Flu Scare Diverts Washington Flight

An aircraft flying from Germany to Washington with 261 people on board was diverted to Boston on Friday after a female passenger complained of flu-like symptoms, an airport official said.

United Airlines flight 903 landed at Boston's Logan Airport and a medical team boarded the aircraft, said Massachusetts Port Authority spokesman Phil Orlandella.

Health authorities are on alert for sufferers of a new H1N1 flu strain that has killed up to 176 people in Mexico and raised fears of a global epidemic.

Worldwide, 13 countries have confirmed cases. Almost all infections outside Mexico have been mild, and only a handful of patients have required hospital treatment.