Ebola Scare Causes Drop in Airline Stocks

(Getty)

(Getty)


The airline sector was hit Wednesday by the news that the most recent patient to be diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S., Amber Joy Vinson, was on a flight from Cleveland to Dallas the evening before she was diagnosed.

Shares for American Airlines Group (AAL) and Delta Air Lines (DAL) fell sharply on Wednesday, with both also already down close to 20 percent over the past month.

Overall, the Dow Jones plunged nearly 400 points Wednesday as the news broke of the newest Ebola diagnosis.

Some small companies are benefiting from the widespread concern over the Ebola outbreak. Tekmira Pharmaceuticals recently announced it was testing an experimental Ebola drug, and the company’s stocks have risen nearly 200 percent this year.

The protective gear maker Lakeland Industries has also done well in the crisis, with stocks rising as the need for the haz-mat suits increases.