In 1979, 72 per cent of passengers on one aircraft contracted influenza. The attack rate was associated with the ventilation system not being in operation during a three hour ground delay. Since 1979, there have been several other reported cases of on-board transmission of diseases. For example, in 1996 six of the 249 passengers on board a flight from Chicago to Hawaii were found to have caught the pathogenic bacterium which causes tuberculosis when they travelled on the same flight as a woman suffering from the disease.
Regulations
Airlines are expected to comply with international health regulations, which are designed to prevent the international spread of disease while interfering as little as possible with travel and trade. It is their responsibility to be familiar with the specific laws and regulations concerning infectious diseases applying to passengers and shipments at points of entry for each destination country, as well as the laws on safety procedures and on release of
