NEW YORK — Health officials are alerting airline passengers who were on the same flight as a Texas nurse who was diagnosed with Ebola the next day.
The 132 passengers were on Frontier Airlines Flight 1143 from Cleveland to Dallas-Fort Worth on Monday.
The hospital worker was involved in the care of a Liberian man who died of Ebola last week at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital in Dallas.
The airplane’s crew said the nurse had no symptoms of Ebola during the flight. But the next morning she developed a fever and on Tuesday night tested positive for Ebola.
Infected Ebola patients are not considered contagious until they have symptoms. But the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is asking the passengers to call the health agency so they can be monitored.
The flight landed in Dallas at 8:16 p.m. Monday, stayed there overnight, and underwent a thorough cleaning before returning to service the next day. The cleaning was consistent with CDC guidelines, according to a Frontier Airlines statement released by CDC officials.
The health worker had flown to Cleveland on Friday. Health officials did not immediately release the reason for her trip or where she visited in the Cleveland area. CDC notified the airline Wednesday morning.
The CDC is asking passengers on the Monday flight to call 1-800-CDC INFO (1-800-232-4636).