landed around 9:06 a.m.
"I asked the (flight attendant) for a mask before we even took off, but there was none available," said passenger Erin Sykes. "It was so obvious that a large number of people were ill well before take-off."
The nonstop flight was a smooth one, Sykes said, so she didn't believe the ailments were related to turbulence or air sickness.
"People were coughing the whole time. Now some people have fevers over 100," she said. "They should never had been allowed to board."
While a source with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey initially said as many as 100 passengers reported feeling ill, the airline said only about 10 passengers had "taken ill."
"As a precaution, they were immediately checked by local health authorities and those needing medical attention will be attended to," Emirates said in a statement. "All other passengers will be disembarking shortly."
Seven crew members and five passengers were taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center, other passengers are still being evaluated.
Passenger Larry Coben declined to speak to the media, but his tweets documented ambulances converging on the tarmac after the plane landed, Centers for Disease Control forms that the passengers were asked to complete, passengers disembarking and having their temperatures taken, and passengers then taking a bus to the terminal.
Port authority spokesman Scott Ladd referred questions to the state Department of Health, but he did confirm health officials were on the scene.
The plane was taken to a "hard standing area," where paramedics and officials from the CDC were responding to the scene, the source said.
The CDC said it was aware passengers "are reporting an unspecified illness" aboard an Emirates flight and health officials are working with local authorities to investigate the cause.
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