Ebola: Update
25 Mon, Aug 2014
The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has had significant implications for
travel to and from Africa. In response to the outbreak, a number of countries
on the continent have implemented restrictions on travel to and from countries
affected by the virus, while some have even instituted travel bans.
Misinformation about the spread of Ebola and Africa’s geography has also
resulted in travel cancellations.
Please view the attached map for infected areas.
Most Recent Confirmed Case:
The Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed that an outbreak of
haemorrhagic fever in the north of the country has been identified as Ebola.
The virus has been identified in two people from the Equateur province,
where 13 others have already died.
However, Health Minister Felix Numbi said the disease seemed to be a
different strain to the outbreak in West Africa.
A quarantine zone has been set up around the affected area near Jera,
more than 1 200km northeast Kinshasa, to contain the disease.
The cases are the first reported outside West Africa since the outbreak
began in February.
Official figures say 1 427 people have died from Ebola thus far.
INFECTED AREAS: Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea, Nigeria, Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC)
Algeria
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Angola
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Benin
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Botswana
Ebola cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Travel restrictions: Botswana has banned travellers from Sierra Leone,
Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria.
Botswana's Health Deputy Permanent
Secretary, Shenaaz El-Halabi, said during a recent media briefing
that Botswana is screening all arrivals from West Africa and that the country
has implemented Travel restrictions for visitors from the four
affected countries. These measures are part of a new comprehensive Preparedness
Plan.
Travel incidents: The African Travel and Tourism Association
reported that US tourists were refused entry into Botswana because they had
arrived from Lagos, Nigeria.
Distance
from Ebola outbreak: 5 300km
Burkina Faso
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Burundi
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Cameroon
Ebola cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Travel restrictions: Cameroon has placed a travel ban on Nigeria,
Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.
Flight cancellations: Cameroon banned all flights from Nigeria last
week.
Distance
from Ebola outbreak: 2 500km
Canary Islands
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Cape Verde Islands
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Central African Republic
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Chad
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Comoros
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Congo
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Democratic Republic Of The Congo
Ebola cases: The Democratic Republic of Congo has confirmed
two cases of Ebola.
However, these cases are unrelated to the epidemic
in West Africa, as it seems to be a different strain of the disease. The cases
were found in Equateur province near Jera, more than 1 200 kilometres (750
miles) northeast of Kinshasa. The area has been quarantined.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) also reported
that about 70 out of 592 people that contracted hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (an
ailment which has similar symptoms with the Ebola Virus Disease but a much
higher survival rate than Ebola) have died in the DRC.
Distance
from Ebola outbreak: 3 250km
Djibouti
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Egypt
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Equatorial Guinea
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Eritrea
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Ethiopia
Ebola cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Travel restrictions: Ethiopia has not banned travel to and from
Ebola-affected countries. Doctors and nurses are on standby at the airport to
treat any possible cases in isolation.
Flight cancellations: Ethiopian Airlines is continuing flights to West
Africa. The airline has no direct flights to Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea.
Airline officials have said that the airline is taking precautions.
Distance
from Ebola outbreak: 5 500km
Gabon
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Ghana
Ebola cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Travel restrictions: The government of Ghana issued a travel advisory
on Thursday, August 21, urging citizens to only travel to the affected
countries if it is "absolutely necessary" to do so.
Distance
from Ebola outbreak: 1 200km
Guinea
Ebola cases: Ebola has hit Guinea with 607 reported cases and
406 deaths.
Researchers believe that the first human case of
the Ebola virus disease leading to the 2014 outbreak was a 2-year-old boy who
died 6 December 2013 in the village of Meliandou. His mother, 3-year-old sister
and grandmother then became ill with symptoms consistent with Ebola infection
and died.
Travel
restrictions: Health officials in Guinea say all
passengers departing from the capital city's airport must fill out a health
form and have their temperature taken. Anyone with a temperature higher than
38�C will be tested for the disease.
Guinea Bissau
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Ivory Coast
Ebola cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Travel restrictions: Ivory Coast has banned travel to and from Guinea,
Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Flight cancellations: Ivory Coast announced last week that it has
banned all flights from Ebola-affected countries. The government said in a
statement that it has forbidden all carriers from transporting passengers from
these countries.
Distance
from Ebola outbreak: 650km
Kenya
Ebola cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Travel restrictions: Kenya has banned travel to and from Liberia,
Guinea and Sierra Leone.
The Kenyan Minister of Health, James
Macharia, said the country would temporarily suspend entry into Kenya of
passengers travelling from and through Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, with
effect from 19 August.
Flight cancellations: Korean Airlines has suspended flights to Nairobi.
Distance
from Ebola outbreak: 5 400km
Lesotho
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Liberia
Ebola cases: Liberia is the hardest hit by the disease with 1
082 reported cases and 624 deaths.
Travel restrictions: The Liberian government on Sunday, August 24,
closed most of its border crossings with the exception of major entry points.
Liberia
President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said the government is testing
all outgoing and incoming passengers. Public gatherings such as marches,
demonstrations and promotional advertisements will be restricted.
Libya
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Madagascar
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Malawi
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Mali
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Mauritania
Ebola cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Travel restrictions: Mauritania has banned travel to and from Liberia
and Sierra Leone.
Mauritanian authorities recently decided to deny
entry to citizens from African countries hit by Ebola to prevent the spread of
the deadly virus. In a statement, the Health Ministry said the decision applies
to the citizens of Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Distance
from Ebola outbreak: 1 450km
Mauritius
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Morocco
Ebola cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Travel restrictions: Morocco has not imposed a travel ban or advisory.
Morocco is following the recommendations of WHO and
will host Guinea for its match against Togo on the first day of the group stage
qualifiers of the Orange Africa Cup of Nations Morocco 2015 on September 5.
Distance
from Ebola outbreak: 3 150km
Mozambique
Ebola cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Travel restrictions: There are no travel bans in place.
Mozambique has drawn up a questionnaire that will
be asked of all passengers who have come from, or passed through, the West
African countries where Ebola has been reported (Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone
and Nigeria).
Distance
from Ebola outbreak: 5 900km
Namibia
Ebola cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Travel restrictions: Namibia has banned all travellers from Guinea,
Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone as part of precautionary measures to prevent
the virus from reaching Namibia.
Namibian citizens that have travelled to these
countries will be entitled to come back into the country, but will be subjected
to strict screening at the port of entry to ensure that they are not infected
with Ebola.
Distance
from Ebola outbreak: 4 400km
Niger
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Nigeria
Ebola cases: Nigeria has reported 16 cases of Ebola with five
deaths.
Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian official, flew from Liberia to Nigeria
after exposure to the virus and died at Lagos soon after arrival. A doctor and
nurse who treated Sawyer both died from Ebola.
Travel restrictions: Nigeria's civil aviation authority (NCAA) has
started temperature screening passengers arriving from places at risk from
Ebola at all major international airports. A compulsory blood test follows if
the passenger's temperature gives cause for concern.
Flight cancellations: The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, has
suspended all Asky Airline flight operations to Nigeria. Arik Air has suspended
flight operations to Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Distance
from Ebola outbreak: 2 100km
Reunion
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Rwanda
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Sao Tome And Principe
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Senegal
Ebola cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Travel restrictions: Senegal has closed its border with Guinea and
banned travel to and from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone as a preventative
measure.
Travel incidents: According to reports, a regional flight to Dakar,
Senegal, that was carrying aid workers from Liberia was prevented from landing
on Thursday, August 22.
Distance
from Ebola outbreak: 1 200km
Seychelles
Ebola cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Travel restrictions: Seychelles is introducing visa requirements for
citizens from countries in the West African region. This includes Sierra Leone,
Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea Conakry, Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, Burkina
Faso, Senegal, Mali, Benin, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Congo, DRC, Gambia,
Mauritania, and Senegal.
Distance
from Ebola outbreak: 7 500km
Sierra Leone
Ebola cases: Sierra Leone has been hit by Ebola with 910
reported cases and 392 deaths.
Travel
restrictions: The Sierra Leone Civil Aviation
Authority has announced that all passengers going through the Freetown
International Airport shall undergo Ebola Virus checks as an integral component
of the normal airport screening process. Passengers will be required to wash
their hands with chlorinated water, go through a temperature scan and complete
a public health passenger form.
Somalia
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
South Africa
Ebola cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Travel restrictions: South Africa has issued a travel ban for all
non-citizens travelling from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in an attempt to
prevent the spread of Ebola into South Africa. Non-citizens will only be
allowed into South Africa when travelling from these high-risk countries if the
entry into the country is considered 'absolutely essential'.
The South African Department of Health has issued a
travel advisory against all but essential travel to Liberia, Guinea or Sierra
Leone.
Distance
from Ebola outbreak: 5 500km
Sudan
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Swaziland
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Tanzania
Ebola cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Travel restrictions: All major airports in Tanzania have been equipped
with Ebola screening devices for testing passengers arriving from West Africa
for the virus.
Distance
from Ebola outbreak:5 750km
The Gambia
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Togo
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Tunisia
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Uganda
Ebola cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Travel restrictions: Uganda has intensified screening of travelers
coming into the country at Entebbe Airport and other border posts. The ministry
of health also issued a warning to Ugandans intending to travel to West Africa
to do so only when it is a necessity.
Distance
from Ebola outbreak: 4 900km
Western Sahara
Ebola
cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Zambia
Ebola cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Travel restrictions: Zambia has issued contradictory information on
whether or not it has closed its borders for travellers from Ebola-affected
countries.
Health Minister Joseph Kasonde said
Zambia has not banned entry into the country for individuals coming from Ebola
hit countries, but has issued a travel advisory. He said a travel advisory is
not a ban but a travel advice restricting not only nationals of the affected
countries but anyone traveling from the affected countries into Zambia. He said
anyone suspected of having contracted the Ebola virus would be quarantined.
A statement posted on the Ministry of Health
website on Saturday said Zambia would restrict entry of travellers from
countries affected by the Ebola virus and would ban Zambians from travelling to
those countries.
"All delegates from any of the countries
affected by Ebola virus disease are restricted from entering Zambia until
further notice," the statement reads.
Distance
from Ebola outbreak: 5 000km
Zimbabwe
Ebola cases: No reported cases of Ebola
Travel restrictions: Zimbabwe is 'closely monitoring' all travellers
from Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia. Health ports have been set up
at all the border posts. Port health officer are reportedly interviewing people
coming from Ebola zones and examining them for possible symptoms. They are then
referred to the hospital for tests.
The government has advised against travel to
affected countries.
Distance
from Ebola outbreak: 5 350km
