WHAT IS AN OUTBREAK?
An outbreak is a sudden increase in the number of people sick from a communicable disease, food-borne illness, or a non-communicable condition (e.g., illness due to chemicals, toxic fumes, etc.). When this occurs, the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit Outbreak Management Team monitors, investigates, and responds to the situation in order to protect the community.

WHO WE ARE
The Outbreak Management Team is made up of a Public Health Nurse and three Public Health Inspectors. We provide many services, ranging from giving infection control workshops to providing sample collection kits to care facilities.

GOALS
• To reduce the number and severity of outbreaks through education and implementation of infection control measures.
• To identify the type and source of an outbreak and implement the appropriate measures in order to reduce the risk of illness in the community.

SERVICES WE PROVIDE
We aim to achieve our goals through the services we provide to the community and care facilities (e.g., long-term care facilities, retirement homes, and day cares). We offer two main types of services: preventative education and outbreak management.

Preventative:Education
• In-service workshops.
• Infection control education.
• Consultations, individually and through the Professional Advisory Committee (PAC).
• Community information displays.
• Educational resources and materials.
• Online access to forms, resources, and information.

Outbreak Management
• In-service workshops.
• Advising precautions and controls, such as which appropriate personal protection and environmental controls need to be applied.
• Consultations on implementing infection control policies and outbreak contingency plans, such as what restrictions need to be placed on visitors and admissions, and what signage needs to be posted.
• Nasopharyngeal swabbing and enteric outbreak kits to care facilities.