EBOLA TRAVEL BANS BY COUNTRY, MEDICAL & DENTAL TOURISM INFO - Update April 2016

Ebola is Frightening

But it's not the end-of-the-world as some would have us believe.

UPDATE: As of April 2016 - West Africa is nearly Ebola free. Again, Again as it keeps rearing its ugly head like a whack-a-mole. But overall - the near eradication of Ebola is one of the successes of the World Health Org.

Today 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. And not only because of ebola but because of the many other viral threats such as MERS  that will continue to appear over time.

Federal agencies have decided to  end the mandatory screening for air travelers arriving in the U.S. via Liberia.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Customs and Borders Protection decided to remove Liberia from its list of countries requiring additional screening, USA Today   reports. The screening, in which travelers fill out questionnaires and have their temperatures checked, is currently conducted at some airports in the U.S. that service connecting flights from West Africa.

The World Health Organization declared Liberia, once at the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak, free of the disease earlier this month on Sept. 3. 2015. The organization had said Liberia was Ebola-free in May, but infections reappeared over the this summer.

In 2015 US Border Patrol has screened almost 31,000 passengers. Of those, 68 have been found to have high temperatures, and 40 were brought to medical facilities for non-Ebola conditions. The others were determined by the CDC not to require additional screening.    -USA TODAY 

From Dental Tourism News Today.

EBOLA TRAVEL BANS UPDATED COUNTRY BY COUNTRY - 

(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 2014   and declared Nigeria Ebola-free on Oct. 20.

What follows is a list of travel bans imposed by various countries (2014) Most as of April 2016 are considered Ebola free - despite the occasional odd case..

Zambia, Aug. 9, 2014: 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  (Compiled by Leslie Adler; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

FILED UNDER: Eboloa U.S. Health  United Nations, Medical Vacation, Medical and Dental Tourism News, Angels Wrote

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