AU, WHO Urge Countries To Refrain From Travel, Trade Restrictions From Ebola-Affected Countries | General News

The African Union (AU) and the World Health Organization (WHO) has urged countries to take into account Ebola-affected countries.

The urgent call was made on Tuesday by the African Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the WHO Regional Office for Africa in a statement issued on Tuesday, as they reiterated the need for all against possible restrictions on Ebola-affected countries. According to the AU, as of July 18, 2019, the Ministry of Public Health of the DRC reported 2,532 cases, in which some 2,438 confirmed and 94 probable, with 1,705 deaths and 718 cured, in an outbreak that is the second largest in the history of Ebola since it was discovered in 1976. "No country should close its borders or place any restrictions, including general quarantine of travelers of the Ebola-affected countries, currently the DRC," the joint AU-WHO statement read .

According to the AU and WHO, such measures have to be taken into account.

"There should be no requirement for certificates of Ebola vaccination for any movement or borders for the purpose of visas, as there is currently no licensed vaccine against Ebola," the joint statement read.

Noting that this screening is recommended for international airports in other countries, the two organizations are also subject to the requirement for the establishment of international airports or other places of entry. "

"National authorities should work with airlines, airports and other transport and tourism industries to encourage communication and collaboration, and to ensure that the measures are in line with WHO guidance for travel and transportation during outbreaks," the joint statement read.

The joint call came after the outbreak of Ebola virus disease outbreak in DRC as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC).

The WHO, in declaring the DRC Ebola virus disease outbreak as a PHEIC, has been established in the DRC and the DRC. world, it was noted.

Noting that there have been five PHEIC declarations between 2009 and 2019, the two organizations also stressed that "the declaration of a PHEIC is a call to action."

"It is time for the African continent and indeed the world to redouble our efforts in solidarity with the DRC to end this outbreak and build a stronger health system," the joint statement read.

The AU, following the WHO's categorization of the Ebola virus outbreak as PHEIC, also on Saturday revealed its decision to deploy more experts to respond to the Ebola virus outbreak in the DRC.

"The African Voluntary Health Corps (AVoHC) and the United States will be involved in the DRC," John Nkengasong, Director of the Africa CDC, told a press conference at the headquarters in Ethiopia. capital Addis Ababa. Africa CDC, which has been supporting the DRC since August 2018, has had a presence with 41 experts who have been deployed in the field, some of whom are said to be AVoHC members.

The AU, which had previously deployed the AVoHC in West Africa to respond to the outbreak in 2014 to 2015, said that the AVoHC "will be very useful in the current outbreak."