B757 flight attendant takes action to have child removed from boarding at mdpc because of the appear...

Attributes
ACN	586312
Time
Date	200306
Day	Mon
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : mdpc.airport
State Reference	FO
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : wsss.tower
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Medium Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : parked
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight attendant : on duty
Qualification	flight attendant : currently qualified flight attendant aircraft qualified on : 7
Experience	flight attendant time airline total : 6 flight attendant time total : 6 flight attendant time type : 90
ASRS Report	586312
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight attendant : on duty
Events
Anomaly	cabin event : passenger illness other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : fa 1
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Airport Passenger Human Performance
Primary Problem	Passenger Human Performance

Narrative:

During boarding, flight attendant #5 asked me to check 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 airport medical office. They determined a 90% chance of smallpox. Father and child were not allowed to reboard. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter clarified that the person claiming mosquito bites on the child was actually the grandmother. When reporter challenged the grandmother, that there were too many bites to be considered mosquito, she discontinued further conversation with the reporter. The family vacation began from their home in chili. The destination was mdpc, punta cana, dominican republic, via miami, fl. During the deboarding of the father and daughter, the father questioned the reporter saying that upon entry at miami airport, when en route 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 reporter states that it was the mdpc airport 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 aircraft the child and father were detained at mdpc. Company was notified about the event. Upon return to miami, the reporter stated that none of the cabin or flight crew, to his knowledge, were interviewed by company personnel, nor a suggestion of a crew medical examination. The reporter has not experienced any symptoms with small pox or chicken pox associated with the incident. The reporter advised that since the incident, he also has not crewed with any of those involved at mdpc.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: 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.

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.

B757 flight 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 airport medical office.