The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr. Ifedayo Adetifa, has lamented delays in getting visa approvals by delegates to attend global health events in Canada.
This was following the concerns over visa delays by delegates to attend the 2022 International Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome Conference.
The 24th International AIDS Conference is scheduled to hold in Montreal, Canada, from July 29 to August 2, 2022.
The conference is themed ‘Re-arrange & follow the science’ with the aim of defining future research agendas, shifting the latest evidence to action, and charting a new consensus on overcoming the Human Immunodeficiency Virus epidemic as a threat to public health and individual well-being.
However, in a tweet, the NCDC DG said Canada should not be allowed to host any global health meetings.
Adetifa said this while reacting to the news that at least 400 people from developing nations were still waiting for approval to come to Canada for the conference.
“Sadly, this is already happening for other meetings. #Canada should simply not be allowed to host any important global health meetings from now on,” he tweeted.
The PUNCH reports that the host country has several restrictions on travel, and those entering must have had a COVID-19 vaccination.
This is the first time Canada will be hosting the world’s largest conference on HIV and AIDS.
Meanwhile, the organisers of the conference, on its website, said they were working with Canadian authorities to fasten visa approval for registrants.
“We’re committed to supporting everyone from all countries with the travel process to attend AIDS2022 in Montreal. We’ve been working closely with Canadian authorities to understand visa requirements and share that information with registrants to ensure necessary documentation is submitted on time,” it noted.
