Abstract
The Public Health Agency of Canada (the Agency) has an important role to play in collaboration with its provincial/territorial partners to advance preparedness for emerging and re-emerging high-consequence infectious diseases. During the 2014 Ebola outbreak, the Agency established Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) Rapid Response Teams that were available to any requesting provincial/territorial jurisdiction with a laboratory confirmed case of EVD. Working with provincial and territorial officials, a Rapid Response Team Concept of Operations was developed which outlined the process for Rapid Response Team engagement as well as the suite of technical expertise available. The Concept of Operations was refined further following a series of face-to-face advance planning meetings with individual provincial and territorial jurisdictions. This led to a consensus agreement that the Agency's Rapid Response Team should be available to support management of both confirmed and suspected EVD cases. There was also unanimous support from provincial and territorial jurisdictions that the concept and operationalization of the Agency's Rapid Response Team should be broadened to provide surge-capacity support to the provinces and territories to include any event with significant public health consequences. The Agency will continue to engage with domestic and international partners regarding best practices to maintain a highly skilled and nimble Rapid Response Team that is operationally ready to support both domestic and international public health emergencies.
Highlights
The Public Health Agency of Canada has an important role to play in collaboration with its provincial and territorial partners to advance preparedness that will mitigate the effects of emerging and re-emerging high-consequence infectious diseases
The unprecedented extent, duration and impact of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa which began in the spring of 2014, provided world-wide recognition of the importance of a multi-disciplinary, international and national capacity to initiate and sustain an effective public health response over an extended period of time
The Agency established the EVD Rapid Response Teams and engaged with all provincial and territorial jurisdictions to develop a Concept of Operations that would align with and integrate provincial and territorial EVD response protocols
Summary
The Public Health Agency of Canada (the Agency) has an important role to play in collaboration with its provincial and territorial partners to advance preparedness that will mitigate the effects of emerging and re-emerging high-consequence infectious diseases.The unprecedented extent, duration and impact of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa which began in the spring of 2014, provided world-wide recognition of the importance of a multi-disciplinary, international and national capacity to initiate and sustain an effective public health response over an extended period of time.In Canada, the provinces and territories have the primary responsibility to prepare for and respond to health threats within their borders. There was unanimous support from provincial and territorial jurisdictions that the concept and operationalization of the Agency’s Rapid Response Team should be broadened to provide surge-capacity support to the provinces and territories to include any event with significant public health consequences.
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