November 10, 2014 Ottawa, ON Public Health Agency of Canada
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.
