If you get sick when you return to Canada

Canadians have a responsibility to protect their health while they are outside of Canada.  They must make sure they don’t bring home diseases that could affect the health of others.

• Upon your return to Canada, if you’re ill with a disease that can be transmitted to others, you must tell a customs officer or a quarantine officer.  The officer will decide if you require further medical assessment.
• You must also tell the officer if you have been have been near someone with a disease that could be spread to others.
• See a nurse, doctor or health care provider if you get sick when you return to Canada, or if you were sick while you were away.
• Tell your health care provider that you have been outside Canada.  Tell them:
  • The countries you have visited
  • The medical care you’ve received (e.g., blood transfusions, injections, dental care, or surgery)

Malaria

If you’ve been taking medication to prevent malaria while travelling, you must continue to take it until it is finished, even after you return to Canada.

If you’ve been to an area where malaria occurs and you develop fever within a year of returning home, tell your nurse, doctor or health care provider immediately. This is especially important if your fever develops in the first three months after you return home.

If you get sick, you may need a blood test to confirm that you do not have malaria. Anti-malarial medication doesn’t guarantee that you will not get malaria.

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