Pan-African airline ASKY announced the suspension of flights to and from the capitals of Sierra Leone and Liberia, both hit by an outbreak of the Ebola virus.
The move by the Togo-based carrier follows the death of one of its passengers from the virus after they had travelled from Liberia to Nigeria via the Togolese capital Lome.
Ebola Virus Disease
Ebola is caused by a virus via direct contact with body fluids or infected blood. Scientists have identified five types of Ebola or Ebola hemorrhagic fever virus.
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The 40-year-old man, an employee of the Liberian government, died in Lagos on Friday in Nigeria's first confirmed death from Ebola.
"The suspension of flights to Freetown and Monrovia by ASKY is related to the fight against the spread of the Ebola virus," Afoussath Traore, a spokesman for the company, told AFP.
![American Ebola Doctor]( "American Ebola Doctor")
An American doctor who has contracted the dangerous Ebola virus in Liberia is weak and quite ill, a colleague of his told AFP.
"ASKY took this precautionary measure to ensure the safety of all: its passengers, staff and people of all countries covered by our network," said Traore.
ASKY, which works in partnership with Ethiopian Airlines, serves 20 destinations in central and west Africa.
Since March, there have been 1,201 cases of Ebola and 672 deaths in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On its website, ASKY also announced that it would stop transporting food from Conakry in Guinea and would screen all passengers travelling from the Guinean capital.
Nigerian carrier Arik also said on Sunday it was halting direct flights to Liberia and Sierra Leone, which have seen close to 350 deaths from Ebola between them.
Ebola can fell victims within days, causing severe fever and muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in some cases, organ failure and unstoppable bleeding.
The highly contagious and often fatal disease spreads among humans via bodily fluids, including sweat, meaning one can get sick from touching an infected person.
With no vaccine, patients believed to have caught the virus must be isolated to prevent further contagion.
Source: AFP
American Ebola Doctor 'Weak and Quite Ill,' Says Colleague
An American doctor who has contracted the dangerous Ebola virus in Liberia is weak and quite ill, a colleague of his told AFP.
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"ASKY took this precautionary measure to ensure the safety of all: its passengers, staff and people of all countries covered by our network," said Traore.
ASKY, which works in partnership with Ethiopian Airlines, serves 20 destinations in central and west Africa.
Since March, there have been 1,201 cases of Ebola and 672 deaths in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On its website, ASKY also announced that it would stop transporting food from Conakry in Guinea and would screen all passengers travelling from the Guinean capital.
Nigerian carrier Arik also said on Sunday it was halting direct flights to Liberia and Sierra Leone, which have seen close to 350 deaths from Ebola between them.
Ebola can fell victims within days, causing severe fever and muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in some cases, organ failure and unstoppable bleeding.
The highly contagious and often fatal disease spreads among humans via bodily fluids, including sweat, meaning one can get sick from touching an infected person.
With no vaccine, patients believed to have caught the virus must be isolated to prevent further contagion.
Source: AFP
Flight Restrictions Coming Soon for Airlines to Prevent Deadly Ebola Spread
New flight restrictions are coming soon, aimed at containing the spread of the deadly Ebola virus after the hitchhiking of the virus across borders for the first time aboard a pan-African airline.
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Deadly Ebola Virus Kills Chief Doctor at Sierra Leone Ebola ClinicThe deadly Ebola virus is killing more and more people with the doctor in charge of an Ebola treatment centre in Sierra Leone becoming the latest victim of the deadly virus. | Advertisement
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