health
Ebola: US ban on travellers from DRC, Uganda or South Sudan ‘not the solution’
Africa CDC says restrictions could increase public health risks and highlight ‘deeper structural injustice’ in global health
TL;DR
- US travel ban for individuals from DRC, Uganda, or South Sudan criticized by experts.
- Africa CDC states travel bans are not solutions and can increase public health risks by discouraging transparency and complicating humanitarian efforts.
- Amref Health Africa CEO states travel bans stop solidarity and emphasizes investing in outbreak control at the source.
- No vaccine or treatment is available for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola responsible for the outbreak.
- Africa CDC points out a 'deeper structural injustice' in global health innovation, suggesting faster development if wealthier regions were threatened.
- Uganda's information minister calls the US travel ban an 'overreaction,' citing national capacity to contain epidemics.
- The outbreak has been linked to 139 deaths and about 600 suspected cases in the DRC, plus two confirmed cases in Uganda.
- An Ebola case in Goma, North Kivu, has prompted calls to reopen its airport for aid and supplies.