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Flu and common cold confirmed in sick passengers on Emirates flight to JFK

Additional testing for other viruses will be done today with full results expected by this afternoon, Christopher R. Miller, press secretary for NYC Department of Health said in a statement.
Your chances of getting sick in the air soar if your neighbor is ill
Roughly 106 of the more than 500 people on the flight, which originated in Dubai and landed at New York's John F. Kennedy Airport just after 9 a.m., reported symptoms like coughing, fever or vomiting. Upon arrival in NY, the plane was taken to a "hard standing area," a Port Authority source told CNN.
There, paramedics and officials from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention responded to the scene by screening all 549 passengers and crew.
"Unfortunately, tests for other viruses were inconclusive," said Miller. "This is not unusual when testing, but it means we have to re-test some samples today and expect to have full results in the afternoon."
A CDC official familiar with the situation told CNN Wednesday MERS was being considered as a potential cause for illness, along with other respiratory illnesses. MERS, which stands for Middle East Respiratory Syndrome, is a viral respiratory disease first identified in 2012.
Most passengers were cleared to continue their travels within hours of landing, however one person who showed symptoms of the flu was immediately admitted to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in Queens on Wednesday. Ten others were also taken to the hospital and are waiting for test result confirmation according to Michael Hinck, director of public affairs at the hospital.
"We are requesting the passengers who have been evaluated and released to call their provider and health department if they develop any symptoms, and to give their travel history and report of incident," the CDC said in a statement Wednesday.
New York City Acting Commissioner of Health, Dr. Oxiris Barbot said occurrences of patients who are ill on a flight and then need to be medically evaluated happen about five or six times a year.

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