DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP)
— A Nigerian woman who arrived on a flight to the United Arab Emirates
capital of Abu Dhabi and later died in the city may have been infected
with the Ebola virus, said health officials.
The health authority in the emirate said in a statement carried by the Emirati state news
agency WAM on Sunday evening that the 35-year-old woman was traveling
from Nigeria to India for treatment of advanced metastatic cancer.
Her
health deteriorated while in transit at Abu Dhabi International Airport
and as medics were trying to resuscitate her, they found signs that
suggested a possible Ebola virus infection.
Medical staff treating the woman followed safety and precautionary measures in line with World Health Organization guidelines, the statement added.
The
woman's husband, who was the only person sitting next to her on the
plane, as well as five medics who treated her are being isolated pending
test results on the deceased woman. All are in good health and show no
symptoms of the illness, according to health officials.
An
Ebola outbreak has killed more than 1,100 people, mostly in the three
West African countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to
WHO figures. Four people have died after contracting the disease in
Nigeria, Africa's most populous country.
The
Ebola virus is typically transmitted through direct person-to-person
contact or through contact with bodily secretions from an infected
person. The WHO considers the risk to passengers traveling on a flight
with an infected person to be "very low."
Abu
Dhabi is the capital and largest of seven sheikdoms that make up the
United Arab Emirates. The country has grown into a major long-haul
aviation hub. It is home to Dubai-based Emirates, the Middle East's largest airline, and Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways.
Emirates
earlier this month became the first carrier to halt flights to Guinea
because of concerns about the spread of the Ebola virus there.
