Ebola quarantine hindering response: aid workers

Canadian humanitarian aid workers are expressing frustration with the government's mandatory 21-day quarantine for individuals returning from Ebola-affected countries, arguing it hinders critical response efforts. Lily-Madeleine Seguin, a public health promotion adviser with Oxfam, was scheduled for a two-month deployment to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in late May but had to cancel due to the quarantine rules, which conflicted with her planned sabbatical.

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To me, we’re not stepping up in the way that we should be as a country that does have the ability to do it and changing the quarantine regulations is a low-stakes way of being able to do it

Seguin, who has prior experience with Ebola outbreak responses in the DRC, believes Canada is not adequately stepping up to help. "Changing the quarantine regulations is a low-stakes way of being able to do it," she stated, hoping Canadian officials will reconsider the policy as the outbreak intensifies. The current quarantine measures are set to expire on August 29.

Aid organizations report that the lengthy quarantine has forced at least 11 Canadians with specialized expertise to cancel assignments with Doctors Without Borders (MSF). In total, 23 Canadians have been involved in MSF's Ebola response in the DRC. Adam Houston, a medical policy and advocacy adviser at MSF Canada, noted that some of these individuals would have been crucial for the ongoing efforts.

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At least 11 Canadians with highly valuable expertise have had to cancel their assignments with MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders, as of Aug. 20 because of the quarantine measures, the organization says.

The World Health Organization has identified the current Ebola outbreak as the fastest-growing in history, with over 5,000 infections and more than 2,500 deaths reported. Canada's government has indicated it is reviewing the restrictions and related evidence with international partners, with a decision on future steps expected before the quarantine's expiration next week. The government previously cited the FIFA World Cup and protecting citizens from past outbreak trauma as reasons for the strict measures, though they acknowledged it was "not a question of science."

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The World Health Organization has said this is the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history, on track to be the deadliest, with Africa’s top public health agency reporting more than 2,500 deaths out of more than 5,000 infections.