Ottawa is warning Canadians not to travel to countries affected by a massive Ebola outbreak.
In a rare move, the Public Health Agency of Canada updated its travel notice to West Africa Thursday, recommending that Canadians avoid all non-essential travel to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
鈥淭his recommendation is designed to protect Canadian travellers and make it easier for health officials in these countries to dedicate their resources towards controlling the outbreak,鈥� the advisory said.
The agency also said that additional cases can be expected in the three affected countries. The advisory also noted that Nigeria has reported its first death due to the virus, which was contracted by a person who had travelled from Liberia.
The travel alert comes as the infected countries continued to report cases of the Ebola virus, which has claimed the lives of more than 700 people.
Officials in the U.S are also warning Americans not to travel to infected countries, though the risk of the deadly disease coming to the U.S. remains low.
The World Health Organization is not currently recommending that any travel or trade restrictions be applied to Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria or Sierra Leone.
