An Australian woman was among the 156 passengers aboard the Air France flight which was evacuated after a passenger was feared to be contaminated with Ebola.
Madrid authorities, according to Reuters, evacuated an Air France plane yesterday after a passenger started shaking on the flight to Madrid from Lagos via Paris, prompting fears the person had Ebola.
Among the 156 passengers, pilots and crew members, was Australian woman, Bronween Bashford.
“There were police cars, there was an ambulance,” Ms Bashford told news.com.au
“There was also the fire brigade there and people in white suits.”
According to Bashford, passengers headed for Paris were told to re-book or find alternative means to arrive to their destination.
“I think anybody that was being sensible would be very cautious and very wary of going on a flight but as I understand at the moment we don’t know whether it’s confirmed or not and we have to trust that the authorities know what they are doing and that they are going to be doing the right thing.”
West Africa struggles with Ebola epidemic.
The news comes in wake of speculation that the Australian Government are planning to issue travel bans for west Africa where 9000 people have been infected by the deadly disease.
Thus far, the government advises against travelling to Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, where the outbreak of Ebola is widespread and sporadic demonstration and disturbances have increased.
“There’s an unprecedented humanitarian crisis,” said Brian Owler from the Australian Medical Association.
“It’s not just a medical emergency, it’s a complete breakdown of society.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) have previously warned of such travel bans, noting that air-travel poses a low risk for Ebola transmission.
“On the small chance that someone on the plane is sick with Ebola, the likelihood of other passengers and crew having contact with their body fluids is even smaller,” the organization said in August.
“Usually when someone is sick with Ebola, they are so unwell that they cannot travel. WHO is therefore advising against travel bans to and from affected countries.”