Frontier Jet That Carried Ebola Patient Made Five More Flights

[Purveyor]

Source: LA TIMES

The Frontier Airlines jet that carried a Dallas healthcare worker diagnosed with Ebola made five additional flights after her trip before it was taken out of service, according to a flight-monitoring website.

Denver-based Frontier said in a statement that it grounded the plane immediately after the carrier was notified late Tuesday night by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the Ebola patient.

Flight 1143, on which the woman flew from Cleveland to Dallas/Fort Worth, was the last trip of the day Monday for the Airbus A320. But Tuesday morning the plane was flown back to Cleveland and then to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., back to Cleveland and then to Atlanta and finally back to Cleveland again, according to Daniel Baker, chief executive of the flight-monitoring site Flightaware.com.

He said his data did not include any passenger manifests, so he could not tell how many total passengers flew on the plane Tuesday.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-frontier-airline-ebola-patient-20141015-story.html

[ffr]

1. Passengers to some extent, but flight crews to a large extent

They would have direct contact with the passengers, complimentary drink receptacles and food, if served, not to mention the surfaces of the tray tables and seats the diagnosed worker came in contact with, any surfaces they may have touched at the airport they flew from and who else may have touched those surfaces. Now we have to wait and see who else may be next. Right? How many different air crews did the plane have for those extra five flights?

This is troubling.

[SoapBox]

2. Agreed.

[Divernan]

3. Ebola has more opportunity to mutate/evolve than ever before.

(The following article is from mid-September)

Michael T. Osterholm, PhD, MPH, wrote in a New York Times commentary today that the scale of the epidemic is offering the virus unprecedented opportunities to evolve toward greater transmissibility, which could give it the capability to spread worldwide. He is director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, publisher of CIDRAP News.

Richard E. Besser, MD, chief health editor at ABC News and a former acting director at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), wrote in the Washington Post last night that a more-contagious Ebola virus could threaten the United States and said the crisis warrants the deployment of thousands of American troops to the affected countries.
What virologists don't like to talk about

The possibility of an airborne-transmissible Ebola virus is one "that virologists are loath to discuss openly but are definitely considering in private," wrote Osterholm. In its current form, the virus spreads only through contact with bodily fluids, he noted, but with more human transmission in the past few months than probably occurred in the past 500 years, the virus is getting plenty of chances to evolve.

"Each new infection represents trillions of throws of the genetic dice," he said.

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2014/09/experts-raise-specter-more-contagious-ebola-virus

The second possibility is one that virologists are loath to discuss openly but are definitely considering in private: that an Ebola virus could mutate to become transmissible through the air. You can now get Ebola only through direct contact with bodily fluids. But viruses like Ebola are notoriously sloppy in replicating, meaning the virus entering one person may be genetically different from the virus entering the next. The current Ebola virus’s hyper-evolution is unprecedented; there has been more human-to-human transmission in the past four months than most likely occurred in the last 500 to 1,000 years. Each new infection represents trillions of throws of the genetic dice.

If certain mutations occurred, it would mean that just breathing would put one at risk of contracting Ebola. Infections could spread quickly to every part of the globe, as the H1N1 influenza virus did in 2009, after its birth in Mexico.

Why are public officials afraid to discuss this? They don’t want to be accused of screaming “Fire!” in a crowded theater — as I’m sure some will accuse me of doing. But the risk is real, and until we consider it, the world will not be prepared to do what is necessary to end the epidemic.

In 2012, a team of Canadian researchers proved that Ebola Zaire, the same virus that is causing the West Africa outbreak, could be transmitted by the respiratory route from pigs to monkeys, both of whose lungs are very similar to those of humans. Richard Preston’s 1994 best seller “The Hot Zone” chronicled a 1989 outbreak of a different strain, Ebola Reston virus, among monkeys at a quarantine station near Washington. The virus was transmitted through breathing, and the outbreak ended only when all the monkeys were euthanized. We must consider that such transmissions could happen between humans, if the virus mutates.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/09/12/opinion/what-were-afraid-to-say-about-ebola.html?_r=0

[Divernan]

4. And it was scheduled to continue to Dulles/DC & Chicago

Acting with more caution than required by the CDC guidelines, Frontier Airline took the plane out of service and returned it (without any passengers) to Denver for more extensive cleaning than required by CDC guidelines.

DENVER - A Dallas nurse who has Ebola may have had symptoms while on a public flight from Cleveland to Dallas.

That startling development was announced Wednesday night from Frontier Airlines CEO Dave Siegel who sent the following message to airline employees: "At 1:55 p.m. MDT (Wednesday) Frontier was notified by the CDC that the passenger may have been symptomatic earlier than initially suspected; including the possibility of possessing symptoms while onboard the flight.

"In light of the new information, Frontier determines that the aircraft will remain out of service and ferries it back to Denver from Cleveland without customers. The flight departs at 6:20 p.m. EDT and arrives in Denver at 7:20 p.m. MDT. In an abundance of caution, it is determined that the aircraft will receive a fourth cleaning since the infected customer was onboard. Though not required, this cleaning will consist of the removal of seat covers and carpets in the immediate vicinity of the passenger seat. The airline will also change the environmental filters onboard.

According to Flight Aware, after Vinson flew from Cleveland to Dallas, the same Frontier Airlines plane made five additional trips:

Frontier Flight 2042 departed to Dallas on Oct. 14 at 8:11 a.m. CDT and arrived in Cleveland at 11:14 a.m. EDT
Frontier Flight 1104 departed Cleveland on Oct. 14 at 12:24 p.m. EDT and arrived in Fort Lauderdale at 3 p.m. EDT
Frontier Flight 1105 departed Fort Lauderdale on Oct. 14 at 4:02 p.m. EDT and arrived in Cleveland at 6:16 p.m. EDT
Frontier Flight 1101 departed Cleveland on Oct. 14 7:24 p.m. EDT and arrived in Atlanta at 9:03 p.m. EDT
Frontier Flight 1100 departed Atlanta o An Oct. 14 at 10:12 p.m. EDT and arrived in Cleveland at 11:19 p.m. EDT
Frontier jet lands in Denver Wednesday afternoon and is taken to a Frontier maintenance hanger for further decontamination cleanup procedures.
http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N220FR/history/20141014/2215Z/KCLE/KATL

Siegel ended his letter to Frontier employees by saying, "We take today’s events seriously as your safety and that of our customers is always at the forefront of everything we do. Since we were notified by the CDC, we’ve proactively placed six crew members (two pilots; four flight attendants) on paid leave for 21 days out of an abundance of caution as the safety and security of our employees is our number one priority. This was over and above CDC guidance that stated that our flight crews were safe to fly."

Customers who may have traveled on the Frontier flights the nurse was on should contact CDC at 1-800-CDC-INFO.

FlightAware shows the plane was scheduled for flights Thursday from Atlanta to Washington Dulles and then on to Chicago.

"NOTE: These extraordinary actions went beyond CDC recommendations. These steps were taken out of concern for the safety of our customers and employees. Steps such as removing the aircraft from service, removing aircraft seat covers and carpet and replacing environmental filters as well as placing the crew on paid leave were not requested nor mandated by the CDC. Frontier expects that the aircraft will return to service in a few days."

The plane, which had been grounded in Cleveland, flew empty to Denver International Airport to undergo the additional These steps were taken out of concern for the safety of our customers and employees. Steps such as removing the aircraft from service, removing aircraft seat covers and carpet and replacing environmental filters as well as placing the crew on paid leave were not requested nor mandated by the CDC. Frontier expects that the aircraft will return to service in a few days."

Read more: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/health/ebola/frontier-plane-that-carried-ebola-patient-made-5-additional-trips10152014


It is quite significant that the airline felt compelled to "go beyond CDC recommendations". Someone at that airline is smart enough to realize that the CDC is flying blind when it comes to whether the Ebola virus has mutated such that it is more contagious than thought in the past. The farther this virus spreads, and the more people it infects, the greater the opportunity the virus has to mutate as to (1) whether a victim is infectious BEFORE they are symptomatic; and (2) whether the disease becomes airborne.

[candelista]

12. Good posts.

Lots of useful information. All the people who think mutation is a crackpot theory should read your first one. Your point about the airline going beyond CDC recommendations is a sad commentary on the CDC.

[davidpdx]

5. Frontier....the Ebola airlines

[HockeyMom]

6. You would have to check the movments of every passenger

Just an example. We live in Florida and our kids llive in NY. My husband travels for business. He had to go to Zurich. No direct flights from either Soutwest Florida International or Miami International. He had to fly to JFK and change planes. Easy to track? Not exactly because on the trip home he spent the weekend in NY and few back to Florida on a different domestic airline out of Islip.

Again, you would have to track the passengers not just where the plane has gone.

[candelista]

13. They have stamps on their passports, right?

[HockeyMom]

14. An American citzen travelling inside the US

doesn't need to show a passport to fly from NY to Florida. Most people just show their Driver's License. That is what my husband showed at the airport in NY (inside US for 3 days), not his passport. They had no way to know where he had been. I suppose they could ask all Americans flying inside the US if they have been overseas before, but they could just say no. Require a Passport to travel from state to state?

[candelista]

15. US passengers have credit cards that they use to buy tickets.

Our Homeland Security goons can track them in minutes.

[HockeyMom]

17. Yes, with a credit card

but I buy my tickets online months before, and not with the airport agents. They could have tracked me LONG BEFORE (no fly list) before I ever set foot in the airport. Same for my husband with his Florida to NY to Zurich and back to NY to Florida trip.

[candelista]

19. OK, so it's impossible, on your view, to contain the contagion.

Because travellers "cannot be tracked." So the Obama administration is right to make no attempt at controlling ebola in the US. Why don't you just say that? Then go watch the kids play hockey!

[HockeyMom]

22. US could stop flights to Africa

but what about European nations? If they don't also, how will that work? Stop all overseas travel, period? Besides, should we also stop travel from Texas and Ohio because one person with Ebola travelled across state lines?

I just flew from Florida to JFK yesterday. Nothing looked any difference at either airport. Nobody walking around in Hazmat suits. Passengers not santizing their hands or wearing masks on planes. Flight attendent was not wearing gloves serving. Security had gloves on, but that is nothing new. They have been for the past several years. Personally, the only thing new I experienced is that being over 65, I don't have to take off my shoes anymore.

It seemed the general public is simply going about their business as usual.

[candelista]

23. "TO" Africa?

I never said we should stop flights TO Africa. That's a facile conflation that the government and media have been using to excuse US inaction to refuse passengers FROM certain infected areas in Africa.

Please don't push that fallacy. Surely you know better.

[HoosierCowboy]

7. It's starting to look like...

...a 9-11 style airline grounding might be in order pretty soon if the authorities can't get it under control. Going to grandmas' house for Thanksgiving?
Plan on driving...

[HockeyMom]

18. That was only 3 days

My SIL worked for a US airline and was in Paris for 9/11. She could not back to the US right after, BUT working for a US Airline, she was probably the first Americans overseas to be able to return.

[valerief]

8. CDC "we got this."

Everything we've seen until now reinforces what we've known for the past 40 years. We know how to stop outbreaks of Ebola. In this country, we have health care infection control and public health systems that are tried and true and will stop before there's any widespread transmission.

http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/t1004-ebola-confirmed-case.html

[Blue_Tires]

9. Of course it made five more flights

it was some hours before that nurse made the news...

[Marrah_G]

10. Ebola does not live outside the body for any real length of time

The media needs to STOP this fear frenzy.

[HockeyMom]

16. HS Biology

Living organisms need to feed off something to get nutrients to survive. How much nutrients are on a chair or a pole (inanimate objects) for Ebola to feed on? Doesn't it need a living host to feed off, reproduce, and survive? It could survive without a host for a while but it won't be indefinitely. I am sure they could determine that one very easily in a lab, and probably already have.

Correct me if I am wrong, but isn't this the basic concept of all life?

[Sunlei]

11. Hopefully she didn't sweat, cough or sneeze any bodily fluids in the plane.

Her family and the wedding planners must be at fairly high risk, lots of kisses & hugs.

[quadrature]

20. what seat (number), was the ill-person sitting in?

has the seat been removed?

[Purveyor]

21. She was seated mid plane and the interior of the plane is basically being

gutted.

No worries, it is all but impossible to catch this shit.