Communicable Disease Prevention
Communicable disease prevention outlines how Public Health, UBC, and individuals can work together to prevent the spread of communicable disease. It is intended to educate members of the campus community in order to understand the layers of protection. A communicable disease is an illness caused by an infectious agent or its toxic product that can be transmitted in a work, research or academic environment from one person to another (i.e. influenza, COVID-19, norovirus).
The Communicable Disease Prevention Framework is not meant to replace existing communicable disease exposure control plans in workplaces that require them (Please refer to parts 5.2 and 6.33 to 6.40 of WorkSafeBC’s Occupational Health & Safety Regulations).
Communicable Disease Elevated Risk Statements
Updated: April 2022
COVID-19: COVID-19 global pandemic. UBC recommends following Public Health Guidance and Elevated Risk considerations as outlined in the UBC Communicable Disease Prevention Framework.
- UBC Risk Mitigation: See UBCO COVID-19 Information for more details (Coronavirus (COVID-19) Response – UBC’s Okanagan Campus)
Updated: October 2022
Influenza: Seasonal influenza. UBC recommends following Public Health Guidance and Elevated Risk considerations as outlined in the UBC Communicable Disease Prevention Framework.
- UBC Risk Mitigation: See UBCO Protect Yourself From the Flu Information for more details (Influenza Response – UBC’s Okanagan Campus)
Communicable Disease Prevention Measures
Some of these measures are used on an ongoing basis (i.e. health checks, behaviours, cleaning, functioning HVAC systems) and some measures may be implemented when there is an elevated risk of communicable disease. For example, the level of risk may rise from time to time or on a seasonal basis and therefore the number of protective measures needed may rise, as recommended by Public Health.
Not all measures will be available at all times. Therefore it is recommended that members of the UBC community understand and practice them in a risk-aware manner, guided by their comfort and Public Health Recommendations.
