Health Canada statement on release of Health Canada and the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention preliminary report
May 15, 2003
Health Canada and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are releasing
a preliminary report today on the ongoing investigation into SARS spread to health care
workers. The report indicates that health care workers caring for SARS patients followed
Health Canada's infection control guidelines. As an added precaution, however, the report
recommends that workers should undergo additional training on the correct use and removal
of personal protective equipment. The report recommends that health care workers caring
for SARS patients should undergo training on the correct use and removal of personal protective
equipment. The report's recommendations support in principle the recommendations Health
Canada has been making to protect health care workers caring for SARS patients.The final
Health Canada /CDC report is expected to be completed later this summer.
This preliminary report is part of an ongoing investigation by Health Canada and the CDC
in which officials from both organizations visited six Toronto area hospitals where health
care worker infections occurred to gather information on the circumstances surrounding
those who were infected. The report is available on the  Public Health Agency Web site.
The joint Health Canada/CDC investigation is part of a process to learn more about how
SARS is caused and how it is spread so that, ultimately, we will be able to better understand
this emerging disease and others that may surface. Over the last several weeks, Health
Canada, together with its many partners inside Canada and internationally, has been working
on a number of fronts to prevent the further spread of SARS. This includes daily monitoring
and surveillance, laboratory testing at Health Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory,
infection control advice, screening measures at airports, and workplace health and safety
initiatives.
To further strengthen our measures, Health Canada is improving measures at Canadian airports
to minimize the risk of SARS. This includes enhanced Health Alert Notices to alert travellers
to SARS symptoms, a video on SARS to be shown on international flights, and a pilot project
at Pearson and Vancouver airports to assess the effectiveness of various thermal screening
technologies.
Health Canada also recently organized an international meeting on SARS in Toronto. Public
Health Officials from Canada, the United Kingdom, the U.S., Mexico, China and the Association
of Southeast Asian Nations met to review the current situation in Canada, to pool global
knowledge about SARS and to begin the development of a pan-Canadian Action Plan on SARS.
In addition, Health Canada recently announced the membership of a National Advisory Group
on SARS and Public Health. This group, chaired by Dr. David Naylor, Dean of Medicine at
the University of Toronto, will provide an assessment of the lessons learned from the current
public health situation in relation to SARS, and explore long term approaches on how best
to prepare Canada to respond effectively to future infectious disease challenges. It will
consider current efforts to contain, treat and investigate SARS, including surveillance,
epidemiology, infection control, international coordination, research and public information.
Such swift, responsive action and leadership from all levels of government, together with
the outstanding efforts of Canadian health care workers, who have worked tirelessly over
the last several weeks in the battle against SARS, has resulted in the World Health Organization
removing Toronto from the list of areas most affected by SARS on May 14th 2003.
This most recent and encouraging development will not deter us from continuing our ongoing
efforts to better understand and respond to this emerging disease.
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