Canada not banning travellers from Congo and Uganda amid deadly Ebola outbreak
Listen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.While Canada is monitoring a severe Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda, the federal health authority says it is not implementing a travel ban or actively testing travellers. The outbreak, which was first confirmed Friday, has killed at least 134 people in Congo, according to Congolese health authorities. That's on top of more than 500 suspected and 33 confirmed cases in the country, along with two confirmed cases in neighbouring Uganda.In an email to CBC News Tuesday, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said it is following guidance from the World Health Organization (WHO) when it comes to border measures. "While there are currently no travel-related health measures specific for Ebola disease at Canada’s borders, PHAC will continue to work with domestic and international partners to monitor and assess emerging evidence to inform the timely implementation of public health interventions and update travel health advice as appropriate," read part of the PHAC statement. Meanwhile, the United States has said it will increase screening for people arriving from affected regions and also restrict people with non-U.S. passports from entering the country if they have been in Uganda, Congo or South Sudan in the past 21 days.WHO says outbreak is an international concernWHO's director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has expressed deep concern about the outbreak's spread. He declared the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus a public health emergency of international concern on Saturday, the first time a WHO chief has done so before convening an emergency committee. The World Health Organization's director general, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, seen here at the UN headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, declared this outbreak one of international concern. (Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone/The Associated Press)The outbreak has alarmed experts because it was able to spread for weeks undetected across a densely populated area ravaged by widespread armed violence. Ebola is highly contagious and can be contracted via bodily fluids such as vomit, blood or semen. The disease it causes is rare but severe and often fatal. Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, stomach pain and unexplained bleeding or bruising.There are no treatments or vaccines for the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, which is circulating in this outbreak. In past outbreaks, the WHO said this strain has had a death rate of 30 to 50 per cent.As cases continue to climb, infectious disease scientist Darryl Falzarano says he wouldn't be surprised if the outbreak hits 1,000 cases by the end of this week. "There may be a lot more cases, you know, later in this week and next week before you hopefully start to see the number of new cases per day stabilize and then start to go down," said Falzarano, principal scientist at the University of Saskatchewan's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization (VIDO). Travellers should monitor symptoms: PHACPHAC said travellers who feel sick or have any Ebola symptoms during their flight or on arrival to Canada should tell their flight attendant before they land. Canada Border Services Agency officers "screen international travellers arriving in Canada and refer anyone suspected of having a communicable disease of concern to PHAC Quarantine Officers, who have the authority to take public health actions under the Quarantine Act," said PHAC. On Friday, PHAC told those travelling to Congo to practise "enhanced health precautions," including using personal protective equipment and delaying travel until the risk is lower. Meanwhile, it said for those going to Uganda, they should refer to their outbreak monitoring alert, which says people should follow certain guidance, including avoiding people with possible symptoms.
