Narrative:

About 45 mins after takeoff; and due to not having a purser that night; I was assisting the lead flight attendant in starting the video system; which I had knowledge of operating. I had already served our passenger at xxd a diet drink and in the few moments I had left the area to turn on the video system he had begun projectile vomiting and making very forceful; painful heaving sounds. I saw passenger with extreme distress on their faces and of course saw what the problem was as I turned to xxd. He had already filled 2 blue 'barf' bags full to overflow and was vomiting into his blanket and/or hands from what I could see. I immediately and with no hesitation ran into galley #2 and brought back a gray plastic garbage bag we use on board and opened it fully with the intention that he would place his items inside. He did so; I did not touch anything; and then ran back to galley and pulled out my thick; black garbage can liner to throw gray bag into. I ran to tell the lead flight attendant; got wet towels from first class so he could clean his chin which was dripping with this black fluid. He had soiled the right side and left inside of his slacks which were light tan colored and the body fluids were all over the bulkhead and sidewall adjacent to his seat. At different times in-flight he moved from the F to D to east seats in row xx. Having paged for a doctor; to no avail; nurse approached and offered us her assistance. The cockpit was in the loop and was getting information from myself and the lead flight attendant. The other flight attendants brought me the biohazard kit; we covered the aisle which had been soaked with this bloody; black vomit as he had so much vomit that he would miss the bags laid out for him or they would tip over. I had plastic bags; many blankets; linen pillow cases strewn all over; as we had to keep jumping over as we would pass by. He continued at intervals to projectile vomit same black fluid on 3 occasions. We all concurred that it was necessary and best to land; and ZZZZ was the closest viable option; only 1 hour 30 mins away as opposed to continuing on to our destination over 3 hours away. Flight was diverted and passenger was taken to hospital. Our work area was contaminated with blood; vomit and feces in seat; bulkhead walls and sidewalls; carpeting was saturated. The station personnel at destination as well as our flight dispatcher were advised of all details. We deplaned for layover. The next day we were met with the same aircraft and the carpeting; seat back and bottom cushions were same as we had left; nothing had been changed; only cleaned. The plane flew back to the united states from ZZZZ1 and then back again to ZZZZ1 with the cabin material not changed. These items of bodily fluid exposure had been noted in logbook. As the crew members dealing with this horrific ordeal and no medical doctor to assist; we offered our limited first aid; the nurse kept watch over his vitals about every 30 mins. She could not advise as to whether or not to divert. Of course; we did decide so on our own; as it was too much for us to continue to handle. We were concerned after the third time he was so ill that another time could be fatal; losing fluids and blood. This serious nature drained the crew and was extremely serious and the contaminants were in close proximity which concerned us very much and were difficult to deal with. We used what supplies we have on board; even though at first I had no time to get to my latex gloves and other hazmat precaution gear until after the first incident. We provided the nurse protection; as well and did our best to cover up the area; carpeting in particular with pads; plastic bags and blankets. Inaction on the part of the station personnel either at ZZZZ1 or back in the united states to not remove the cushions and carpeting and replace both was a factor in my writing this report.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: SICK PAX ON INTL FLT SOILS ENTIRE AREA AROUND THEIR SEAT. FLT DIVERTS FOR MEDICAL ATTENTION BUT ACFT IS KEPT IN SERVICE WITHOUT REMOVING AND/OR DECONTAMINATING SOILED SEATS; ETC.

Narrative: ABOUT 45 MINS AFTER TKOF; AND DUE TO NOT HAVING A PURSER THAT NIGHT; I WAS ASSISTING THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT IN STARTING THE VIDEO SYS; WHICH I HAD KNOWLEDGE OF OPERATING. I HAD ALREADY SERVED OUR PAX AT XXD A DIET DRINK AND IN THE FEW MOMENTS I HAD LEFT THE AREA TO TURN ON THE VIDEO SYS HE HAD BEGUN PROJECTILE VOMITING AND MAKING VERY FORCEFUL; PAINFUL HEAVING SOUNDS. I SAW PAX WITH EXTREME DISTRESS ON THEIR FACES AND OF COURSE SAW WHAT THE PROB WAS AS I TURNED TO XXD. HE HAD ALREADY FILLED 2 BLUE 'BARF' BAGS FULL TO OVERFLOW AND WAS VOMITING INTO HIS BLANKET AND/OR HANDS FROM WHAT I COULD SEE. I IMMEDIATELY AND WITH NO HESITATION RAN INTO GALLEY #2 AND BROUGHT BACK A GRAY PLASTIC GARBAGE BAG WE USE ON BOARD AND OPENED IT FULLY WITH THE INTENTION THAT HE WOULD PLACE HIS ITEMS INSIDE. HE DID SO; I DID NOT TOUCH ANYTHING; AND THEN RAN BACK TO GALLEY AND PULLED OUT MY THICK; BLACK GARBAGE CAN LINER TO THROW GRAY BAG INTO. I RAN TO TELL THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT; GOT WET TOWELS FROM FIRST CLASS SO HE COULD CLEAN HIS CHIN WHICH WAS DRIPPING WITH THIS BLACK FLUID. HE HAD SOILED THE R SIDE AND L INSIDE OF HIS SLACKS WHICH WERE LIGHT TAN COLORED AND THE BODY FLUIDS WERE ALL OVER THE BULKHEAD AND SIDEWALL ADJACENT TO HIS SEAT. AT DIFFERENT TIMES INFLT HE MOVED FROM THE F TO D TO E SEATS IN ROW XX. HAVING PAGED FOR A DOCTOR; TO NO AVAIL; NURSE APCHED AND OFFERED US HER ASSISTANCE. THE COCKPIT WAS IN THE LOOP AND WAS GETTING INFO FROM MYSELF AND THE LEAD FLT ATTENDANT. THE OTHER FLT ATTENDANTS BROUGHT ME THE BIOHAZARD KIT; WE COVERED THE AISLE WHICH HAD BEEN SOAKED WITH THIS BLOODY; BLACK VOMIT AS HE HAD SO MUCH VOMIT THAT HE WOULD MISS THE BAGS LAID OUT FOR HIM OR THEY WOULD TIP OVER. I HAD PLASTIC BAGS; MANY BLANKETS; LINEN PILLOW CASES STREWN ALL OVER; AS WE HAD TO KEEP JUMPING OVER AS WE WOULD PASS BY. HE CONTINUED AT INTERVALS TO PROJECTILE VOMIT SAME BLACK FLUID ON 3 OCCASIONS. WE ALL CONCURRED THAT IT WAS NECESSARY AND BEST TO LAND; AND ZZZZ WAS THE CLOSEST VIABLE OPTION; ONLY 1 HR 30 MINS AWAY AS OPPOSED TO CONTINUING ON TO OUR DEST OVER 3 HRS AWAY. FLT WAS DIVERTED AND PAX WAS TAKEN TO HOSPITAL. OUR WORK AREA WAS CONTAMINATED WITH BLOOD; VOMIT AND FECES IN SEAT; BULKHEAD WALLS AND SIDEWALLS; CARPETING WAS SATURATED. THE STATION PERSONNEL AT DEST AS WELL AS OUR FLT DISPATCHER WERE ADVISED OF ALL DETAILS. WE DEPLANED FOR LAYOVER. THE NEXT DAY WE WERE MET WITH THE SAME ACFT AND THE CARPETING; SEAT BACK AND BOTTOM CUSHIONS WERE SAME AS WE HAD LEFT; NOTHING HAD BEEN CHANGED; ONLY CLEANED. THE PLANE FLEW BACK TO THE UNITED STATES FROM ZZZZ1 AND THEN BACK AGAIN TO ZZZZ1 WITH THE CABIN MATERIAL NOT CHANGED. THESE ITEMS OF BODILY FLUID EXPOSURE HAD BEEN NOTED IN LOGBOOK. AS THE CREW MEMBERS DEALING WITH THIS HORRIFIC ORDEAL AND NO MEDICAL DOCTOR TO ASSIST; WE OFFERED OUR LIMITED FIRST AID; THE NURSE KEPT WATCH OVER HIS VITALS ABOUT EVERY 30 MINS. SHE COULD NOT ADVISE AS TO WHETHER OR NOT TO DIVERT. OF COURSE; WE DID DECIDE SO ON OUR OWN; AS IT WAS TOO MUCH FOR US TO CONTINUE TO HANDLE. WE WERE CONCERNED AFTER THE THIRD TIME HE WAS SO ILL THAT ANOTHER TIME COULD BE FATAL; LOSING FLUIDS AND BLOOD. THIS SERIOUS NATURE DRAINED THE CREW AND WAS EXTREMELY SERIOUS AND THE CONTAMINANTS WERE IN CLOSE PROX WHICH CONCERNED US VERY MUCH AND WERE DIFFICULT TO DEAL WITH. WE USED WHAT SUPPLIES WE HAVE ON BOARD; EVEN THOUGH AT FIRST I HAD NO TIME TO GET TO MY LATEX GLOVES AND OTHER HAZMAT PRECAUTION GEAR UNTIL AFTER THE FIRST INCIDENT. WE PROVIDED THE NURSE PROTECTION; AS WELL AND DID OUR BEST TO COVER UP THE AREA; CARPETING IN PARTICULAR WITH PADS; PLASTIC BAGS AND BLANKETS. INACTION ON THE PART OF THE STATION PERSONNEL EITHER AT ZZZZ1 OR BACK IN THE UNITED STATES TO NOT REMOVE THE CUSHIONS AND CARPETING AND REPLACE BOTH WAS A FACTOR IN MY WRITING THIS RPT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of May 2009 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.