Aerolíneas Argentinas Flight 386
Encyclopedia
Aerolíneas Argentinas
Flight 386, sometimes referred to as the Valentine's Day
flight, refers to an incident onboard a scheduled flight of that carrier in which food contaminated with cholera
was distributed to the passengers.
, 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
. There were 336 passengers and 20 crew members onboard on the Lima–Los Angeles leg. 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
.
Contaminated shrimp
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
. Several days later that number rose to 76. One of them, a man in his early seventies, named Aníbal Cufré, died from the illness. The cholera on the contaminated food did not spread to other areas within the United States.
By March 4, 172 passengers and one crew member submitted to cholera tests. Of the people found with cholera, all of them except for two sat in economy class; the first class passengers ate from a menu differing from the economy class menu. By March 5, Los Angeles County
Department of Health Services officials determined that the shrimp contained cholera. As some passengers who fell ill did not eat the food, the officials did not eliminate other possibilities.
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
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
.
Aerolíneas Argentinas
Aerolíneas Argentinas , formally Aerolíneas Argentinas S.A., is Argentina's largest airline and serves as the country's flag carrier. Owned in its majority by the Argentine Government, the airline is headquartered in the Torre Bouchard, located in San Nicolás, Buenos Aires...
Flight 386, sometimes referred to as the Valentine's Day
Valentine's Day
Saint Valentine's Day, commonly shortened to Valentine's Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14 celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. The day is named after one or more early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine, and was established by Pope Gelasius I in 496...
flight, refers to an incident onboard a scheduled flight of that carrier in which food contaminated with cholera
Cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine that is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae. The main symptoms are profuse watery diarrhea and vomiting. Transmission occurs primarily by drinking or eating water or food that has been contaminated by the diarrhea of an infected person or the feces...
was distributed to the passengers.
Description of the occurrence
On , an Aerolineas Argentinas Boeing 747-287BBoeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
, registration LV-MLR, arrived in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, inbound from Ministro Pistarini International Airport
Ministro Pistarini International Airport
Ministro Pistarini International Airport , more commonly known as Ezeiza International Airport owing to its location within the Ezeiza Partido in the Greater Buenos Aires, is an international airport located south-southwest of Buenos Aires, the capital city of Argentina...
, Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, via a scheduled stopover at Jorge Chávez International Airport
Jorge Chávez International Airport
Jorge Chávez International Airport , known as Aeropuerto Internacional Jorge Chávez in Spanish, is Peru's main international and domestic airport. It is located in Callao, 11 kilometers from the Historic Centre of Lima and 17 km from Miraflores. Callao is the port city now fully...
, Lima
Lima
Lima is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, in the central part of the country, on a desert coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Together with the seaport of Callao, it forms a contiguous urban area known as the Lima...
, Perú
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. There were 336 passengers and 20 crew members onboard on the Lima–Los Angeles leg. Out of the 336 passengers, the United States was the final destination for 297 of them. Two passengers selected Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
as their final destination, while 37 selected Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Contaminated shrimp
Shrimp
Shrimp are swimming, decapod crustaceans classified in the infraorder Caridea, found widely around the world in both fresh and salt water. Adult shrimp are filter feeding benthic animals living close to the bottom. They can live in schools and can swim rapidly backwards. Shrimp are an important...
entered the aircraft in Lima, a year after a cholera outbreak
Outbreak
Outbreak is a term used in epidemiology to describe an occurrence of disease greater than would otherwise be expected at a particular time and place. It may affect a small and localized group or impact upon thousands of people across an entire continent. Two linked cases of a rare infectious...
began in Peru. Five passengers showed signs of the illness immediately after landing at Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
. Several days later that number rose to 76. One of them, a man in his early seventies, named Aníbal Cufré, died from the illness. The cholera on the contaminated food did not spread to other areas within the United States.
By March 4, 172 passengers and one crew member submitted to cholera tests. Of the people found with cholera, all of them except for two sat in economy class; the first class passengers ate from a menu differing from the economy class menu. By March 5, Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...
Department of Health Services officials determined that the shrimp contained cholera. As some passengers who fell ill did not eat the food, the officials did not eliminate other possibilities.
Investigation and subsequent developments
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
highlighted the problem patchwork of regulations for food safety.
The International Civil Aviation Organization
International Civil Aviation Organization
The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...
(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
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
in consultation with the ICAO and the International Maritime Organization
International Maritime Organization
The International Maritime Organization , formerly known as the Inter-Governmental Maritime Consultative Organization , was established in Geneva in 1948, and came into force ten years later, meeting for the first time in 1959...
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
International Travel Catering Association
The International Travel Catering Association, formerly the In Flight Catering Association is a trade association for travel catering. They provide educational services, competitive awards and publish a regular magazine Onboard Hospitality.The ITCA endows a chair in Production and Operations...
.