2023-10-04

Provincial officials keeping watch on virus outbreak, diplomatic tensions involving India

BRIDGEWATER - Provincial health care and immigration officials are monitoring the potential implications that diplomatic tensions and a re-emergence of an easily-spread virus may have on bringing newcomers here from India.

An outbreak of the Nipah virus was recently discovered in one of the southern Indian states, prompting officials there to close public institutions and restrict travel. The infection kills nearly half-to-a-majority of the people who test positive, online information from the World Health Organization states.

As of mid-September, hundreds of people had been tested, a couple died and dozens more were considered at a high risk of infection, according to an Indian health minister quoted by Reuters and reported by CBC News.

The incubation period for the virus, for which there are no inoculation nor other drug treatment options, can last up to 45 days. This is the fourth such outbreak in that Indian state in five years.

The government's website also points out "no cases of Nipah virus infection have been reported in Canada."

More recently, diplomatic tensions got heated between the two countries when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested a link between the Indian government and the death of a British Columbia man.

Neither Nova Scotia's Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration, nor Nova Scotia Health would agree to interviews.

The health-care system is expected to see more employees from India work in Nova Scotia, a nation considered the number one source of immigrants to Nova Scotia for the five-year period 2018 through 2022. Figures specific to Lunenburg and Queens counties were not available.

During that time, India accounted for 31 per cent of the 38,900 immigrants to Nova Scotia, Amanda Silliker, a spokesperson for the province's Nova Scotia Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration, said in an email. In the first half of 2023, 2,535 Indian citizens have immigrated to Nova Scotia, she said.

"Many Indian citizens immigrate to Nova Scotia after first studying in the province. According to the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission, India was the top source country for international students (3,356) in Nova Scotia during the 2021-22 school year."

It's important to note, she said, that the Nipah outbreak is small and contained to a very specific region of India, a country of 1.4 billion people.

Meanwhile, Silliker added, the department will continue to monitor the status of the relationship between the countries to understand how it may impact Nova Scotia's ongoing recruitment efforts.

"At this time, we do not have any recruitment missions planned for India. We remain committed to working with Nova Scotia employers to help them use our immigration programs to address their labour market needs, and to working with foreign nationals who are looking to bring their skills, talent, and knowledge to our province."

Health-care workers recruited by Nova Scotia Health follow routine federal immigration processes including health screening in their country of origin, NSH spokesperson Brendan Elliott said in an email.

"While Nova Scotia Health does not have special measures in place specific to screening for Nipah virus, all health care workers joining Nova Scotia Health are required to undergo pre-employment health assessments by Occupational Health, Safety and Wellness," Elliott added. "Anyone presenting with signs or symptoms of any communicable disease would be referred for care as appropriate and employment deferred until symptoms have improved or resolved."