US-bound flight diverted to Canada after person from Ebola-hit region boarded plane

An Air France flight travelling from Paris to Detroit was diverted to Canada after a passenger linked to an Ebola-affected region boarded the aircraft despite US travel restrictions tied to the outbreak. The flight was redirected to Montreal after US authorities refused permission for the passenger to enter the country. Health officials later said the traveller was not showing symptoms of Ebola and has since left Canada.

The incident unfolded amid growing global concern over the latest Ebola outbreak in Central Africa, which has already killed nearly 140 people and triggered emergency health measures in several countries.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the passenger had recently travelled through the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda or South Sudan -- countries currently subject to temporary US entry restrictions because of the outbreak.

"A Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) Quarantine Officer assessed the traveller and determined they were asymptomatic," the agency said in a statement quoted by Global News.

PHAC added that the passenger later departed back to Paris, while the rest of the passengers continued to Detroit on the same aircraft.

FLIGHT DIVERTED MID-JOURNEY

The aircraft, Air France flight AFR378, had already been in the air for several hours when the diversion order came through.

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the traveller had boarded the plane "in error" despite restrictions designed to stop the spread of Ebola into the United States.

"Air France boarded a passenger from the Democratic Republic of Congo in error on a flight to the United States," the agency said in a statement quoted by the BBC.

The plane was diverted to Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau Airport, around 800 kilometres away from its original destination in Detroit.

Passengers onboard said cabin crew later wore masks after the captain informed them of the diversion.

One passenger, Deborah Mistor, told CBS News that travellers initially feared there was a technical problem with the aircraft.

"I think enough people must have been questioning what was going on because 30 minutes later, [the captain] came back on and said that he wanted to confirm that there was nothing wrong with the plane," she said.

"There were no technical difficulties, that it was strictly because of US authorities not allowing us to land in the US."

Air France later confirmed the diversion and said the passenger had been denied entry under new US public health regulations.

EBOLA OUTBREAK RAISES GLOBAL CONCERNS

The incident comes as health authorities worldwide remain on alert over a growing outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring Uganda.

The World Health Organisation has declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern. According to WHO figures, nearly 600 suspected cases and around 139 deaths have already been reported, though officials believe the true scale could be higher.

The Bundibugyo strain currently has no approved vaccine, and WHO officials have warned it could take several months before one becomes available.

The US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says the risk to the United States remains low, but authorities have introduced stricter screening and travel measures to reduce the chances of the virus spreading internationally.

Under current US rules, non-US citizens who have travelled through Congo, Uganda or South Sudan within the previous 21 days are barred from entering the country through most airports. US citizens and permanent residents are only allowed entry through Washington Dulles Airport, where additional screening measures are in place.

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