An Air France flight bound for Detroit was diverted to Canada due to the presence of a passenger who boarded the plane "by mistake" during an Ebola outbreak in central Africa, according to authorities.

The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) took decisive action by prohibiting the flight from landing in Detroit, citing entry restrictions for public health reasons, NBC News reported.

Flight 378 took off from Paris and was redirected to Montreal's Trudeau International Airport at the request of US authorities. Air France confirmed that there were no medical emergencies on board.

“No medical emergency occurred on board and, like all airlines, Air France is obliged to comply with the entry requirements of the countries it serves,” an Air France spokesperson said in a statement.

This shows concern in the US about the risks of being exposed to a massive epidemic or new pandemic, as occurred with COVID-19.

New entry restrictions to the US

As of May 18, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced restrictions for non-U.S. passengers who have been to Congo, South Sudan, or Uganda in the past three weeks. These regulations will be in effect for 30 days.

According to the new established procedures, all flights with passengers from the aforementioned countries must land at Washington-Dulles International Airport, where enhanced public health measures will be implemented.

The Ebola outbreak has resulted in more than 139 suspected deaths and more than 600 suspected cases, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It is estimated that testing for a new vaccine will take months to begin.

The question remains whether this type of medical paranoia is due only to precautionary measures or to being suggested by the danger of possible mass contagion.

Although the risk of spread in the United States is low, national health authorities and the WHO have admitted, fear is free.

Americans have also been warned not to travel to certain areas of Africa as health officials step up detection and containment efforts.

Airlines measures to ensure the health of passengers

Airlines are applying a combination of masks, enhanced disinfection, health monitoring and more distancing on board to reduce the risk of contagion during epidemic outbreaks. They also tend to limit non-essential services and, in some cases, adjust flight occupancy to reduce exposure among passengers.

Most common measurements

Controls tightened for the Soccer World Cup

Although the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa does not put the celebration of the World Cup (FIFA 2026) at risk, the authorities have pointed out, control measures are not out of place.

It is valid to clarify that, although the virus is highly lethal, it is not transmitted through the air and requires direct contact with body fluids, which allows effective epidemiological control.

Host countries such as Mexico and the United States already apply travel alerts and special monitoring protocols for delegations from affected areas.

The International Football Federation (FIFA), in coordination with the WHO, evaluates daily medical checks and possible preventive isolation for those involved.

Meanwhile, among the sporting decisions, it has been taken as a maximum precautionary measure that the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) team cancels its preparation concentration and friendlies abroad.

It is then feared that the issuance of the temporary ban on entry to the United States to any non-American person who has been in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda or South Sudan will last longer than the estimated time and could partially disrupt the celebration of the great sporting event, due to the danger of the Ebola outbreak.

You may also be interested in:

· It's not hantavirus or Ebola!: massive and deadly measles outbreak originating in Bangladesh worries US experts · More about the Bundibugyo virus, the species of Ebola that is causing havoc: a strain that has no vaccines or treatment · Revelations about the Andes strain: first genetic analysis of the cruise ship's hantavirus rules out that it is due to mutations