Ottawa, May 27 (IANS) The Canadian government announced a series of temporary border measures to reduce the risk of the Ebola virus entering and spreading within Canada.

According to a news release from the Public Health Agency of Canada, in response to the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and rising risks in Uganda and South Sudan, Canada will suspend immigration documents for residents of these countries for 90 days, starting Wednesday at 23:59 Eastern Time.

Individuals of these three countries holding previously approved temporary resident visas, electronic travel authorizations or permanent resident visas will be barred from traveling to Canada, said the release.

The processing of new applications from residents of these countries will also be temporarily paused, added the release.

According to an additional measure, effective May 30 at 23:59 Eastern Time until August 29, Canada will enforce a mandatory 21-day quarantine for Canadian citizens, permanent residents, persons registered under the Indian Act, and foreign nationals who have visited the affected areas within the previous 21 days and do not have symptoms, while travellers who have symptoms will be isolated at a hospital for further assessment under the Quarantine Act, Xinhua news agency reported.

While emphasising that the risk to people in Canada remains low and there are currently no cases of Ebola disease in North America, the government said it is adopting a precautionary approach given the severity of the disease and the evolving international situation, including the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

According to the World Health Organization, Ebola disease is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans and other primates.

The virus is transmitted to people from wild animals (such as fruit bats, porcupines and non-human primates) and then spreads in the human population through direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and with surfaces and materials (e.g. bedding, clothing) contaminated with these fluids.

The average Ebola disease case fatality rate is around 50 per cent. Case fatality rates have varied from 25–90 per cent in past outbreaks.

The first Ebola disease outbreaks occurred in remote villages in Central Africa, near tropical rainforests. The 2014–2016 Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa was the largest and most complex Ebola outbreak since the virus was first discovered in 1976. There were more cases and deaths in this outbreak than all others combined. It also spread between countries, starting in Guinea then moving across land borders to Sierra Leone and Liberia.

–IANS

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