B757 FLT ATTENDANT TAKES ACTION TO HAVE CHILD REMOVED FROM BOARDING AT MDPC BECAUSE OF THE APPEARANCE OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASE; LATER EVALUATED AS SMALL POX BY MDPC ARPT MEDICAL OFFICE.
Synopsis
B757 FLT ATTENDANT TAKES ACTION TO HAVE CHILD REMOVED FROM BOARDING AT MDPC BECAUSE OF THE APPEARANCE OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASE; LATER EVALUATED AS SMALL POX BY MDPC ARPT MEDICAL OFFICE.
Narrative
DURING BOARDING; FLT ATTENDANT #5 ASKED ME TO CHK A SMALL GIRL WHO SEEMED TO BE COVERED FROM HEAD TO TOES WITH WHAT SEEMED SIMILAR TO CHICKEN POX. I ASKED THE MOTHER IF THE CHILD WAS ILL; TO WHICH SHE RESPONDED BY BLAMING THE MOSQUITOES AT THEIR RESORT. CONCERNED FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF A CONTAGION; THE CREW ASKED FOR THE CHILD TO BE EVALUATED BY THE ARPT MEDICAL OFFICE. THEY DETERMINED A 90% CHANCE OF SMALLPOX. FATHER AND CHILD WERE NOT ALLOWED TO REBOARD. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR CLARIFIED THAT THE PERSON CLAIMING MOSQUITO BITES ON THE CHILD WAS ACTUALLY THE GRANDMOTHER. WHEN RPTR CHALLENGED THE GRANDMOTHER; THAT THERE WERE TOO MANY BITES TO BE CONSIDERED MOSQUITO; SHE DISCONTINUED FURTHER CONVERSATION WITH THE RPTR. THE FAMILY VACATION BEGAN FROM THEIR HOME IN CHILI. THE DEST WAS MDPC; PUNTA CANA; DOMINICAN REPUBLIC; VIA MIAMI; FL. DURING THE DEBOARDING OF THE FATHER AND DAUGHTER; THE FATHER QUESTIONED THE RPTR SAYING THAT UPON ENTRY AT MIAMI ARPT; WHEN ENRTE TO MDCP; NO ONE HAD EXPRESSED ANY CONCERN FOR THE CHILD'S APPEARANCE THEN; SO WHY NOW? THE FAMILY WAS ON THE RETURN TRIP HOME TO CHILI. THE RPTR STATES THAT IT WAS THE MDPC ARPT MEDICAL EXAMINER'S DETERMINATION THAT THE CHILD HAD A 90% PROBABILITY OF SMALL POX; NOT CHICKEN POX AS ORIGINALLY SPECULATED. BECAUSE OF THE CONTAGION CAPABILITY EXISTING IN AN ENCLOSED ENVIRONMENT WITHIN THE ACFT THE CHILD AND FATHER WERE DETAINED AT MDPC. COMPANY WAS NOTIFIED ABOUT THE EVENT. UPON RETURN TO MIAMI; THE RPTR STATED THAT NONE OF THE CABIN OR FLT CREW; TO HIS KNOWLEDGE; WERE INTERVIEWED BY COMPANY PERSONNEL; NOR A SUGGESTION OF A CREW MEDICAL EXAMINATION. THE RPTR HAS NOT EXPERIENCED ANY SYMPTOMS WITH SMALL POX OR CHICKEN POX ASSOCIATED WITH THE INCIDENT. THE RPTR ADVISED THAT SINCE THE INCIDENT; HE ALSO HAS NOT CREWED WITH ANY OF THOSE INVOLVED AT MDPC.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.