Influenza confirmed for sick passengers on Emirates flight

Sept. 6 (UPI) -- Medical officials confirmed Thursday an influenza outbreak caused an Emirates Airlines flight to be quarantined in New York, sending 10 passengers to the hospital.

Authorities flagged Emirates Flight 203 on Wednesday after it landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Officials were concerned by 10 sick passengers who all displayed flu-like symptoms.

Eric Phillips, press secretary for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, tweeted those passengers were still in the hospital Thursday.

The passengers remained on the airliner for more than three hours and medical screens were done on all 521 passengers.

More than 100 passengers experienced various symptoms, including coughs, fever or vomiting. Doctors were conducting respiratory tests on three passengers and seven crew members who were hospitalized with the most severe symptoms.

The flight to New York originated in Dubai and followed a stop in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, where many have been sickened by a recent flu outbreak.

"Quite a few passengers were showing symptoms of sickness. Coughing," passenger Muntaz Alli told USA Today. "Even the guy next to me ... he was coughing and I knew something was wrong with him."

Things "became a little chaotic" when the plane landed at JFK and passengers were told they couldn't leave, Alli added.

"The crew had a rough time to control people because usually when the aircraft comes to a stop, everybody gets up to get their overhead bags."

Passengers were able to watch news coverage of the ordeal on the plane's on-board televisions.

Former rapper and home remodeling television star Vanilla Ice was among those aboard.

So I just landed from Dubai and now there is like tons of ambulances and fire trucks and police all over the place pic.twitter.com/i9QLh6WyJW

- Vanilla Ice (@vanillaice) September 5, 2018