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While Canada is monitoring a severe Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) 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 the DRC, according to Congolese health authorities. That’s on top of more than 500 suspected and 33 confirmed cases in the DRC, 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, DRC or South Sudan in the past 21 days.
WHO says outbreak is an international concern
WHO 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 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.
Travellers should monitor symptoms: PHAC
PHAC 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 May 15, PHAC told those travelling to the DRC 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.
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