The Government of Canada has deployed a third mobile laboratory and two additional Public Health Agency of Canada scientists to Sierra Leone. The team will spend a week in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and Brussels, Belgium training with Doctors Without Borders before travelling to Sierra Leone on January 18th.
Once in Sierra Leone, the team will be assisting Doctors Without Borders physicians in Magburaka by testing samples from Ebola patients to support their ongoing clinical care. The tests performed by this mobile laboratory will provide physicians with timely information about the health of their patients, such as electrolytes level, blood chemistry and indicators of renal and liver health, that will allow healthcare workers to design care plans specific to the patient’s needs.
This team is being deployed alongside the Agency’s two other existing mobile laboratory teams that are providing laboratory capabilities to diagnose Ebola in Kailahun and Magburaka, Sierra Leone. With this third team on the ground, the Agency currently has six scientists in Sierra Leone operating three mobile laboratories.
The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Health said, “Public Health Agency of Canada scientists are internationally recognized as leading experts in fighting Ebola, and we are proud to deploy this additional team to help stop and control the virus in West Africa.
“It is our hope that the work of this third mobile laboratory – providing physicians with ongoing information about the health of their patients – will allow healthcare workers to provide medical treatments tailored to their patients’ needs and ultimately, save more lives.”
