An Ontario man who had recently traveled to Ethiopia has tested negative for Ebola, while no further cases of hantavirus linked to a virus-hit cruise ship have been confirmed in Canada, the country's chief public health officer announced Friday.
Ebola Test Results
Dr. Joss Reimer, Canada's chief public health officer, stated that the traveller was tested for Ebola "out of an abundance of caution" after developing symptoms "consistent with a range of illnesses." Initial testing conducted in Ontario, as well as confirmatory testing at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg, returned negative results.
"This is a good example of how quickly measures are activated, even when the likelihood of Ebola here in Canada is low," Reimer said.
Hantavirus Update
Reimer also confirmed that no additional cases of hantavirus have been identified in Canada beyond the one confirmed over the weekend by British Columbia's Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry. That individual, part of a couple from the Yukon in their 70s, is one of four people isolating on Vancouver Island after arriving from the hantavirus-infected MV Hondius cruise ship.
Air France Flight Incident
Earlier this week, an Air France flight bound for Detroit was diverted to Montreal after a Congolese passenger boarded when departing Paris, violating entry restrictions put in place in the United States to reduce the risk of Ebola virus. The traveller was assessed by a Public Health Agency of Canada quarantine officer, found to have no symptoms, and returned to Paris.
Travel Measures and Risk Assessment
Enhanced screening of travellers took effect Wednesday, but Reimer was guarded on whether she supports a travel ban. "It's important that we look at how effective things like travel bans are. We need to be looking at whether or not there is any evidence that the outbreak is escaping the area" where it's currently concentrated, she said. "We also need to be looking at things like how the virus is spread."
"Ebola is very different from respiratory viruses like COVID," she added.
The World Health Organization has declared the Ebola outbreak in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern "due to the evidence of cross-border spread, uncertainty around the true size of the outbreak" and the potential for wider regional and global impact, Reimer noted.
"It's important to be clear that while this is a serious and evolving situation, cases remain localized and the global risk is low," Reimer said. The risk to people in Canada is also considered low. "There has never been a case of Ebola disease imported into Canada, despite Ebola outbreaks in the affected region."
At least 177 people are suspected to have died from the virus, almost all in the DRC, where the bulk of at least 750 suspected cases are located.
