Hong Kong’s flagship airline Cathay Pacific said today it would screen all passengers for flu symptoms amid a pneumonia outbreak that has made 42 people in the territory ill. With alarm spreading about the disease, which is believed to have killed at least nine people worldwide, the airline said it had ordered staff in all countries not to allow check-in for any passenger showing signs of the illness. Cathay Pacific has already had one passenger fall ill with respiratory problems on board a flight on March 6 from Hong Kong to Vancouver, Canada. Two tourists returning from Hong Kong to Canada died of pneumonia earlier this month, and other cases are believed to have been taken from Hong Kong to Singapore by airline passengers. Cathay Pacific principal medical officer Dr John Merritt said in a statement, “Air filters on aircraft remove many of the droplets and particles that are responsible for spreading infection. Nonetheless, it is important for passengers who appear to be ill to be denied boarding and referred for medical assessment.” Full Story
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