It was reported that a married Japanese couple contracted a potentially deadly bacterial infection called, Meningococcal disease, while on a 12-hour flight from Japan to Germany. This Meningococcal disease which is caused by Neisseria Meningitidis is generally transmitted only through close contact like kissing, living in close quarters with someone who is sick, according to World Health Organisation.
The married couple both in their 50s were said to be on a flight from Japan to Germany sometime in August 8, 2015, accompanied by a team of Scottish and Swedish scouts who were returning from the World Scout Jamboree, an International gathering of scouts ages 14 to 17. Six of the scouts were discovered to have later developed Meningococcal in an outbreak that was linked to the attendance of the Jamboree. The married couple observed that one of the scouts sitted in front of them was coughing throughout the flight, which called for suspicion.
On September 17, the married woman developed a sudden high fever and chills, as well as pain in her joints. She visited four health care facilities and underwent tests, which later revealed the fluid in her joints tested positive for N Meningitidis bacteria, which means she had a blood infection. Samples taken from her husband's nose and throat also tested positive for N Meningitidis, although her husband did not develop further symptom. The married couple were discovered to have been infected with the same strain of N. Meningitidis that caused the outbreak in the scouts. The woman was treated with antibiotics and recovered.
The US center for Disease, Control and Prevention recommends that passengers who sit next to someone with N Meningitidis on a flight that is more than 8 hours long receive preventive antibiotics.
