EBOLA TRAVEL BANS by Reuters, Voice of America, Dental Tourism News Today
Yesterday the World Health Organization stated the official number of deaths in West Africa to be 4,800 but said the real total may be closer to 15,000. African countries are in the front lines in battling this dreadful disease, but with modern air travel, the front line can easily be any international airport terminal. Hospitals around the world are having Ebola management training sessions for their staffs and its only prudent that international airports do the same.
There are 47 countries in continental Africa, if you add in related islands off the coasts such as Madagascar, Mauritius, Sechelles and others the total gets up to 53. Getting all the politicians in Africa on board to fight Ebola is a challenge in itself. It wasn't too many years ago some African politicians were in denial regarding AIDS, it's causes and prevention. As a result countries such as Swaziland have an HIV rate of 25% according to WHO (World Health Org).
As of this date, Latin America including Mexico, and all of Asia remain Ebola free. Asian governments have had their share of Asian bird flu or SARS and are not taking any chances with Ebola and are vigorously preparing their health agencies to deal with it.
Medical and dental tourism patients bound for popular health care travel destinations such as Mexico, Thailand and the Philippines can expect a little extra health screenings on arrivals from some countries but that will soon become the norm everywhere not only because of Ebola but because of the many other viral threats that will continue to appear over time.
On pages that follow you will find a list of countries that have recently enacted Ebola related travel bans or restrictions. The list is updated often so check back. - Dental Tourism News Today
On pages that follow you will find a list of countries that have recently enacted Ebola related travel bans or restrictions. The list is updated often so check back. - Dental Tourism News Today
EBOLA TRAVEL BANS UPDATED COUNTRY BY COUNTRY by Reuters staff, Dental Tourism News Today, Govt. Sources
(Reuters) - The deadliest outbreak on record of the Ebola virus has prompted some countries to respond with travel bans, in an attempt to curb the spread of the deadly virus. The World Health Organization has recommended against any general ban on travel or trade with the West African countries that have been affected by the epidemic. The three countries most affected by the virus are Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. There were a small number of cases in both Senegal and Nigeria, but the WHO declared Senegal Ebola-free on Oct. 18 and declared Nigeria Ebola-free on Oct. 20.
What follows is a list of Ebola travel bans imposed by various countries:
Zambia, Aug. 9: Bans travelers from countries affected by the Ebola virus
Kenya, Aug. 16: Bans travelers from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.
South Africa, Aug. 21: Restricts entry for non-citizens traveling from Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone; restrictions could be waived for "absolutely essential travel."
Gabon, Aug. 22: Restricting issuance of entry visas to travelers from Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria on case-by-case basis.
Rwanda, Aug. 22: Bans travelers who have visited Guinea, Liberia, or Sierra Leone in prior 22 days.
Senegal, Aug. 22: Bans flights to and from Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. It also shut its southern land border with Guinea.
Ivory Coast, Aug 23: Closed land borders with Guinea and Liberia. Borders reopened in early October.
Seychelles, Aug. 26: Bans travelers who have visited Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria and Democratic Republic of Congo "for any length of time." Also bans Seychelles nationals from traveling to Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Nigeria or Democratic Republic of Congo, unless permitted by Public Health Commissioner.
Guyana, Sept. 9: Stops issuing visas to citizens of Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. Ban not announced until Oct. 16.
Haiti, Oct. 3: Bans volunteers from departing for African countries hit by the Ebola virus; issued after United Nations said it was recruiting volunteers to respond to the Ebola outbreak. It also bans entry to travelers who have been in Guinea, Liberia or Sierra Leone over the previous 28 days. Those who have visited the four countries more than 28 days before seeking to enter Haiti must present a government-certified health certificate and the results of a blood test for Ebola upon arrival.
Mauritius, Oct. 8: Bans travelers who have visited Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Senegal and Democratic Republic of Congo in the previous two months. Bans on Senegal and Nigeria lifted Oct. 10 and 17, respectively, provided no new cases of Ebola.
Colombia, Oct. 14: Denies entry to travelers who have visited Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria in past four weeks.
St. Kitts and Nevis, Oct. 15: Bans visitors from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Travelers who have visited the three countries in the previous 21 days will also be banned.
Jamaica, Oct. 16: Bans foreigners arriving from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone and bans foreigners who have visited any of the four countries within four weeks prior to arrival in Jamaica. Jamaicans who have visited those countries will be quarantined for 28 days
Antigua and Barbuda, Oct. 17: Bans nationals of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and bans entry to anyone who has been in those countries in the past 21 days.
Belize, Oct. 18: Stops issuing visas to nationals of Guinea, Liberia and Nigeria. Sierra Leone nationals, who do not need visa to enter Belize, are also banned. Anyone who visits one of these four countries in past 30 days will also be denied entry.
Dominican Republic, Oct. 21: Bans entry to foreigners who have visited countries where the World Health Organization has declared an Ebola alert in the last 30 days.
Suriname, Oct. 21: Bans non-Surinamers who have visited Sierra Leone, Guinea or Liberia in the previous 21 days.
St. Lucia, Oct 22: Nationals from Sierra Leone and Guinea banned from entering.
North Korea, Oct. 23: Bans entry to foreigners on tourist trips due to worries over the spread of Ebola.
Cape Verde: Bans travels by non-resident foreigners who have been in Sierra Leone, Guinea or Liberia in the past 30 days.
Equatorial Guinea: Denies entry to travelers whose trips originated in countries affected by Ebola.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines: Ban visitors from Guinea, Nigeria and Sierra Leone
* Sources: Reuters, government websites, here
(Compiled by Leslie Adler; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
LATIN AMERICA & CARIBBEAN COUNTRIES By Travel Agent Central
Caribbean and Latin American countries have announced bans on entry to foreigners who have traveled through the three primary West African countries most affected by Ebola.
The Dominican Republic became the latest Caribbean island to ban entry to foreigners who have visited Ebola-affected countries. According to eturbonews.com, Jamaica said it would not accept travelers from Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone for the time being.
Other destinations with travel bans include Antigua, St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Haiti, St. Lucia, Colombia and Belize.
Haiti reports that the United Nations' seeking of volunteers to fight Ebola in Africa prompted three government ministries and the office of national security to issue a statement banning Haitians from volunteering, according to the Miami Herald.
The ban came on the heels of a request by Haiti’s health ministry to international agencies to suspend rotations to Haiti of employees from Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Nigeria and any other countries facing the epidemic. - Travel Agent Central
Mexico - Has re-instituted temperature screening at international airports as performed during the Swine Flu pandemic in 2009. Authorities will not permit Ebola infected individuals entry as evidenced by the recent denial of permission for a potential Ebola carrier to disembark from a US cruise ship for a medical flight back to the US.
ASIA by Voice of America, Dental Tourism News Today
Manila - The Philippine government announced it would not permit it's nationals to work abroad as nurses in the affected West African countries and that the countries health care providers are preparing to combat the Ebola virus should it occur in the country. - Dental Tourism News Today
China - At major international airports in China, special screening lines for travelers from West Africa have also been set up. China has many business people in West Africa. Some 8,672 individuals have traveled to Guangdong from Ebola-hit areas in West Africa since late August. And of that number, more than 5,437 have been released from medical supervision. - Voice of America
New Delhi - India says it has set in place a tracking and surveillance system to detect any cases of Ebola in the country. Thermal scanners are being used at immigration counters at 15 international airports to monitor those who have traveled through Ebola-hit countries. India has not reported any cases of Ebola. But with more than 45,000 Indians living in West Africa, concerns of the disease spreading to India remain high. - Voice of America
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