The outbreak of deadly Ebola Virus in West Africa has led to travel difficulties due to cancellation of flights to and from affected countries -- mainly Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea Conakry.
This has also seriously affected revenue of airlines operating within the region.
Airlines operating between 60 and 70-seat aircraft from Accra to Liberia and Sierra Leone are losing about US$250,000 weekly due to the suspension of flights.
Air I’voire and Asky Airlines are two of the airlines that have suspend flights to and from the three affected countries.
Nigeria has also banned specific airlines from flying between Nigeria and the Ebola-plagued countries, over what the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority calls “unsatisfactory" measures instituted by the airlines to contain spread of the virus.
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority on Sunday officially announced the suspension of Gambia Bird, the flag-carrier of The Gambia, over laxity in its measure to contain Ebola.
Asky, which was suspended by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) from operating flights to and from that country over unsatisfactory measures to contain the virus, has since resumed flights to the populous West African country after instituting appropriate measures.
Worlanyo Afadzinu, Country Manager of Lome-based Asky Airlines told the B&FT: “We voluntarily suspended flights from Accra to Liberia and Sierra Leone. We however fly to Conakry because the airport authority there has acquired a screening machine to ensure that every person is screened.
“We do not pick any food items, not even bottled water, from Conakry to ensure we protect our passengers from any possible threat of Ebola,†he said.
The airline, which operates a 67-seat aircraft, has had to refund monies to some of its passengers who had already booked flights from Accra to the two affected countries.
The Ebola virus disease (EVD) -- formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever -- is a severe, often fatal, illness in humans. It has a case fatality rate of up to 90%.
The outbreak of the virus in West Africa was transmitted to people from wild animals, and spreads in the human population through human-to-human transmission.
Fruit-bats of the Pteropodidae family are considered to be the natural host of the Ebola virus.
Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care, and no licenced specific treatment or vaccine is available for use in people or animals.
EVD outbreaks occur primarily in remote villages in Central and West Africa, near tropical rainforests.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimate that 1,013 people have died as a result of the outbreak of the Ebola virus in the West Africa sub-region.
The WHO says there is no licenced vaccine for Ebola available. Several vaccines are being tested, but none are available for clinical use.
Severely ill patients require intensive supportive care. Patients are frequently dehydrated and require oral rehydration with solutions containing electrolytes or intravenous fluids.
Given the number of people coming to the country through the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), there have been concerns about measures being put in place to screen incoming passengers from affected countries.
Airport health authorities stationed at the KIA have created an isolation centre and distributed gloves and nose-masks to immigration officials. But officials lack hand held, or large advanced temperature-scanning machines used to properly screen incoming passengers.
The Ghana Civil Aviation Authority is yet to issue an official statement outlining specific preventive measure that airlines flying to affected countries must adopt.
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS