April 13, 2005
For Immediate Release

News Release

Minister of Health Ujjal Dosanjh and Minister of State (Public Health) Dr. Carolyn Bennett issued this statement commending the Public Health Agency of Canada on its role in securing the A/H2N2 that was distributed this week

Ottawa - "This has been an excellent demonstration of how well we are working together, not just internationally, but also across the country on public health issues. We have been working closely with our national and international partners to reduce what was already a low risk. Based on the risk assessment and the information we have, we are confident that we have implemented an effective and appropriate approach to protect public health," said Minister Dosanjh.

"Staff at the Public Health Agency of Canada acted quickly to ensure that appropriate measures were taken to protect workers and notify laboratories of the situation," said Minister Bennett. "The Agency worked as part of a global team to continue to keep Canadians safe."

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Media Inquiries:

Jean-Mathieu Dion
Media Relations Officer
Public Health Agency of Canada
Tel: (613) 948-7970

Julian Beltrame
A/Chief, Media Relations
Public Health Agency of Canada
Tel: (613) 954-8528