London-Hanoi flight focus of CDC study about coronavirus threat on planes
- Infected passenger on London-Hanoi flight likely infected 15 other people aboard the 10-hour trip
- Researchers believe masks are an effective tool to prevent the spread of the virus
A single airline passenger unknowingly sickened with coronavirus managed to infect 15 other people aboard the 10-hour trip to Vietnam, highlighting the dangers of travel amid the pandemic.
The global health crisis had only just begun its spread across Europe when the plane took off from a London airport back in March. By the time it touched down in the Vietnamese city of Hanoi, 12 passengers in business class, two in economy and a single crew member had contracted the fast-spreading disease.
Nga visited Europe with her sister Nguyen Hong Nhung, 26, who also tested positive for coronavirus.
Nga been based in London since early January and was experiencing a sore throat ahead of her return home.
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“On February 22, case 1 and her sister returned to Milan, Italy, and subsequently travelled to Paris, France, for the yearly Fashion Week before returning back to London on February 25,” they wrote in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases.