THERE IS NO EBOLA IN RWANDA
(Posted 08th August 2014)
As the Ebola outbreak in West Africa rages on are concerns being expressed in countries with air connections to the affected countries about increased risks of spreading the disease. News that Emirates earlier in the week suspended flights to Conakry / Guinea only fueled speculation and rumours further. Earlier on had the Nigerian CAA suspended ASKY from flights into Lagos after accusing the airline to have flown an infected passenger to Nigeria while British Airways too has now halted all flights to those West African countries presently known to be hotbeds of the outbreak.
Other airlines flying to such places like Conakry, Freetown and Monrovia are said to be considering their options at present and are consulting with health authorities and their own governments if flights are to be continued or also to be suspended, now that the CDC (Centre for Disease Control in Atlanta) has issued the highest level alert, only the third time in its history.
Rumours also spread through Kigali yesterday about cases of Ebola, prompting RwandAir, in conjunction with the Ministry of Health, to issue the following statement to counter the rumours and appeal for calm and common sense.
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As fear is spreading and rumours are now commonplace have more and more countries issued reassuring statements, telling their citizens of what measures have been put into place to prevent the disease from reaching other parts of Africa, to Europe and other parts of the world. The map below, taken from the following website http://www.vox.com/2014/8/6/5971675/where-ebola-outbreak-will-go-next-africa shows the destinations of travelers from the affected countries and the advice of local health authorities should be followed, while refraining from making alarming statements on in particular the social media which could in a worst case scenario trigger panic reactions and yet are bare of any facts.
Travelers to West Africa should also stay in touch with their respective airlines to get the latest information as to the continued operation of their flights or else of any pending suspensions of departures and return flights.
