A320 FLT CREW DECLARES EMER TO EXPEDITE ARR TO ZZZ DUE TO MULTIPLE SICK CREW MEMBERS AND PAX.

Narrative

APPROX 20 MINS AFTER DEP; OUR PURSER FIRST NOTIFIED THE CAPT AND I THAT A FLT ATTENDANT WAS FEELING ILL. THEN WE WERE NOTIFIED OF 1 MORE FLT ATTENDANT; THEN ANOTHER AND THEN NUMEROUS PAX WERE ALL FEELING 'VIOLENTLY' ILL. COMMUNICATING WITH HER; WE BECAME AWARE THAT THE CONDITION OF THESE SICK PEOPLE WAS PROGRESSIVELY DECLINING. FROM THE COCKPIT; ALL SYS APPEARED NORMAL. UNSURE OF THE REASON FOR THESE SUDDEN ILLNESSES; THE CAPT AND I DECLARED AN EMER. WE NOTIFIED ATC; DISPATCH; TWR; AND OPS OF THE EMER (IE; NUMEROUS SICK PAX AND FLT CREW MEMBERS). WE ASKED FOR A DIRECT ROUTING TO ZZZ AND TO HAVE PARAMEDICS WAITING AT THE GATE. PARKED AT THE GATE; WE ASKED HEALTHY PAX TO REMAIN SEATED WHILE THE SICK ONES WERE ASSISTED. THE PARAMEDICS BOARDED THE ACFT ALONG WITH HAZMAT OFFICIALS AND POLICE. AT THIS POINT; I LEARNED ABOUT THE PLANS TO ISOLATE THE ACFT AND PEOPLE AND THE ESCALATION OF THE INCIDENT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE FO RPTED THE ACFT AND OCCUPANTS WERE QUARANTINED FOR ABOUT 4 HRS BY ARPT HAZMAT/TERRORIST RESPONSE TEAMS. MOST AFFECTED PERSONNEL RECOVERED DURING THE PERIOD OF DETENTION ALTHOUGH A 'FEW' ASKED TO GO TO THE EMER ROOM FOR OBSERVATION. THE RPTR HAD NO INFO ON THEIR ULTIMATE DISPOSITION. RPTR STATED BOTH FLT CREW MEMBERS WENT AFT TO THE AFFECTED AREA AFTER LNDG AND WERE UNABLE TO DETECT ANY ABNORMALITIES IN THE CABIN ENVIRONMENT.