Narrative:

Passenger illness requiring unscheduled landing. Crew member has multiple illnesses on return flight with the same symptoms. I was position #10 on the B767 aircraft working the right side of coach. The first incident occurred immediately after takeoff from dallas when mr X (seat xg) came to 4R complaining of thirst and an upset stomach. He told me he had played tennis and golf the morning of the trip (in 109 degree temperature) and ate a chicken salad sandwich for lunch. Within a few mins he vomited on the floor at 4R, then went into the lavatory where he continued to vomit and also had uncontrollable diarrhea, totally ruining his only available clothes. Flight attendant #3 and I kept him at the 4R jump seat, administering ice packs, ginger ale and rehydration salts from the first aid kit. (This kit has been sealed with a green lock seal, but when opened, we found a syringe in the sharps container!) in the meantime the purser was checking on his condition periodically and keeping the cockpit notified. Mr X's condition did not improve, with very frequent vomiting and chills, so the decision was made to land in chicago to remove him. He voiced fear of food poisoning or heat stroke. Proper announcements were made to inform the passenger, fuel was dumped, etc. I moved mr X to the crew rest seat adjacent to the business class galley for landing with the consent of the business class flight attendants for his comfort and the comfort of the coach passenger, since his clothing reeked of vomit and feces by then. Medical personnel and flight service met the aircraft and deplaned him. The aircraft was inspected for airworthiness due to landing 'heavy' and the aft area and lavatory cleaned and the carpet at 4R replaced before taking off for cdg. We had an entirely full load (minus 1) with the vast majority of the passenger being very understanding. The remainder of the trip was uneventful, until the flight home on wednesday. Luckily, we had a light load in all cabins on the return trip because about 1/2 way into the flight, flight attendant #8 started getting ill, with symptoms identical to mr X. (He had sat across from her jump seat for landing in ord and she had assisted him.) she was so sick, she had to lie down in the back of the plane the rest of the flight and vomited frequently the whole trip. About 2 hours later, flight attendant #3 got sick with the same thing, same symptoms. She was laid out the rest of the trip. We completed the second meal service with the help of flight attendant #6, but it was a close call because by now I was starting to feel nauseated, and flight attendant #2 said her stomach was getting a little queasy. There was no one from flight service there to meet us or help with the sick flight attendants on deplaning at dfw. Flight attendant #8 called her father to come get her. The purser took #3 flight attendant to medical and I took a market bag with me just in case I got sick on the way driving home. I just managed to get in the house before I started to vomit, etc. I was unable to get out of bed for 2 days with vomiting, diarrhea, fever and chills. Someone named Y from flight service called me at home that evening about 2 hours after the trip to check on me. She said they had not received any prior notice of our problem, and would have been at the gate to assist us if they had known. I find that very curious since I got a letter in the mail from the union by noon the very next day, so obviously the union got notified quickly. Y agreed that we had probably all caught whatever disease mr X had since we had not all eaten together, or eaten the same things either on the plane or in paris. I asked her to try to find out what was wrong with him and to please let us know as soon as possible. I have heard nothing further. I do not know if any of the other crew members on that trip ended up getting sick, but it has surely made me think of how bad it could have been -- especially if the cockpit had gotten it. I know we are supposed to help people and I am glad to do my part, but when the results put me in bed for my days off, it would certainly be nice to get a trip removal or something to make up for my lost time and health.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MULTIPLE CABIN ATTENDANT RPT, B767-300, DFW-CDG. MAN BECAME VIOLENTLY ILL AFTER TKOF. DIVERT TO ORD FOR MEDICAL HELP. PAX TAKEN TO HOSPITAL. 3 CABIN ATTENDANTS ILL WITH SAME SYMPTOMS ON RETURN TRIP.

Narrative: PAX ILLNESS REQUIRING UNSCHEDULED LNDG. CREW MEMBER HAS MULTIPLE ILLNESSES ON RETURN FLT WITH THE SAME SYMPTOMS. I WAS POS #10 ON THE B767 ACFT WORKING THE R SIDE OF COACH. THE FIRST INCIDENT OCCURRED IMMEDIATELY AFTER TKOF FROM DALLAS WHEN MR X (SEAT XG) CAME TO 4R COMPLAINING OF THIRST AND AN UPSET STOMACH. HE TOLD ME HE HAD PLAYED TENNIS AND GOLF THE MORNING OF THE TRIP (IN 109 DEG TEMP) AND ATE A CHICKEN SALAD SANDWICH FOR LUNCH. WITHIN A FEW MINS HE VOMITED ON THE FLOOR AT 4R, THEN WENT INTO THE LAVATORY WHERE HE CONTINUED TO VOMIT AND ALSO HAD UNCTLABLE DIARRHEA, TOTALLY RUINING HIS ONLY AVAILABLE CLOTHES. FLT ATTENDANT #3 AND I KEPT HIM AT THE 4R JUMP SEAT, ADMINISTERING ICE PACKS, GINGER ALE AND REHYDRATION SALTS FROM THE FIRST AID KIT. (THIS KIT HAS BEEN SEALED WITH A GREEN LOCK SEAL, BUT WHEN OPENED, WE FOUND A SYRINGE IN THE SHARPS CONTAINER!) IN THE MEANTIME THE PURSER WAS CHKING ON HIS CONDITION PERIODICALLY AND KEEPING THE COCKPIT NOTIFIED. MR X'S CONDITION DID NOT IMPROVE, WITH VERY FREQUENT VOMITING AND CHILLS, SO THE DECISION WAS MADE TO LAND IN CHICAGO TO REMOVE HIM. HE VOICED FEAR OF FOOD POISONING OR HEAT STROKE. PROPER ANNOUNCEMENTS WERE MADE TO INFORM THE PAX, FUEL WAS DUMPED, ETC. I MOVED MR X TO THE CREW REST SEAT ADJACENT TO THE BUSINESS CLASS GALLEY FOR LNDG WITH THE CONSENT OF THE BUSINESS CLASS FLT ATTENDANTS FOR HIS COMFORT AND THE COMFORT OF THE COACH PAX, SINCE HIS CLOTHING REEKED OF VOMIT AND FECES BY THEN. MEDICAL PERSONNEL AND FLT SVC MET THE ACFT AND DEPLANED HIM. THE ACFT WAS INSPECTED FOR AIRWORTHINESS DUE TO LNDG 'HVY' AND THE AFT AREA AND LAVATORY CLEANED AND THE CARPET AT 4R REPLACED BEFORE TAKING OFF FOR CDG. WE HAD AN ENTIRELY FULL LOAD (MINUS 1) WITH THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE PAX BEING VERY UNDERSTANDING. THE REMAINDER OF THE TRIP WAS UNEVENTFUL, UNTIL THE FLT HOME ON WEDNESDAY. LUCKILY, WE HAD A LIGHT LOAD IN ALL CABINS ON THE RETURN TRIP BECAUSE ABOUT 1/2 WAY INTO THE FLT, FLT ATTENDANT #8 STARTED GETTING ILL, WITH SYMPTOMS IDENTICAL TO MR X. (HE HAD SAT ACROSS FROM HER JUMP SEAT FOR LNDG IN ORD AND SHE HAD ASSISTED HIM.) SHE WAS SO SICK, SHE HAD TO LIE DOWN IN THE BACK OF THE PLANE THE REST OF THE FLT AND VOMITED FREQUENTLY THE WHOLE TRIP. ABOUT 2 HRS LATER, FLT ATTENDANT #3 GOT SICK WITH THE SAME THING, SAME SYMPTOMS. SHE WAS LAID OUT THE REST OF THE TRIP. WE COMPLETED THE SECOND MEAL SVC WITH THE HELP OF FLT ATTENDANT #6, BUT IT WAS A CLOSE CALL BECAUSE BY NOW I WAS STARTING TO FEEL NAUSEATED, AND FLT ATTENDANT #2 SAID HER STOMACH WAS GETTING A LITTLE QUEASY. THERE WAS NO ONE FROM FLT SVC THERE TO MEET US OR HELP WITH THE SICK FLT ATTENDANTS ON DEPLANING AT DFW. FLT ATTENDANT #8 CALLED HER FATHER TO COME GET HER. THE PURSER TOOK #3 FLT ATTENDANT TO MEDICAL AND I TOOK A MARKET BAG WITH ME JUST IN CASE I GOT SICK ON THE WAY DRIVING HOME. I JUST MANAGED TO GET IN THE HOUSE BEFORE I STARTED TO VOMIT, ETC. I WAS UNABLE TO GET OUT OF BED FOR 2 DAYS WITH VOMITING, DIARRHEA, FEVER AND CHILLS. SOMEONE NAMED Y FROM FLT SVC CALLED ME AT HOME THAT EVENING ABOUT 2 HRS AFTER THE TRIP TO CHK ON ME. SHE SAID THEY HAD NOT RECEIVED ANY PRIOR NOTICE OF OUR PROB, AND WOULD HAVE BEEN AT THE GATE TO ASSIST US IF THEY HAD KNOWN. I FIND THAT VERY CURIOUS SINCE I GOT A LETTER IN THE MAIL FROM THE UNION BY NOON THE VERY NEXT DAY, SO OBVIOUSLY THE UNION GOT NOTIFIED QUICKLY. Y AGREED THAT WE HAD PROBABLY ALL CAUGHT WHATEVER DISEASE MR X HAD SINCE WE HAD NOT ALL EATEN TOGETHER, OR EATEN THE SAME THINGS EITHER ON THE PLANE OR IN PARIS. I ASKED HER TO TRY TO FIND OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH HIM AND TO PLEASE LET US KNOW ASAP. I HAVE HEARD NOTHING FURTHER. I DO NOT KNOW IF ANY OF THE OTHER CREW MEMBERS ON THAT TRIP ENDED UP GETTING SICK, BUT IT HAS SURELY MADE ME THINK OF HOW BAD IT COULD HAVE BEEN -- ESPECIALLY IF THE COCKPIT HAD GOTTEN IT. I KNOW WE ARE SUPPOSED TO HELP PEOPLE AND I AM GLAD TO DO MY PART, BUT WHEN THE RESULTS PUT ME IN BED FOR MY DAYS OFF, IT WOULD CERTAINLY BE NICE TO GET A TRIP REMOVAL OR SOMETHING TO MAKE UP FOR MY LOST TIME AND HEALTH.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.