British Airways suspends services to Liberia and Sierra Leone amid Ebola epidemic
British Airways has suspended service to Liberia and Sierra Leone, two countries that have declared states of emergency to try and cope with the outbreak of Ebola virus wreaking havoc throughout each country.
The British Airways announcement says that flights to those countries will be suspended until August 31. This makes British Airways the second airline to suspend flights to West African nations afflicted with the disease.
United Arab Emirates-based airline, and the world's largest international carrier, Emirates, had previously suspended flights to the capital city of Guinea, Conkary indefinitely. Although, Guinea has not declared a state of emergency like Sierra Leone and Liberia, Guinea has recorded nearly 400 deaths from Ebola as of August 1, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
The decision to declare a state of emergency means that Sierra Leone and Liberia can use the army and police forces to enforce strict quarantines and restrict public gatherings in the hopes of slowing the disease's spread. Schools and the majority of the border crossings in those countries have also been closed.
The disease is not limited to the previously mentioned countries of West Africa. There have been two confirmed cases of Ebola in Lagos, Nigeria. Both of those victims have succumbed to the disease, which can have a mortality rate that ranges anywhere from 30 to 90 percent. There are five other suspected cases in Nigeria, according to NBC News.
Although the disease continues to spread, and has claimed nearly 900 lives thus far, there is still hope that it can be contained.
Two Americans who were working in Liberia and fell ill with Ebola have been brought back to the United States for treatment. While in Liberia however, they received an experimental drug manufactured Mapp Biopharmaceuticals. It appears as if they have responded positively to the drug, ZMapp. Both Americans are currently being monitored and held in quarantine in an Atlanta hospital.
