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Over two dozen passengers on a United Airlines flight from Vancouver to Houston fell ill with gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms for unknown reasons.
The flight was carrying 163 passengers and crew, including 75 who had been on the same cruise beforehand.
Upon landing, authorities evaluated some sick passengers but none required hospitalization, as most had mild GI symptoms like nausea or diarrhea.
“Several passengers who had been on the same cruise and did not feel well were on United Flight 1528 from Vancouver to Houston,” a United Airlines spokesperson stated. “United Airlines is actively coordinating with health authorities to address the situation.”
“As a precautionary measure, the aircraft will be removed from service and go through a deep cleaning before returning to service,” United Airlines’ statement added. “Ensuring the health and safety of our passengers and crew remains our top priority.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention responded and said no passengers had a fever or met criteria for further evaluation.
As a precaution, the aircraft was removed from service for deep cleaning.
Officials are still determining the exact illness involved but believe it may be related to the cruise passengers who had felt unwell prior to the flight.
The incident is under investigation but passengers were allowed to continue their travel plans.
“Public health officers from CDC’s Houston Port Health Station worked with EMS to evaluate ill passengers on board,” a CDC spokesperson stated. “Most of the ill passengers reported mild GI symptoms.”
“No passengers were noted to have a fever during the flight or upon public health assessment at landing,” they added. “No passengers met CDC criteria for further public health follow-up. Passengers from the flight continued with their travel plans.”