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The World Health Organization (WHO) has demanded Canada to justify its recent decision to restrict travel from the West African countries hit hard by Ebola, the Canadian Press reported.
Canada had on Oct. 31 announced it would not issue any new travel visas to residents or citizens of countries with widespread and persistent Ebola transmission, and the government also stopped the processing of permanent residency visas for people from those countries, the story noted.
The actions contravened the International Health Regulations (IHR), which stipulate that in infectious disease outbreaks, countries should not impose trade or travel sanctions against affected countries that are beyond what the WHO has recommended, the story explained. Under the IHR, countries that take stronger measures must provide an explanation for doing so.
"Any strong measures (like border closures) need to be well documented and explained to those who are suffering from those measures," the WHO's Dr. Isabelle Nuttall told the Canadian Press in an interview. "And if not, they will just be circumvented. People will find a way to travel. And the consequence to a country might be even worse than not having had a travel ban."
#Ebola #Canada #WHO #CIDRAP
Canada had on Oct. 31 announced it would not issue any new travel visas to residents or citizens of countries with widespread and persistent Ebola transmission, and the government also stopped the processing of permanent residency visas for people from those countries, the story noted.
The actions contravened the International Health Regulations (IHR), which stipulate that in infectious disease outbreaks, countries should not impose trade or travel sanctions against affected countries that are beyond what the WHO has recommended, the story explained. Under the IHR, countries that take stronger measures must provide an explanation for doing so.
"Any strong measures (like border closures) need to be well documented and explained to those who are suffering from those measures," the WHO's Dr. Isabelle Nuttall told the Canadian Press in an interview. "And if not, they will just be circumvented. People will find a way to travel. And the consequence to a country might be even worse than not having had a travel ban."
#Ebola #Canada #WHO #CIDRAP
