Posted on 05/21/2006 3:13:29 PM PDT by traumer
KILLER BUG AIR SCARE
A WOMAN who arrived in London on a flight from Africa yesterday is reported to have died from the deadly and contagious ebola virus.
Panic has spread among cabin crew and hospital staff after the death of the 38-year-old Briton.
The unnamed woman is understood to work at an embassy in the African kingdom of Lesotho.
Before boarding a Virgin Atlantic flight from Johannesburg to Heathrow she visited a doctor complaining of flu-like symptoms.
She was allowed to fly, but during Flight VS602 to the UK she suffered a violent fit which left her unconscious.
Cabin crew and passengers rushed to her aid but towards the end of the flight she began to vomiting.
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When the Airbus A340-600, carrying 267 passengers and crew, touchdown at Heathrow she was rushed to nearby Hillingdon Hospital, West London.
Her symptoms matched those of the viral haemorraghing fever, ebola. The results of a post mortem are awaited.
Virgin Atlantic cabin crew who came into contact with the woman have been told to monitor their health. One said: "We are now terrified what we may have caught."
Deadly ebola is often characterised by the sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat.
Read that book in college, and still have it on my shelf. Pick up once in a while when I am in the mood for a good scare.
Garret is one of those who is a bit worried over the avian flu also.
In other words, despite what the headline says, there has been no positive identification of ebola as yet, right folks?
The symptoms match, but that is quite a different kettle of fish from a definitve autopsy report identifying ebola as the cause of death.
YIKES!!!
I disagree. Sell it to Iran.
The doctor looks at him and says "We are putting you on a pizza and pancake diet."
"Will that cure me?" asked the patient.
"No" answers the doctor, "but that's all we can slide under the door."
< /bad joke>
OK, maybe it wasn't ebola this time - time will come when airlines will need to be "in the know" and not kill all of us...
Yes it is. The Reston strain (the third one discovered) is airborne. Fortunately, it only kills monkeys although people have been exposed (in Reston, Virginia)
There was a time too, when AIDS only killed monkeys...
People were exposed to it. By sheer luck, we found out that it didn't kill people, but just monkeys. Otherwise a lot of us would be long dead.
this is a link to the Congo Virus. dated yesterday. May be some link to the embassy lady on the plane, who knows where she contacted her virus.
Doctors say people contract the virus from direct contact with blood or other infected tissues from livestock, and they can also become infected from a tick bite.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2006%5c05%5c21%5cstory_21-5-2006_pg1_4
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