CANADIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO DATE – EBOLA OUTBREAK RESPONSE

I'm proud of what the Canadian government is doing for West Africa... and very glad to read that nothing has been donated directly to the Sierra Leone government. Support to WHO, Red Cross and MSF is vital... and absolutely the right way to go. I've seen the work of these organizations first hand... and believe they're doing everything in their power to help the people affected by Ebola. 

Here's what the Cdn government is doing... as of October 3, 2014

Financial contributions:

· On September 25, the Minister of International Development announced up to $30 million in additional humanitarian assistance to help meet the immediate needs of the people affected by the Ebola crisis in West Africa.

· This support will be provided to experienced humanitarian partners within the United Nations system, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement—including the Canadian Red Cross Society—and other Canadian and international non-governmental organizations.

· This funding is in addition to the $5.4 million previously committed by the Government of Canada in support of humanitarian and security interventions to address the spread of the Ebola virus in West Africa, including funding to the World Health Organization (WHO), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

Technical contributions:

· The Public Health Agency of Canada has deployed teams of experts to Sierra Leone to assist in the response on the ground.

· The current team of Agency scientists has re-established a mobile laboratory at the Kailahun site in Sierra Leone to provide rapid diagnostic support, which will help ensure that those infected with Ebola receive supportive care and are isolated to reduce the risk of transmission. The team is working alongside local health officials, MSF, and the WHO for this important humanitarian effort. Another Agency scientist is currently providing laboratory support for the response to the separate Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

· Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada is also covering the costs for four Canadian Red Cross delegates deployed to Guinea and Sierra Leone as well as seven experts deployed to Sierra Leone and Liberia to support UNICEF.

· On September 15, Health Minister Rona Ambrose announced that Canada will make available for donation over $2.5 million in personal protective equipment (PPE) to the WHO.

Experimental vaccine:

· Canada is also donating between 800-1,000 doses of the experimental vaccine, VSVEBOV, to the WHO. The final number of doses provided will be based on the amount required for applied research and clinical trials.

· The Public Health Agency of Canada is providing the vaccine to the WHO in its role as an international coordinating body, in the hopes that the doses can be made available as an international resource.

· The WHO, in consultation with partners, including the health authorities from the affected countries, will guide and facilitate how the vaccine should be distributed and used.