The World Health Organization’s emergency committee said on Wednesday there was no reason to impose travel restrictions linked to the deadly Ebola outbreak in East Africa.
The virus is not spread through casual contact or through the air, but through direct contact with blood and bodily fluids, Lucille Blumberg, chair of the WHO Emergency Committee of independent experts, told a press conference in Geneva.
“Travel restrictions are not recommended under the International Health Regulations,” she said.
The WHO convened its emergency committee following a rapidly growing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday.
Authorities in Congo have identified the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus. According to the latest figures, there have been 132 suspected Ebola deaths and 528 suspected cases.
The WHO fears the true number may be significantly higher, as many cases are believed to be going unreported.
There is no approved vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo variant. The WHO stressed the importance of closely monitoring all contacts of infected or suspected patients.
Neighbouring Rwanda has already closed its border with eastern Congo.
The United States has issued its highest-level travel warning for Congo and imposed entry restrictions on non-US citizens who have recently been in Congo, Uganda or South Sudan.
The African public health agency Africa CDC has urged the international community to refrain from imposing travel restrictions.
