PHOENIX, Dec. 2 (UPI) -- Paramedics boarded a plane in Phoenix to remove a man who possibly suffers from tuberculosis, passengers said. Officials did not confirm the TB report.
The U.S. Airways Express flight from Austin, Texas, operated by Mesa Air, landed just short of the terminal at Sky Harbor Airport Saturday, KNXV-TV, Phoenix, reported.
A Phoenix-area woman said her husband and daughter were on the flight and when the plane landed paramedics and police boarded and removed a man who was sitting in front of them.
Then, passengers were advised to get shots for TB and told to call airport customer service on Monday, the woman said.
The Center for Disease Control states on its website vaccinations for TB are not widely given in the United States. Treating the disease can last as long as nine months.
Bill McGlahsen, spokesman for U.S. Airways, told KNXV-TV the man removed from the plane had a "medical issue" and was cleared for boarding in Austin but during the flight his status was changed to "no-fly."
McGlahsen said he did not know why the status was changed. He also did not confirm the man had TB.
Jeanine Fowler of the Maricopa County Department of Public Health told KNXV-TV no tuberculosis cases have been confirmed in the area. She said passengers on the plane faced little risk.
