1.  Medical Officer of Health

• Provide guidance and direction.

• Coordinate investigation.
• Arrange for sufficient program staff to investigate.
• Inform Public Health Laboratory and keep them abreast of the outbreak situation.
• Provide instructions and/or orders regarding the outbreak.
• Contact and communicate on an ongoing basis with other jurisdictions involved in this outbreak.
• Review outbreak report submitted by program staff.
• Submit outbreak report to Medical Officer of Health.
• Provide report to contact person.
• Participate in meetings with Outbreak Management Team.

• Inform Provincial Laboratory of suspected outbreak.
• Ensure initial specimen kits are delivered.
• Meet with contact person at location of the outbreak to establish a case definition, explain roles, explain case reporting form, look for new cases, recommend, institute and evaluate control measure.
• Investigate/inspect location of the outbreak (environmental assessment).
• Perform follow-up of identified cases.
• Provide general health teaching in regards to control measures.
• Provide resource material and be a resource for the contact person at the location of the outbreak.
• Collect all necessary environmental samples (food, water, etc.) when/where appropriate.
• Analyze data gathered from the outbreak using EPI-Info;  prepare and submit the outbreak report to the Manager, Health Protection
• Complete the Reportable Disease Information System outbreak form.
• Ensure compliance with recommendations made as a result of the outbreak.
• Participate in meetings with Outbreak Management Team.

• Prepare and provide outbreak specimen kits when required.
• Provide results from specimens submitted during the outbreak so soon as possible to the Public Health Unit.
• Act as a resource.
• Provide a summary report following the outbreak to the Public Health Unit.
• Participate in meetings with Outbreak Management Team.

• Collect all surveillance data for submission to the Health Unit.  Where possible, data collected through an active surveillance system is to be reviewed by the medical advisor of the facility and by the surveillance nurse prior to presentation to the investigation team.  The role of the medical advisor is to confirm the existence of infection based on  the clinical symptoms, in the absence of laboratory reports and provide additional advice of direction.  The physician may also decide whether further investigations are warranted.
• Ensure the distribution, collection and submission of specimen containers.
• Ensure control measures are implemented and enforced.
• Participate in meetings with Outbreak Management Team.

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