International Health Regulations and World Health Organization

World Health Organization: In a move that puts Canada at odds with the World Health Organization, the federal government said Friday it is suspending the issuance of visas for residents and nationals of countries with "widespread and persistent-intense transmission" of Ebola virus disease. As well, work on permanent residence applications for people from the affected countries is also being suspended. Ebola: Stories, photos, videos Ebola quarantines in U.S.: Are they warranted? , according to CBC. An international law expert denounced the move, saying it was a violation of the International Health Regulations, which Canada helped to draft in the aftermath of the 2003 outbreak. And David Fidler, of Indiana University, said the decisions of Canada and Australia to close their doors to the citizens of the affected countries runs the risk of destroying the IHR, as the treaty is called. Canada is following in Australia footsteps and has closed its doors, effectively immediately, to people from the West African countries battling Ebola. The stress on countries with widespread transmission provides an out for the US., which currently still has at least one active Ebola case within its borders. At present only three countries meet the definition of widespread and persistent Ebola transmission: Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.