As U.S. health officials investigate its first case of human-to-human transmission of Ebola, Canada's top public health official says the risk of the disease in the country "remains very low."
In a statement released on Sunday, Canada's chief medical officer Dr. Gregory Taylor says the country is well prepared to protect Canadians against an outbreak. The statement came as health officials announced that a Texas health care worker who was treating an Ebola patient in the U.S. tested positive for the virus.
"While our thoughts are with the individual and their family as they deal with this situation, I want to reassure Canadians that the risk has not changed and remains very low," Taylor said. "We are in close contact with our partners in the U.S. and the provinces and territories, and have strong systems in place to detect and respond to any cases that might arrive in Canada."
U.S. health officials said on Sunday that the health care worker who was treating an Ebola patient in the U.S. tested positive for the virus even though she was wearing full protective gear. The situation has put a spotlight on Canadian hospitals, and whether they could safely handle an Ebola patient.
Dr. Andrew Simor, the head of microbiology and infectious diseases at Toronto's Sunnybrook Hospital, says the country's experience with SARS has helped Canadian hospitals plan for the potential treatment of an Ebola patient.
"The SARS experience has been a huge help," Simor told CTV News on Sunday. "I know that hospitals across the country have been planning now in the case of having to deal with cases of the Ebola virus. There are protocols in place so I think we are better prepared."
Last week, the World Health Organization raised the death toll attributed to the Ebola outbreak to 4,033. The majority of them were in the three worst-affected countries, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Simor says while the risk of a case in Canada is low, the possibility is still there.
"I think our risk may be lower, but there's no question that there are volunteers and health care providers working in West Africa. They may be exposed and at risk and come back to Canada," Simor said. "So we may well see a suspect small number of cases."
