Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Again, thank you for the opportunity.
I would certainly reinforce what Dr. Eyolfson said; perhaps we all do need to stay calm in the face of uncertainty. My organization, as stewards of the national blood system, would certainly like to assure Canadians that we believe we have managed this risk appropriately. We will continue to work with experts around the world to ensure that the blood system in Canada is there to protect Canadians and to serve Canadians well.
This is not the last emerging virus we will face. There will always be the next one, after Zika. That's why I wanted to stress the emergence of other technologies, such as pathogen reduction technology.
But we have in place a very sophisticated surveillance and risk-based decision-making mechanism. We believe it has responded quickly and we will obviously continue to monitor this one as it emerges and changes its biology and its epidemiology. For now, I think we can confidently say that we are doing what we can to protect the blood supply and individuals who may receive transfusions in Canada from the likelihood of Zika transmission.
Thank you again for the opportunity to present.