OTTAWA, Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Canada's move to deny visas to residents of West African countries fighting the Ebola virus has been challenged by the World Health Organization.
A ban on new travel visas to residents of citizens of countries with widespread Ebola transmission was announced last week by the Ottawa government.
The World Health Organization has lobbied to keep countries from closing their borders to residents of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, noting such an action could be counterproductive and could actually spread the virus. It asked Canada to justify the ban Tuesday.
Canada's denial of entry contravenes an International Health Regulations treaty -- of which Canada is a signatory -- ordering countries not to impose trade or travel sanctions beyond WHO recommendations, and to justify sanctions with scientific and public health rationale if they are imposed.
"Any strong measures (like border closures) need to be well documented and explained to those who are suffering from those measures, and if not, they will just be circumvented. People will find a way to travel. And the consequence to a country might be even worse than not having had a travel ban. What is important is to maintain the level of vigilance. What we wouldn't want is that Canada feels that because of that, there is a false sense of security," Dr. Isabelle Nuttall of WHO said in an interview Tuesday.
Nuttall noted the treaty was written by the involved nations and not WHO.
