エボラっぽい、ニューアーク空港に到着したリベリア人及び、ワシントンDC周辺3名はいずれもエボラではなかった

リベリアから米国ダラスに到着したエボラ感染者が、隔離の2日前に病院に訪れてリベリアから来たことも申告したのに放置され、結果として、80〜100名が接触者としてモニタリング対象となっている。この件でTexas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Dallasが批判対象となり、あちこちで「エボラっぽい」人々の報告が増えている。たとえば、ワシントンDC周辺では、2014/10/04にHoward University Hospital（病名非公表）が、George Washington University Hospital（インフルエンザ）が収容患者がエボラではなかったと発表。また前日にはDCの隣のメリーランド州のShady Grove Adventist Hospital（マラリア）が同様の発表を行っている。

A patient at Howard University Hospital had been “ruled out” as an Ebola case, officials there said Saturday, while a patient at George Washington University Hospital was determined to have the flu.

A third patient, who was evaluated at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital in Rockville, Md., had malaria, and not Ebola, the hospital said Friday.
...
Howard hospital spokeswoman Kerry-Ann Hamilton did not specify what other disease her hospital’s patient had.

[Michael E. Ruane:"No D.C. area patients have Ebola, health officials say" (2014/10/04) on WashingtonPost]

一方、2014/10/04にUA998便でブリュッセルから米国ニューアークに到着したリベリア人と思われる人物が「エボラっぽい」症状で、検査のためUniversity Hospital in Newarkに搬送された。

A passenger who was taken off a flight from Brussels to Newark, N.J., today along with his daughter after his sickness triggered fear that he might have Ebola does not have the deadly disease, officials said.

United Airlines Flight 998 was met by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention officials at Newark Liberty International Airport and the passenger, who was believed to be from Liberia, and his daughter were removed from the plane by a CDC crew in full hazmat gear. They were taken to University Hospital in Newark for testing.

"After an examination by physicians at University Hospital, the symptoms of one individual were found to be consistent with another, minor treatable condition unrelated to Ebola," University Hospital spokeswoman Donna Leusner said. "The second individual, who was traveling with the patient, was asymptomatic. The two individuals will be released with self-monitoring."

[AARON KATERSKY and JOSH MARGOLIN: "Passenger Who Showed Possible Ebola Symptoms Does Not Have Disease" (2014/10/04) via WORLD NEWS on ABCNews]

結局、この人物とその娘はエボラとは無関係な病気であることが判明した。

ただし、UA998便に乗り合わせた人々は、機内で、防護服に身を固めたCDCの担当者がその病人を搬出するという、映画のようなシーンを見ることになった。そして、無関係な病気が判明するまで、機内に留め置かれた。

Other passengers remained on the plane while the sick passenger and his daughter were being removed.

After they were off the plane and it was determined he was not contagious, the rest of the passengers were allowed off, a source with knowledge of the situation told ABC News.

The passengers were required to give information on how to follow up with them if the need arose.

[AARON KATERSKY and JOSH MARGOLIN: "Passenger Who Showed Possible Ebola Symptoms Does Not Have Disease" (2014/10/04) via WORLD NEWS on ABCNews]

結果として、空振りに終わったが、初動遅れによる死者8名を出したナイジェリアや、100名近くがモニタリング対象になっているダラスの例を考えれば、この程度の不便を旅客は甘受すべきなのだろう。