Stopping the spread of Communicable Disease
The Super Heroes of Toi Te Ora - Public Health Service
One of the most challenging and interesting roles of a Health Protection Officer is in the investigation of notified communicable diseases.
Certain diseases are required by law to be notified by family doctors and hospital physicians because they have a wider significance than just the recovery of the patient. By far the most common group of diseases that are notified are the food and water borne diseases, for example campylobacter, salmonella and giardia.
Food and water borne diseases pose a risk of spreading, and it is the role of the Health Protection Officer to try and prevent this from happening by looking for the source of the illness. This may involve closing down food premises, investigating where contamination may enter a water supply, identifying carriers of illness, i.e. people who are carrying the particular illness but have no symptoms and so may not be aware of the need to maintain strict personal hygiene.
Standard advice for people who have been ill with these diseases is to be especially vigilant in their personal hygiene. That means washing hands regularly, but especially before eating or drinking or preparing food, after changing nappies or going to the toilet. As always we advise that people should remain at home and recuperate when they’re ill, rather then taking their illnesses to work to spread among their colleagues.
People employed in high risk occupations such as food preparation for the public, or those that have close personal contact with other vulnerable people, for example nursing and childcare, may be required to remain off work.
