Ebola scare terrifies passengers on Scots flight

George Eady, duty manager for Aberdeen International Airport, said that a young girl was violently sick on a flight from Heathrow. Picture: TSPL

More than 100 passengers on a London to Aberdeen flight were held on board the aircraft amid fears that a young girl had the deadly virus.

Specialist crews wearing bio-hazard suits boarded the British Airways flight on landing at Aberdeen after the pilot informed the authorities of a sick passenger on Sunday night.

The 10-year-old girl is believed to have started her journey in Nigeria - just one of the countries which has been affected by the recent devastating Ebola outbreak.

The girl was examined at the scene by the specialist crews and taken by ambulance to Royal Aberdeen Children’s Hospital.

The youngster was examined by medical staff and found not to have the virus.

George Eady, duty manager for Aberdeen International Airport, said: “A young girl was violently sick on a flight from Heathrow.

“In any situation like this we enact our port health procedures to protect anyone on board and anyone meeting the flight.

“These procedures are purely precautionary.

“The girl was checked over by a specialist crew from the Scottish Ambulance Service, and has been taken to hospital for further checks.”

The drama unfolded mid-air on the British Airways London Heathrow to Aberdeen flight when the young girl took unwell.

The captain radioed ahead and alerted airport staff and emergency personnel on the ground.

A specialist crew from the Scottish Ambulance Service were dispatched to meet the plane on arrival.

Shocked passengers could only look on in panic as men in hazard suits boarded the plane.

A total of 101 passengers were made to stay on the plane for around 90 minutes as checks were carried out to see if there was any trace of the deadly Ebola virus.

The little girl was later taken to hospital where it was established she did not have the virus.

A spokeswoman for NHS Grampian confirmed a child was taken to the Royal Aberdeen Childrens Hospital but was not admitted.

Passengers were allowed to leave the plane on Sunday night after tests were carried out.

A spokesman for British Airways said: “A passenger was taken unwell during a flight and the captain radioed ahead, as per standard procedure, asking for assistance.”

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO) the current Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak is believed to have begun in Guinea in December 2013.

It has now spread across West Africa to Liberia and Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

The often fatal illness is spread by contact with bodily fluid and has a fatality rate of up to 90 per cent.