Government of Canada announces strengthened public health measures for arriving travellers from Ebola-stricken countries

OTTAWA, Nov. 10, 2014 /CNW/ - The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health, and Dr. Gregory Taylor, Chief Public Health Officer of Canada, today announced strengthened public health measures to further protect Canadians and help prevent the spread of Ebola in Canada.

The new public health measures, which will take effect today, enhance the healthcare system's ability to detect and appropriately manage any possible cases of Ebola that might arrive in Canada.  Under the new measures, Quarantine Officers will order travellers with a travel history to Guinea, Sierra Leone or Liberia within the last 21 days to report to a local public health authority in Canada and self-monitor for up to 21 days.

Quarantine Officers will give these travellers instructions on how and when to report to public health authorities, and information kit that includes a thermometer to check their temperature twice daily for this period. 

Travellers with a history of travel to an Ebola-affected country who may be presenting symptoms on arrival to Canada will be immediately isolated and sent to hospital for a medical examination.

The Public Health Agency of Canada's information campaign about Ebola has also launched today. It is designed to raise public awareness about the disease and its risks through social media, such as Facebook and Twitter.

Quick Facts

• There has never been a case of Ebola in Canada.
• Canada remains at the forefront of the international response to Ebola, and continues to contribute to the response to the outbreak in West Africa. The Government of Canada has committed over $65 million to the global efforts to support the health, humanitarian and security interventions deployed to address the spread of the disease.
• The Government of Canada also committed an additional $27.5 million to support research into experimental vaccines and treatments, additional Quarantine Officers, and support local public health agencies with community preparedness. The Agency continues to work with its provincial and territorial partners to plan and conduct exercises to enable the Rapid Response Teams to easily integrate with provincial and territorial colleagues to provide additional support and resources on request.
• The Agency has a second Mobile Laboratory Team ready to deploy to West Africa on request from the WHO.

Quotes

"My number one priority as Minister of Health is ensuring the health and safety of Canadians.  Today, we are taking precautionary action to further protect Canadians from the threat of Ebola in the event a case arrives in Canada. These new measures strike the proper balance between the health and safety of an individual returning from an Ebola affected region and the health and safety of all Canadians."
Honourable Rona Ambrose,
Minister of Health

"These new public health measures complement our other preparedness and response activities to ensure Canada is ready to respond if a case of Ebola is confirmed in Canada.  These measures will help ensure that if a case arrives in Canada, it will be identified quickly and managed properly from the start to prevent further spread of the disease and provide the patient with the best possible care."
Dr. Gregory Taylor
Chief Public Health Officer of Canada 

Related Products

Fact Sheet – Ebola Virus Disease

Fact Sheet – Strengthened Public Health Measures

SOURCE: Public Health Agency of Canada

Michael Bolkenius, Office of the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Federal Minister of Health, [phone]; Media Relations, Public Health Agency of Canada, [phone]

Related Links

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca