ICAO Urges Airlines to Maintain Pandemic-Era Safety Protocols as Ebola Outbreak Spreads
The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) has called on governments and airlines to strictly adhere to health safety guidelines established after the COVID-19 pandemic, as a deadly Ebola outbreak continues to spread in Central Africa.
The appeal comes amid growing international concern over the Bundibugyo strain of the virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where more than 900 suspected cases and approximately 220 suspected deaths have been recorded. At least seven confirmed cases have now been reported in neighbouring Uganda.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, warning that the disease is spreading faster than health workers can contain it.
In a statement on Tuesday, the UN aviation agency stressed the need for all stakeholders to follow WHO recommendations closely in order to mitigate any Ebola-related risks to air travel. ICAO highlighted protocols developed after the COVID-19 pandemic that enable rapid, standardised information sharing between states, airlines, airports and public health agencies.
The agency noted that digital innovations such as electronic health declarations and contactless border processes have been incorporated into its recommendations to track and manage health risks more effectively. ICAO is also coordinating with WHO and member states to provide measures aimed at preventing disease transmission through air travel, protecting the health of aviation personnel and passengers, reassuring travellers, and keeping flight cancellations to a minimum.
In its updated air travel guidance, WHO reiterated that countries should not close borders or impose blanket travel and trade restrictions. The health body said entry screening outside the affected region is not necessary for passengers returning from areas at risk. Instead, it advised that exit screening can be implemented in affected countries for all persons at international airports who present with unexplained fever and other symptoms consistent with potential Bundibugyo virus disease.
Health authorities have been urged to ensure that confirmed cases and contacts of the virus are rapidly detected and isolated, and that such individuals do not undertake international travel unless it forms part of an appropriate medical evacuation.