Toronto, Canada – More than 75 passengers returning from Tel Aviv were detained for a number of hours at Pearson airport last night after a few fell ill aboard the flight.
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The plane, Air Canada flight 085 from Tel Aviv, landed just after 9 p.m. Tuesday carrying 201 passengers.
Health officials who met the passengers on the ground determined later they were suffering with acute gastroenteritis. Its symptoms include vomiting, nausea and diarrhea.
“It is our standard operating procedure to have health officials meet the aircraft on arrival in cases like this,” said Air Canada representative Angela Mah.
Passengers with symptoms were sent to hospital for assessment and treatment, said Alain Desroches with the Public Health Agency of Canada. Desroches said three people aboard the flight were sick.
However, one passenger said about eight people appeared sick and passengers weren’t met until they reached customs.
“They didn’t tell us anything,” said passenger Matt Coleman of the ordeal. “They totally kept us in the dark.
“They did not separate the sick people from the ones who weren’t sick. We were all just put in a room, given `bunny suits’ and told to stay put.”
Coleman, 19, said sick passengers began “getting feverish and throwing up in the lavatories.” [CTV]