A flight from Dubai has been quarantined at Boston Logan Airport after five passengers began “exhibiting flu-like symptoms”.
Emergency responders donning protective hazmat suits boarded the Emirates flight as passengers were told to remain on board.
Crews from Boston EMS and the Massachusetts Port Authority Fire Department responded to the scene.
Logan Airport is not one of the five airports conducting ebola screenings
Airport spokesman Matthew Brelis stressed that “none of the five were travelling from West Africa”.
Logan is not among five US airports designated to perform ebola screenings on passengers.
The airport does not receive direct flights from the African countries where more than 4,000 people have died from the virus.
US health officials have been on heightened alert after a nurse in Texas contracted ebola while treating a dying patient.
Nina Pham’s case marked the first transmission of the deadly virus on American soil. She became ill while treating Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian national who succumbed to ebola on 8 October.
The 26-year-old nurse was wearing protective gear while in contact with Mr Duncan, officials said, prompting added concerns over how she contracted the virus.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called for stepped up training throughout the US healthcare system.
