Canada providing funding to the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response
October 17, 2014 – Toronto, Ontario – Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada
Today, the Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health, on behalf of the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, announced additional funding to support international efforts led by the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) to respond to the immediate needs related to the fight against Ebola in West Africa.
UNMEER is the first-ever UN emergency health mission set up in response to the unprecedented outbreak. The United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO) have declared the outbreak of Ebola virus disease in West Africa to be both a public health emergency and a complex crisis requiring a range of measures.
Canada was one of the earliest responders to the Ebola crisis with the provision of humanitarian assistance being delivered as early as April 2014. Deployment of labs and diagnosticians began in June 2014. Canada has also announced additional humanitarian and other assistance to address the Ebola crisis. This includes offering protective equipment, with two shipments already delivered to West Africa, as well as donating 800 to 1,000 doses of Canada’s experimental Ebola vaccine to WHO.
There are no confirmed cases of Ebola in Canada and no direct flights into Canada from affected countries in Africa. According to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the risk to Canadians remains low. At the border, Canada has adopted additional scrutiny for passengers that have been in affected countries in Africa. All international points of entry into Canada are routinely monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Canada will continue to monitor the situation in the West Africa region to ensure humanitarian, health and security needs are met.
Quick Facts
•According to WHO, as of October 12, 2014, a total of 8,973 cases and 4,484 deaths have been reported in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Nigeria, with an additional death recorded in both Spain and the United States.
•In addition to today’s announcement Canada has committed more than $35 million to assist in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. This includes: improving treatment and prevention; improving health capacity; and support such as nutrition •PHAC and Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada recommend against all non-essential travel to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
•Additional scrutiny for passengers that have been in affected countries includes: ◦automatic referral to a PHAC quarantine officer;
◦mandatory thorough health assessment by the PHAC quarantine officer, including a temperature check; and,
◦authority to implement public health measures under the Quarantine Act.
•PHAC meets with the provinces and territories on a weekly basis to support their readiness.