WHO condemns decision to follow Australia’s lead.
NEW YORK – As the World Health Organization reported Friday the number of confirmed deaths from the Ebola virus reached 4,951, Canada followed in Australia’s footsteps by suspending visa applications for residents and nationals of the Ebola-affected West African nations.
The Canadian government announced it has decided to stop issuing to applicants from the Ebola-affected West African nations visas in the worker, student and visitor classes as well as permanent residency visas.
WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan slammed the Canadian government’s decision, claiming that closing borders would not stop the spread of the Ebola virus, the Canadian Press reported.
On Thursday, CTV News in Canada separately reported WHO-approved Phase 1 human tests of a Canadian-made Ebola vaccine are scheduled to begin with 120 volunteers in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Walter Reed Army Institute of Research also has begun testing the Canadian-made vaccine on 13 people to determine the safety of the experimental drug, the Canadian network reported.
“All the data we have form the initial low-dose group is being reviewed by a scientific review committee and they will give us permission whether we can move into an intermediate dose and high dose,” said Dr. Shon Remich, a vaccine researcher at Walter Reed.
WND reported Friday that the WHO has issued new guidelines urging protection from sneezes while the CDC has deleted its warning the virus can be transferred by air, U.S. and Liberian nurses are striking in protest of conditions for treating Ebola and the Texas congressional delegation slammed President Obama’s Ebola effort in a letter to the Health and Human Services secretary.
