Third Deployment of OP SIRONA leaves UK for Sierra Leone

DND announced yesterday that the third group of CAF medical personnel have left the United Kingdom training centre for Kerry Town, Sierra Leone to fight the Ebola virus.

The CAF members are deploying with their British counterparts to fight the Ebola epidemic that swept across West Africa during 2014.

Click here to see the full DND Press release

Canada in Sierra Leone - No Plans to Scale Back Mission

CAF Medical personnel take part in a briefing from their British counterparts before deploying to Sierra
Leone to fight Ebola. Photo: OP SIRONA, Sgt Y. Bedard CF Combat Camera.

As Canadians at home focus on the debate in Parliament over the definition of "Combat" and what technically "Advise and Assist" means, lets not forget that our men and women in Uniform are fighting something just as scary as ISIS on a molecular level - Ebola. Yet many Canadians seem to have forgotten Operation SIRONA, and Canada's contribution to contain and battle Ebola in Sierra Leone. 

The Globe and Mail reported Thursday that Canada has no plans to scale back our mission despite a decline in patients in the Canadians medical facility. Lt. Col Gary O'Neil, the Task Force Commander for Canada's deployment to the Ebola Zone says their mission will remain strong until June 2015 as originally planned. However, should the British Military, who run a medical facility near the Canadians choose to withdraw sooner, the Canadians would have to re-evaluate their mission timeline, O'Neil admitted. Despite the decline in patients, the outbreak of Ebola will not be considered over until no new cases have appeared for 42 consecutive days. 

To read the Full Article, please see The Globe and Mail link below. 

Canada has no plans to Scale back Ebola Mission