Travel health notices
| Date | Travel health notices | Location | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 21, 2015 | Avian Influenza (H5N1): Global Update | Global | Level 1 |
| Mar 02, 2016 | Polio: Global Update | Global | Level 1 |
| Apr 15, 2016 | Measles: Global Update | Global | Level 1 |
| Jul 12, 2016 | Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) | Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Yemen | Level 1 |
| Jun 30, 2016 | Cholera in Dominican Republic and Haiti | Dominican Republic, Haiti | Level 1 |
| Feb 12, 2015 | Avian influenza (H7N9 and others) in China | China | Level 1 |
| May 20, 2016 | Chikungunya: Global Update | The Caribbean, Central and South America, Mexico and the Ocean Pacific Islands | Level 1 |
| Jan 21, 2016 | WHO temporary polio vaccine recommendations | Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria, Guinea, Madagascar, Ukraine, and Laos | Level 2 |
| Apr 04, 2016 | Ebola virus disease in Guinea | Guinea | Level 1 |
| Apr 04, 2016 | Ebola virus disease in Liberia | Liberia | Level 1 |
| Apr 04, 2016 | Ebola virus disease in Sierra Leone | Sierra Leone | Level 1 |
| Jun 30, 2016 | Zika virus infection: Global Update | Anguilla, American Samoa, Argentina, Aruba, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Bonaire, Brazil, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Laos, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Micronesia, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Lucia, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Sint Maarten, Suriname, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, United States Virgin Islands, Venezuela, Vietnam | Level 2 |
| Jun 14, 2016 | 2016 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | Brazil | Level 2 |
| Jun 22, 2016 | Lassa fever in West Africa | Liberia, Nigeria, Togo | Level 1 |
| Jun 15, 2016 | Yellow Fever in Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo | Angola, China, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo | Level 2 |
| May 31, 2016 | Cholera in Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo | Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania | Level 1 |
| Jun 16, 2016 | Dengue in the Americas | Caribbean, Central America and Mexico, South America and some areas in North America. | Level 1 |
Levels of risk
Conditions in other countries may be different from those in Canada and may affect the health of Canadian travellers. For example:
- standards of hygiene and sanitation may be different
- safe food and clean water may be unavailable
- climate or environmental conditions may support certain diseases that do not (or rarely) occur in Canada
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) actively seeks to identify and evaluate information about new, unusual or rapidly evolving health risks. When necessary, PHAC releases Travel Health Notices outlining the potential risks to Canadian travellers and to the Canadian public, and recommends measures that can be taken to help reduce these risks.
Travel health notices advise practising usual travel health precautions. For example, notices at this level may remind travellers about routine vaccinations, highlight the importance of hand washing, or recommend protective measures to avoid mosquito bites.
Travel health notices recommend that travellers practise special health precautions, such as receiving additional vaccinations. A notice at this level would be issued if there is an outbreak in a limited geographic location, a newly identified disease in the region or a change in the existing pattern of disease.
Travel health notices include a warning to avoid non-essential travel in order to protect the health of Canadian travellers and the Canadian public. The notice outlines specific precautions to take when visiting the region and what to do if you become ill during or after travel. A notice at this level would be issued during a large-scale outbreak in a large geographic area, or if there is increased risk to the traveller and an increased risk of spreading disease to other groups including the Canadian public.
Advises travellers to avoid all travel in order to protect the health of the Canadian public. A notice at this level would be issued if there is a high risk of spread of disease to the general public regardless of measures taken while travelling. Avoiding travel will limit the spread of the disease in Canada and internationally.