Province tests Ebola preparedness

Nova Scotia tested its ability to handle a possible case of Ebola Wednesday morning, testing its protocols and guidelines in an exercise.

And chief public health officer Dr. Robert Strang says the province is well-prepared to handle a possible case of Ebola.

“From my perspective, I think it’s confirmed that we actually have a robust response plan,” he said. “Certainly there are things that we learned that we need to tweak and change, but nothing major.”

Some of those areas of improvement are early communication to make sure the right people are in place, and how to track health care workers who come in contact with patients.

Strang says the plan centres around keeping those workers safe.

“It’s all built around early identification and then bringing the person into the health system in a controlled manner so we can apply the right infection control and personal protective equipment for health care workers,” he said.

The federal government’s associate deputy chief of public health, Dr. Howard Njoo was on hand as well

He says the federal government is keen on making sure the response is coordinated between the different levels of government.

“We’ve actually been working closely with officials in each of the provinces and territories — Nova Scotia included — to make sure that the federal government, and the public health agency of Canada in particular, can support the provinces in whatever needs may arise.”