Visit to West Africa highlights Canada’s contributions to global response efforts
April 20, 2015 - Ottawa - Public Health Agency of Canada
Dr. Gregory Taylor, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, returned to Canada today after spending a week in West Africa. The visit was an opportunity to observe the evolving situation and needs on the ground as global efforts continue to reach zero Ebola cases.
The Canadian visit focussed on treatment and prevention efforts in Sierra Leone and Guinea, where Dr. Taylor was able to see first-hand the work being done and hear from those on the front-lines about their experiences in providing essential care and prevention support. Some highlights included:
- Red Cross and Médecins Sans Frontières Ebola treatment centres, where patient triage and screening processes, as well as vigilant sanitation procedures are in place to prevent transmission of the virus;
- A Public Health Agency of Canada mobile laboratory in Magburaka, Sierra Leone, that provides rapid, on-site Ebola diagnostic support allowing for faster diagnosis and isolation of Ebola cases and patient care, and meeting with two recently deployed Agency staff onsite in Guinea to set up a new mobile lab;
- The Kerry Town Treatment Unit in Sierra Leone, where Canadian Armed Forces doctors, nurses, medics and support staff are working alongside their UK counterparts to treat healthcare workers who have been exposed to the Ebola virus;
- A command centre in Freetown, Sierra Leone, where a PHAC epidemiologist demonstrated the surveillance and contact tracing work being done with the World Health Organization;
- The National Emergency Operation Centre in Guinea, where Agency staff are providing emergency management support; and
- Treatment, diagnostic and border screening operations in Forecariah, Guinea—an area still fighting active Ebola transmission.
Meetings with country officials —including His Excellency Mohamed Said Fofana, Prime Minister of Guinea—as well as roundtables with international and national humanitarian organizations and agencies involved in the Ebola response in West Africa provided opportunities to learn about the successes, challenges and lessons learned from the response so far. These discussions also provided valuable insight on what to expect in the months ahead as response efforts shift to getting to zero cases and, ultimately, to recovery. This information will help the Government of Canada determine how best to leverage its capacity and expertise to meet the evolving needs in the region.
Conrad Sauvé, President and CEO of the Canadian Red Cross, and Stephen Cornish, Executive Director of Médecins Sans Frontières Canada, joined Dr. Taylor for many of the discussions with other organizations and visits of operations, contributing to the Canadian perspective about the response.
Michael Bolkenius
Office of the Honourable Rona Ambrose
Federal Minister of Health
(613) 957-0200
Media Relations
Public Health Agency of Canada
(613) 957-2983
