Communicable Disease Control

Communicable diseases control (CDC) is an illness that is often spread from person to person, and can be spread through food, water and animals. First Nations community health and wellness are strengthened through the prevention, promotion, treatment and management of CDC. Illnesses prevented by vaccination are chicken pox, measles. Through regular screening tuberculosis (TB) and hepatitis C can be detected and treated or cured.

FNHA and Communicable Disease

FNHA assists in providing awareness and building capacity around the importance of CDC programs in community.

Health Protection and Community Health

First Nation Health Authority works with BC and First Nation communities to support community health systems on reserve that includes basic services such as infectious disease control and surveillance, prenatal education, immunization, and environmental health services (drinking water testing, health inspections, etc)

• CDC programs and initiatives support public health measures by:
• Preventing, treating and controlling cases and outbreaks of communicable disease (e.g. Immunization, screening, direct observed therapy)
• Promoting public health education and awareness to encourage health practices
• Strengthening community capacity (e.g. to prepare for and respond to pandemic influenza)
• Identifying risks (e.g. Surveillance, reporting)

The CDC program focuses on vaccine preventable diseases, blood borne diseases and sexually transmitted infections, respiratory infections, and communicable disease emergencies. A number of these activities are closely linked with those undertaken in the environmental health programming are, particularly as they relate to waterborne, food borne and zootoxic infectious diseases.

Contact your Community Health Nurse for more information:

Campbell River 

 Cape Mudge and Quinsam

Pandemic Influenza

Pandemic influenza is the worldwide spread of a new influenza (flu) subtype.​ It is different from a regular flu outbreak or epidemic because it affects a wider geographical area and more people – it is usually a global outbreak - and can lead to an increase in severe illnesses and deaths.​​​

Pandemic Planning

The FNHA Health Protection Nurse Specialist for Pandemic and Communicable Disease Emergencies (CDE) helps BC First Nations communities prepare for and manage pandemic and other communicable disease emergencies by:

 Developing and delivering pandemic preparedness sessions in communities

• Providing information and resources to community pandemic planning teams to help them improve their pandemic plans
• Supporting the development of culturally-appropriate education materials
• Supporting response efforts during a pandemic event
• Providing a First Nations perspective and voice to pandemic planning at the regional, provincial and national level
• Pandemic Influenza plan - Train front line workers to achieve protection and contribute to limiting the spread of influenza by strengthening the general knowledge on personal respiratory hygiene in the community. Ensure that personal advice about reducing the risk of transmission is easily available to communities and the information of routine Influenza Vaccination Programs. KDC employees will ensure that we have current demographics pertaining to high risk community members.