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Communicable Disease Prevention & Control
Learn about our role in the prevention and control of communicable diseases.
Role our communicable diseases program plays
The Communicable Disease Prevention and Control Program is made up of the Communicable Disease Unit: responsible for follow up and to provide health education and consultation to health region staff, community agencies, and health professionals in the control, treatment, and management of communicable diseases.
Our program keeps statistics and records on reportable diseases according to the requirements of the Ministry of Health. The program staff work with BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), the Public Health Agency of Canada, and other health authorities to detect unusual numbers of infectious diseases from a specific strain of pathogens, investigate to determine the source of the pathogen and to limit the spread of infectious communicable diseases.
Visit our Health Facility Disease Outbreaks page to stay up to date with the active outbreaks in our facilities. The page is updated when new outbreaks are declared.
Disease prevention & harm reduction resources
- Respiratory and Gastrointestinal Infection Outbreak Toolkit
- RI and GI Outbreak Report Form (#823076)
- Master Respiratory Illness Surveillance Line List Tool Template
- Master Gastrointestinal Illness Surveillance Line List Tool Template
- Respiratory Surveillance Line List Worksheet
- Gastrointestinal Surveillance Line List Worksheet
- Oseltamivir Influenza Antiviral Prophylaxis – Physician Letter
- Influenza Immunization – Client record
- Influenza Immunization – HCW Record
- Outbreak Management Team Agenda and Notes Template
- 2026 Getting Ready for Outbreaks LTCF Leadership (Video)
Disease surveillance
The Communicable Disease program works to reduce the incidence and prevalence of communicable diseases in Interior Health by providing relevant public health data, information and reports to decision makers, professionals, and health-care workers in an effort to promote actions that will result in the timely prevention and control of communicable diseases throughout our region.
High validity and good comparability of communicable disease data are imperative to reach this goal.
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