Flight Bound for the US Forced to Land in Montreal Due to Ebola Travel Restrictions

An Air France flight destined for the United States was redirected to Montreal this week after U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) barred it from entering the country due to restrictions associated with the deadly Ebola outbreak in two East Africa countries.

A passenger hailing from the Democratic Republic of Congo disembarked at Pierre Elliot Trudeau International Airport on May 20, the Public Health Agency of Canada said in a media statement.

The passenger underwent evaluation by a quarantine officer, and was found to be asymptomatic, the agency said. The U.S.-bound flight then continued on to Detroit, its original destination, and the passenger from the Congo was flown back to Paris, the health agency said.

Air France said the passenger was refused entry into the United States because of new regulations stipulating that travellers from specific countries, such as the Congo, may only enter through Washington.

Health authorities are on high alert as a lethal outbreak of a rare strain of Ebola known as Bundibugyo devastates the Congo and its neighbouring country, Uganda.

A U.S. border official said the Congolese passenger should never have boarded the Detroit-bound flight to the United States, given the outbreak.

“CBP took decisive action and prohibited the flight carrying that traveler from landing at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, and instead, diverted to Montreal,” the border agency said in a media statement.

The United States has said it is implementing “necessary measures” to safeguard public health in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by increasing screening for individuals arriving from impacted areas. It will also prohibit entry to individuals holding non-U.S. passports who have travelled to Uganda, Congo, or South Sudan within the last 21 days.

While there is no active Ebola outbreak within South Sudan, the country neighbours the Democratic Republic of the Congo where the outbreak is the most severe.

The Ontario health ministry has also confirmed that one person has been tested for several infectious diseases, including Ebola, out of an abundance of caution, due to the person’s travel history. The Public Health Agency of Canada said the samples are expected to arrive at the National Microbiology Laboratory on May 21.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda as a matter of “international concern.” The WHO has reported that there are approximately 600 suspected cases and at least 139 fatalities attributed to the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus. Health authorities in these regions officially confirmed the outbreak on May 15.

What Is Ebola?

Ebola is a rare but severe and often fatal illness that causes damage to blood vessels, disrupts the body’s clotting system, and frequently results in dangerous internal and external bleeding and organ failure.

The virus is initially transmitted through direct contact with the blood, body fluids, or meat of infected wild animals and spreads from human to human through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected individual who is ill or deceased. It is not an airborne disease and is transmissible only after a person begins to show symptoms.

Initial signs consist of a rapid onset of high fever, intense headache, muscle and joint discomfort, exhaustion, and a sore throat.

Severe vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and rash suggest that the disease is progressing and advanced symptoms include impaired kidney and liver function, as well as the presence of both internal and bloody stools or bleeding gums.

There are currently no approved treatments for Ebola disease in Canada, the country’s health agency said on its website, but patients can receive oxygen, intravenous fluids, and other drugs in designated treatment sites to help with symptoms.

A vaccine called Ervebo is approved in Canada to prevent Ebola disease, the health agency said, adding that it could be used to help control an outbreak in the country if necessary.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.