A flight attendant noted scores of passengers evincing flu-like symptoms while enroute from Hong Kong to Newark's Liberty International Airport on 26 March and advised her captain. He notified the CDC who sent an EMS team to meet the 777-200 upon its arrival at 1411L. Over eighty of the 272 passengers aboard had the symptoms, which developed during the 15 hour flight. The EMT's were from The NJ (University) College of Medicine Hospital in Newark. They quarantined all passengers and sequestered and examined the affected group. Malaria is not a big cause for concern when traveling in mainland China...although bird flu now is. It transpired that the eighty odd were all in a group that had participated in (and dined on) a river cruise in mainland China.
The authorities detained all passengers on the flight for two hours after arrival while they determined the source of the illness. "It was determined the symptoms were consistent with possible seasonal influenza and there was no reason to believe it was more serious," said CDC spokesman Glen Nowak later, after all passengers were released and permitted to leave. Nowak said the seven passengers who boarded the plane already sick had visited a hospital outpatient center and were diagnosed with the flu. Interesting note -- the destination of the 80 passengers reported to be ill is Montreal with some ongoing to Toronto. Toronto was, of course, the most virulent site world-wide for the SARS epidemic back in 2003.