The sick passengers were arriving at the Philadelphia International Airport on American Airlines flights from Paris and Munich. It is reported that they were experiencing flu-like symptoms. The affected passengers reportedly were returning from pilgrimages to Mecca — as were passengers aboard a Wednesday Emirates flight to New York that was similarly quarantined.
Although only 12 travelers fell ill on the flights landing in Philadelphia, all 250 passengers, including flight staff, were held for a medical review, local Philadelphia station CBS3 reported. Many are currently in the process of being evaluated by officials from the CDC, Philadelphia Health Department and Philadelphia Fire Department. It's unclear what caused the passengers to suddenly become sick.
Officials on site told NBC 10 that they are exercising "an abundance of caution" in the City of Brotherly Love. A statement released by Philadelphia airport officials noted that operations weren't impacted.
The report comes just one day after a double-decker Emirates flight was quarantined in New York when roughly 100 passengers started to feel sick, complaining of coughs, headaches, sore throats and fevers. The flight, which was traveling from Dubai to New York, reportedly made a stop in Mecca, which is experiencing a flu outbreak.
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Wednesday also saw a second plane quarantined in Perpignan, France, after it was suspected that a passenger onboard had been infected with cholera.
