Saturday, 30 August 2014
Joint Statement on Travel and Transport in Relation to Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Outbreak
The current Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak is believed to have begun
in Guinea in December 2013. This outbreak now involves community
transmission in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and recently an ill
traveller from Liberia infected a small number of people in Nigeria with
whom he had direct contact.
On 8 August 2014, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the Ebola
virus disease outbreak in West Africa a Public Health Emergency of
International Concern (PHEIC) in accordance with the International
Health Regulations (2005).
In order to support the global efforts to contain the spread of the
disease and provide a coordinated international response for the travel
and tourism sector, the heads of the World Health Organization (WHO),
the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the World Tourism
Organization (UNWTO), Airports Council International (ACI),
International Air Transport Association (IATA) and the World Travel and
Tourism Council (WTTC) decided to activate a Travel and Transport Task
Force which will monitor the situation and provide timely information to
the travel and tourism sector as well as to travellers.
The risk of transmission of Ebola virus disease during air travel is
low. Unlike infections such as influenza or tuberculosis, Ebola is not
spread by breathing air (and the airborne particles it contains) from an
infected person. Transmission requires direct contact with blood,
secretions, organs or other body fluids of infected living or dead
persons or animals, all unlikely exposures for the average traveller.
Travellers are, in any event, advised to avoid all such contacts and
routinely practice careful hygiene, like hand washing.
The risk of getting infected on an aircraft is also small as sick
persons usually feel so unwell that they cannot travel and infection
requires direct contact with the body fluids of the infected person.
Most infections in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, are taking place in
the community when family members or friends take care of someone who
is ill or when funeral preparation and burial ceremonies do not follow
strict infection prevention and control measures.
A second important place where transmission can occur is in clinics and
other health care settings, when health care workers, patients, and
other persons have unprotected contact with a person who is infected. In
Nigeria, cases are related only to persons who had direct contact with a
single traveller who was hospitalized upon arrival in Lagos.
It is important to note that a person who is infected is only able to
spread the virus to others after the infected person has started to have
symptoms. A person usually has no symptoms for two to 21 days (the
“incubation period”). Symptoms include fever, weakness, muscle pain,
headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash,
and in some cases, bleeding.
The risk of a traveller becoming infected with the Ebola virus during a
visit to the affected countries and developing disease after returning
is very low, even if the visit includes travel to areas in which cases
have been reported.
If a person, including a traveller, stayed in the areas where Ebola
cases have been recently reported, he/she should seek medical attention
at the first sign of illness (fever, headache, achiness, sore throat,
diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach pain, rash, red eyes, and in some cases,
bleeding). Early treatment can improve prognosis.
Strengthened international cooperation is needed, and should support
action to contain the virus, stop transmission to other countries and
mitigate the effects in those affected.
Affected countries are requested to conduct exit screening of all
persons at international airports, seaports and major land crossings,
for unexplained febrile illness consistent with potential Ebola
infection. Any person with an illness consistent with EVD should not be
allowed to travel unless the travel is part of an appropriate medical
evacuation. There should be no international travel of Ebola contacts or
cases, unless the travel is part of an appropriate medical evacuation.
Non-affected countries need to strengthen the capacity to detect and
immediately contain new cases, while avoiding measures that will create
unnecessary interference with international travel or trade.
The World Health Organization (WHO) does not recommend any ban on
international travel or trade, in accordance with advice from the WHO
Ebola Emergency Committee.
Travel restrictions and active screening of passengers on arrival at sea
ports, airports or ground crossings in non-affected countries that do
not share borders with affected countries are not currently recommended
by WHO.
Worldwide, countries should provide their citizens traveling to
Ebola-affected countries with accurate and relevant information on the
Ebola outbreak and measures to reduce the risk of exposure. http://airbizafrika.blogspot.com/2014/08/joint-statement-on-travel-and-transport.html
