On 14 February 1992, food contaminated with
cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...
was distributed to the passengers on
Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 386, sometimes referred to as the ''
Valentine's Day flight''. One of the passengers died from the illness.
Description
On 14 February 1992, an Aerolineas Argentinas
Boeing 747-287B, registration LV-MLR, arrived in
Los Angeles,
California,
United States, inbound from
Ministro Pistarini International Airport,
Buenos Aires,
Argentina, via a scheduled stopover at
Jorge Chávez International Airport,
Lima,
Perú
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = National seal
, national_motto = "Firm and Happy fo ...
.
There were 336 passengers and 20 crew members on board the Lima–Los Angeles leg of the flight.
Out of the 336 passengers, the United States was the final destination for 297 of them.
Two passengers selected
Canada as their final destination, while 37 selected
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
.
Contaminated
shrimp
Shrimp are crustaceans (a form of shellfish) with elongated bodies and a primarily swimming mode of locomotion – most commonly Caridea and Dendrobranchiata of the decapod order, although some crustaceans outside of this order are refer ...
entered the aircraft in Lima, a year after a cholera
outbreak began in Peru.
Five passengers showed signs of the illness immediately after landing at
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport , commonly referred to as LAX (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles, California and its surrounding metropolitan area. LAX is located in the W ...
.
Several days later that number rose to 76.
One of them, a man in his early seventies, died from the illness.
The cholera on the contaminated food did not spread to other areas within the United States.
Even though the
Peruvian caterer that provided the food to Aerolíneas Argentinas in Lima also provided service to other companies the same day and no signs of the illness were reported, the
Argentine
Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
flag carrier blamed it for entering the contaminated food into the aircraft. This led to a controversy that eventually ended with the airline banned from operating into Peruvian territory.
Investigation and subsequent developments
An investigation by the
Food and Drug Administration highlighted the problem patchwork of regulations for food safety.
The
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) stated that the responsibility for the safety of the operator organization is not changed by subcontracting of catering or other services to third parties.
In 1995, the
World Health Organization in consultation with the ICAO and the
International Maritime Organization
The International Maritime Organization (IMO, French: ''Organisation maritime internationale'') is a specialised agency of the United Nations responsible for regulating shipping. The IMO was established following agreement at a UN conference ...
developed explicit agreements on the management of transmission risks for cholera and other infectious diseases by air and sea.
In 1998 this led to improvements in aircraft disinfection procedures.
The ICAO now takes the advice of the
International Travel Catering Association.
See also
*
Japan Air Lines food poisoning incident
On February 3, 1975, 197 people fell ill aboard a Japan Air Lines Boeing 747 en route from Anchorage, Alaska, to Copenhagen, Denmark, after consuming an in-flight meal contaminated with '' Staphylococci''. One hundred and forty-four people
ne ...
*
Aerolíneas Argentinas accidents and incidents
*
Foodborne illness
References
External links
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
{{DEFAULTSORT:Aerolineas Argentinas Flight 386
Aviation accidents and incidents in 1992
Aerolíneas Argentinas accidents and incidents
Airliner accidents and incidents in California
Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 747
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
1992 in California
February 1992 events in South America