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 The advice from the WHO's Emergency Committee on Ebola came a day
after the United States said travelers from three West African
countries at the heart of the epidemic must fly into one of five
major airports for enhanced screening for the virus.
"Entry screening may have a limited effect in reducing international
spread when added to exit screening, and its advantages and
disadvantages should be carefully considered," the committee said in
a statement after its third meeting.
Passengers are already screened as they leave Liberia, Sierra Leone
and Guinea, a measure that is critical for reducing the exportation
of the virus, it said.
"So far 36,000 persons have been screened and 100 have been deferred
from traveling," Isabelle Nuttall, director of global capacities
alert and response in WHO's health security arm, said in an emailed
comment.
The committee of experts, which meets virtually to advise WHO
Director-General Margaret Chan, said some countries had introduced
entry screening and they should share their experiences and lessons
learned.
States should be aware that screening incoming passengers helped to
sensitize individuals to the risk of the disease, but "resource
demands may be significant", even if only targeted screening is put
in place.
The outbreak has killed at least 4,877 people and at least 9,936
cases of the disease have been recorded, the WHO said on Wednesday,
but the numbers are known to be under-reported and the true death
toll may be three times as much.
The committee also said some states with no Ebola cases had canceled
international meetings and mass gatherings, which the committee did
not recommend. It acknowledged, however, that such decisions were
complex and should be decided on a case-by-case basis and on the
basis of risk.
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Competitors and delegations from countries with Ebola transmission
should not be subject to a general ban on attending events abroad,
although the host country should decide on a case-by-case basis, it
said.
Several countries -- including Haiti, Dominican Republic, Colombia,
Jamaica and North Korea -- have restricted incoming travelers to
some degree, although the committee has said there should be no
general ban on international travel or trade. It reiterated that
advice on Thursday.
"A general travel ban is likely to cause economic hardship, and
could consequently increase the uncontrolled migration of people
from affected countries, raising the risk of international spread of
Ebola," it said.
"The Committee emphasized the importance of normalizing air travel
and the movement of ships, including the handling of cargo and
goods, to and from the affected areas, to reduce the isolation and
economic hardship of the affected countries."
(Reporting by Tom Miles and Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Catherine
Evans and Hugh Lawson)
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