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This Division is primarily
responsible for the epidemiology, surveillance and control of
communicable diseases through a comprehensive program of immunization,
disease reporting, follow-up, and control of disease occurrences and
outbreaks. It also has responsibility for the epidemiology and control
of non-communicable and chronic diseases and works as part of a
government team to ensure a safe environment.
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Disease
Surveillance - This program involves receiving, compiling and
analyzing reported communicable diseases as outlined in the
Communicable Diseases Act and the Venereal Diseases Act. In addition
to producing weekly, monthly and annual reports for the province, and
reporting to Health Canada, this includes maintenance of disease
registries. Disease registries maintain demographic, treatment and
epidemiologic data on individuals with specific diseases. There are
seven current disease registries; Tuberculosis, Syphilis, Hepatitis B,
Hepatitis C, HIV and AIDS, Measles, Meningococcal Disease.
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Disease Control
- This program involves responding to variations in disease patterns,
outside that which is normal or expected in the population, with a view
to elimination or containment. Some examples include investigation and
control of outbreaks of food and water-borne illness, tuberculosis,
measles, and unidentified symptoms or disease syndromes in the
population.
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Immunization
- This program involves the immunization of all persons in the province
according to national and provincial standards and recommendations. This
includes policy development, maintenance of vaccine supply (including
budget and monitoring), maintenance of immunization records, and
provision of data related to immunization status. Also included in this
program are ad hoc immunization programs directed to specific outbreak
control measures.
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Environmental
Health - The environmental health program of the Disease
Control and Epidemiology Division is responsible for the review and/or
development of environmental/public health program areas. This includes policy,
guideline and standards development and the promotion of environmental/public
health issues related to:
- food premises inspection program
- food safety
- bacteriological quality of drinking water: public and private water supplies
- sanitation: private sewage disposal & nuisances
- public facility inspections: public pools, child care
centres, and schools
- tobacco sales to minors
- environmental tobacco smoke
- enteric disease investigations
- air quality
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The following Acts and Regulations are applicable to the Environmental Health Program:
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Consultation
- This involves acting as consultant to the Minister of Health,
community health boards and other professions and government departments
in the province. This also includes acting as the Departments' liaison
with other departments, organizations and with other provincial and
federal governments in the area of disease control.
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