WHO chief urges countries to rethink Ebola travel restrictions

BUNIA: World Health Organisation Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Saturday called on countries that have imposed travel curbs and border controls in response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda to review those measures.

Canada and the United States have introduced travel restrictions and suspended visas for residents of Congo, Uganda and South Sudan, citing the outbreak. Rwanda and Uganda have also restricted travel from Congo. Rwanda is barring entry to foreign nationals who have passed through Congo in the past 30 days.

Speaking at a news conference in Bunia, the capital of Ituri province and the centre of the outbreak, Tedros said solidarity and cooperation were the most effective means of protection against the epidemic, and warned that travel restrictions could discourage openness in reporting infections.

He also said communities must remain central to efforts against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment. Tedros said the WHO’s role was to work with local populations rather than dictate terms.

"We are not here to tell people what to do. We are here to listen. Communities understand their own challenges and their own solutions. Our role is to support you in implementing those solutions, together," he added.

The WHO said in an update issued on Friday that at least 134 confirmed cases have been recorded in the current outbreak across Congo and Uganda. The death toll among confirmed cases in the two countries stands at 18.

Congolese health authorities have indicated that new suspected cases are still being registered, with the cumulative total exceeding 1,000 since the outbreak was declared on May 15. The Bundibugyo strain is concentrated in three eastern Congolese provinces: Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu.