Page 1 of 2 House of Commons Canada Libby Davies, MP Vancouver East October 15, 2014 Hon. Rona Ambrose Minister of Health Brooke Claxton Building, Tunney?s Pasture Postal Locator: 0906C Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0K9 Dear Minister Ambrose, Given the rapid growth of Ebola cases worldwide, Canada is facing a dire global health emergency which could reach within Canadian borders. Iwould like to ensure that the Canadian public remains well informed during these critical times, so that confidence in our Public Health Agency's ability to handle the crisis remains high and Canadians feel certain that we are well-equipped to deal with the scope of the crisis in West Africa and the potential of an outbreak here in Canada. In that regard, I hope that you can provide the public with further information on the following items. Regarding Canada's emergency preparedness, can you outline: a Who is responsible for ensuring quarantine and treatment protocols in Canadians hospitals and clinics? - Who is responsible for ensuring that hospitals and medical practitioners have the appropriate equipment? I What communications have been undertaken by the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) to ensure that best practices in reporting and monitoring have been shared with all health practitioners who could come into contact with suspected Ebola patients? a What types of screening protocols are currently being used at ports-of-entry on Canadian soil, and are any further protocols being considered? 0 What precautions are being taken to protect Canadians in the most affected regions of West Africa, and especially those who are there because of our government's commitments? Regarding the vaccine VSV-EBOV, which you indicated on October 13th is currently beginning clinical trials, can you identify: 0 What percentage of the existing supply of VSV-EBOV, will be used for the clinical trials? 0 What percentage of VSV-EBOV supply will remain for emergency use 1) in Canada for domestic emergency response, and 2) in acutely affected regions in West Africa? Room: 542-N, Centre Block, House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6 Telephone: (613) 992-6030 Fax: (613) 995-7412 Email: libby.davies@parl.gc.ca 2412 Main Street, Vancouver, British Columbia V5T 3E2 Telephone: (604) 775-5800 Fax: (604) 775-5811 Page 2 of 2 Are efforts currently underway to produce more of the vaccine? What is the timeline for increased production and when will more of the vaccine be made available to the public? 0 Is there a plan to rapidly increase production of the vaccine in the unfortunate advent of worst case scenarios as outlined by the World Health Organization? I would like to thank Dr. Gregory Taylor and other Departmental staff for briefing parliamentarians on this issue, and hope that these briefings can continue as the situation evolves. I look forward to working with you to ensure we do the utmost to protect Canadians and provide leadership on the world stage during this critical time. tic/gawk? Libby Davies, MP Vancouver East NDP Health Critic