A Surrey woman is suing Qatar Airways after alleging she contracted cholera on a flight in September of 2023.
Surrey resident Shafika Mohamed Shakir purchased a round-trip flight from Vancouver to Erbil, Iraq, and back in September of 2023. When she was on her way back to Vancouver from Doha, Qatar via San Francisco in the U.S. on Sept. 7, 2023, Shakir "was exposed to cholera and/or consumed cholera infected water," her notice of civil claim, filed Aug. 12 in B.C. Supreme Court, states.
People can contract cholera, which can be a deadly disease, from drinking water or eating food contaminated with cholera bacteria, according to the Centre for Disease Control website. It is often associated with places with unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation and inadequate hygiene.
Shakir, who is suing the airline for damages and costs, alleges the incident caused her to "suffer injuries, loss and (medical) expenses."
The injuries she suffered include vibrio cholera, hypovolemic shock, traveller's diarrhea, anxiety and more, she wrote in the lawsuit.
"These injuries have caused and continue to cause the plaintiff pain, suffering, toss of enjoyment of life, loss of housekeeping capacity, permanent physical disability, loss of physical, emotional and mental health, and loss of earnings, past and prospective," the lawsuit states.
Shakir alleges her contraction of the disease was caused "by the negligence and/or the breach of contract of the defendant (Qatar Airways) or its servants, agents, employees and/or contractors pursuant to the contract of carriage."
Qatar Airways was "under a duty to maintain the aircraft in a reasonably safe condition for use by customers such as the plaintiff," the notice of civil claim reads, adding the incident (Shakir allegedly contracting cholera) was "caused or contributed to by the negligence and/or breach of contract duty of the defendant, their servants, employees, agents, and/or contractors" by failing to properly inspect the aircraft for hazards that could pose her danger."
The airline failed to "take reasonable care to ensure that the plaintiff would be safe while on the aircraft," the lawsuit states, and also, failed to "remedy hazards upon the aircraft or take any reasonable measures to render them safe, when the defendant knew ot ought to have known that hazards existed and would result in persons injuring themselves."
Shakir also alleges Qatar Airways failed to adequately train its employees on safety procedures on the aircraft.
The lawsuit consists of allegations that have not been proven in a court of law. As of Tuesday morning (Sept. 9), Qatar Airways had not filed a response to the notice of civil claim.
Peace Arch News has reached out to Qatar Airways, but has only received an emailed autoreply confirmation of receipt.
