In what has to be classified as one of the worst ways to go of all-time, a 63-year-old man died in his seat aboard a flight from Lagos, Nigeria into New York on Thursday after complaining of chest pains and vomiting profusely. While his cause of death has been ruled a heart attack, Centers for Disease Control officials swarmed the plane when it landed and kept all 145 passengers on board while they performed preliminary tests on the body to make sure he was not suffering from Ebola.
The New York Daily News reports that the man was traveling alone, and his heart attack/vomiting spell began about an hour before the plane was to land. While the CDC tests onboard were enough for them to conclude he didn’t have Ebola, some are still nervous that they were a little too quick to give the all clear.
You can count Congressman Peter King among those who are worried. While he is by no means a “doctor,” “expert,” or “scientist,” King has already demanded that President Obama shut down transit between the U.S. and West Africa until we learn more about how Ebola is transmitted. After this latest incident, he’s started a letter writing campaign to Department of Homeland Security secretary Jeh Johnson demanding stricter protocols across the board.
Expect this type of panicky reaction to continue indefinitely, at least until we collectively find the next big thing to freak out about.
[via Daily Mail]
