[ad_1]
HOUSTON – A Southwest Airlines passenger from measles-infected North Texas changed aircraft at Hobby Airport last month and may have exposed others to the virus, health officials said. Houston.
Officials said the patient was contagious at the time of the flights, August 21 and 22. They stated that the passenger never left the airport and stayed in the waiting areas at the airport for about an hour each day.
Here are the flights made by the passenger, according to officials.
Tuesday, August 21st:
- Vol 5: From Dallas Love to Houston Hobby
- Vol 9: Houston Hobby to Harlingen
Wednesday, August 22:
- Flight 665: From Harlingen to Houston Hobby
- Flight 44: Houston Hobby to Dallas Love
Department of Health officials said they were contacting passengers who may have been exposed to the virus.
"People at the airport run a much lower risk of exposure than passengers flying with the patient," said Dr. David Persse, of the local health authority's health department. Houston. "That's why we try to contact the passengers directly to inform them of the risk, to inquire about their vaccination status and to make sure they monitor the symptoms and to consult a doctor if necessary."
Measles is a highly contagious virus, preventable by vaccination, that lives in the nose and throat of an infected person. It can spread to others by coughing and sneezing. Symptoms of measles include rash, high fever, coughing, runny nose, and red, watery eyes.
Passengers exposed to this patient may develop symptoms as late as September 12, officials said. Anyone who develops measles symptoms should contact their healthcare provider.
"It reminds us of the importance of proper vaccination," said Persse. "The vaccine is safe and effective."
Southwest Airlines issued the following statement about the incident:
"Our security and safety groups collaborated with the CDC to support the agency's work to reach our customers who traveled aboard four intra-Texas flights last week (details below) with a passengers later diagnosed with our employees who were also on board these aircraft.All our fleet is subject to rigorous and regular cleaning programs and each aircraft uses hospital grade HEPA filtration which improves the overall quality of the aircraft. air in the passenger cabin. "
Copyright 2018 by KPRC Click2Houston – All rights reserved.
Source link
