WHO urges fans to travel normally for World Cup, downplaying Ebola risk

The World Health Organization has urged football fans to “travel as normal” for the World Cup saying the risk of Ebola remains low in Europe, as the U.S. pushes European countries to implement travel restrictions.

“Let me reassure you: none of the host countries, nor the European Region, currently has Ebola cases,” WHO Regional Director for Europe Hans Kluge said in a statement. “There is no reason to change your plans. Travel as normal, stay informed and enjoy the tournament.”

The remarks come after media reports the U.S. administration urged European countries to adopt strict American-style travel bans on people who ‌have recently been to Ebola-affected countries in Central Africa ahead of the World Cup, which kicks off today in the United States, Mexico and Canada. Belgium rejected Washington's demands on Wednesday.

The WHO does not recommend travel restrictions or bans, measures which they say are “usually implemented out of fear and have no basis in science.”

Kluge urged countries today to “challenge stigma.”

“People from affected regions and African communities have faced unfair suspicion,” he said. “The spread of Ebola is not determined by nationality or ethnicity. Stigma discourages people from seeking care and can make outbreaks harder to control.”

Kluge reassured that “the overall risk remains low” in Europe, as there are no cases of Ebola or local transmission in the region, travelers are screened and infection requires direct contact with the bodily fluids of a sick person.

The U.S. imposed entry bans on non-U.S. citizens who had recently been in the Central African countries affected by the Ebola outbreak shortly after the it began, going against World Health Organization guidelines.