\u201cThe best way to avoid cases of Ebola at home is to make sure that we control where it\u2019s happening right now,\u201d added Liu, alluding to outbreaks in the DRC and Uganda.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat I\u2019ve been saying to the Canadian government (is to) is give a hand.\u201d<\/p>\n
Public health authorities in Africa are running out of personal protective equipment and Canada can send some of its PPE that is being stored in warehouses, suggested Liu, who took part in emergency responses during Ebola outbreaks in West Africa from 2014 to 2016.<\/p>\n
Ebola is a severe disease caused by a hemorrhagic fever virus, with fatality rates varying from 25 to 90 per cent in past outbreaks. The average fatality rate is around 50 per cent, according to the World Health Organization.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople can get infected with the virus from another person by direct contact through broken skin or mucous membranes (from) the blood or body fluids of a person who is sick with or has died from Ebola disease,\u201d the WHO states in a fact sheet<\/a> on its website.<\/p>\n In addition, people can become infected by coming into contact with \u201cobjects or surfaces that have been contaminated with body fluids like blood, feces (and) vomit from a person sick with the disease or who has died from the disease.\u201d<\/p>\n No approved vaccines for Ebola<\/p>\n At present, there are no approved vaccines for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus that is causing a surge of infections in the DRC and Uganda.<\/p>\n Dr. Matthew Oughton, an infectious-diseases specialist at the Jewish General Hospital, shared Liu\u2019s view the risk of Ebola taking hold in Quebec is minuscule.<\/p>\n \u201cEbola is a much bigger and present danger in (the DRC and Congo), and I don\u2019t think that this yet has the hallmarks of anything close to a pandemic,\u201d Oughton said.<\/p>\n \u201cIn terms of risk to Quebec citizens, at present the largest risk by far would be travelling to or from DRC\/Uganda.\u201d<\/p>\n Authorities suspect Ebola outbreaks in those countries have caused more than 130 deaths and nearly 600 infections. The WHO has declared<\/a> the Ebola contagion \u201ca public health emergency of international concern,\u201d given its scale and spread.<\/p>\n On Friday, Canada\u2019s chief public health officer said that \u201cenhanced\u201d screening has begun for people entering the country. Dr. Joss Reimer said the screening includes asking people whether they have travelled to affected countries and whether they have symptoms that could be related to Ebola. A spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency said that enhanced screening began May 20.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, in Quebec, the Health Ministry is monitoring the situation closely.<\/p>\n \u201cThe probability of the introduction and transmission of this virus in Quebec is considered very low,\u201d spokesperson Marie-Pierre Blier said. \u201cShould the risk assessment for the Quebec population change, relevant information will be communicated to them quickly and transparently.\u201d<\/p>\n Blier added \u201cunlike other viruses such as COVID-19, influenza or measles, Ebola cannot be spread through the air \u2014 except in the case of a medical procedure such as intubation \u2014 which limits its ability to be transmitted from one person to another.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, \u201chealth-care staff are vigilant and trained to identify suspected cases. Every effort is being made to protect workers and the public, even when the risk is low.\u201d<\/p>\n hnorth@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n x.com\/@hsnorth_<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Several](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/2276982483_303292078.jpg\")
Public health authorities in Africa are running out of personal protective equipment and Canada can send some of its PPE that is being stored in warehouses, McGill\u2019s Dr. Joanne Liu says. Michel Lunanga \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n