Emirates passengers departing from Dubai had the flu and colds

Emirates passengers who landed Wednesday at Kennedy International Airport in New York were most likely suffering from flu and colds, a spokesman for the Control and Prevention Centers said Thursday. diseases.

Benjamin Haynes, spokesman for the agency, said 11 people were taken to hospital and tests showed that patients were suffering from flu or other common respiratory viruses. The patients were treated at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in Queens.

Local authorities alerted the C.D.C. about Emirates Flight 203 from Dubai, UAE, after many passengers complained of coughs, fever and symptoms of gastrointestinal illness.

"It was clear that people were sick before even getting on the plane, so much so that I asked for a mask at the air hostess," he said. said Erin Sykes, a New York passenger. "People were coughing all the time, like phlegm, really rough coughs."

C.D.C. initially, about 100 people on board were sick. After landing the aircraft, the agency worked with local authorities to carry out the health assessments of the 549 passengers and crew members.