Ebola watch: Emirates cuts Guinea flights
DUBAI – Dubai-based airline Emirates has suspended flights to the Guinean capital as the World Health Organization (WHO) said it was working to contain the latest strain of the deadly Ebola virus that has killed more than 700 people.
Emirates said its decision to suspend flights to Conakry was to protect its passengers and crew whose safety “could not be compromised”.
The airline is the latest to suspend flights to Ebola danger zones. Last week, African airlines Arik and ASKY stopped flights to Liberia and Sierra Leone after a Liberian passenger in Lagos died of the Ebola virus.
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has gone out of control and the latest strain of the virus has demonstrated its ability to spread through air travel, according to WHO.
“This outbreak is moving faster than our efforts to control it,” said WHO chief Margaret Chan. “If the situation continues to deteriorate, the consequences can be catastrophic in terms of lost lives but also severe socioeconomic disruption and a high risk of spread to other countries.”
Guinea is the worst affected by the virus in West Africa, with 729 dead. Other countries battling the spread of the virus are Sierra Leone, Liberia and Cote d’Ivoire.
