To report an outbreak during regular business hours, or for more information, call 613-580-2424 ext. 26325. Evenings, weekends or holidays, call 3-1-1 and ask to speak with the Public Health Inspector on-call.
It is important that child care centres collaborate with Ottawa Public Health (OPH) to ensure the prevention, early detection and control of infectious diseases. When a case or outbreak of an infectious disease occurs, OPH works closely with staff at your centre to implement appropriate infection control measures, to manage contacts, and to provide education and direction as needed. Prompt reporting of suspect or confirmed cases or outbreaks of infectious diseases is crucial to enable early implementation of control measures that can minimize the risk of further transmission or spread of the infection in child care centres.
To report an outbreak during normal business hours (Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.), please call 613-580-2424 ext. 26325. To report a single case of a communicable disease during normal business hours please call 613-580-2424 ext. 24224. To report in the evening, on weekends or holidays, please call 3-1-1 and ask to speak with the public health inspector on-call.
Reporting outbreaks to Ottawa Public Health | ||||||||||||
A Child Care Centre should report an Outbreak of Illness to Ottawa Public Health (OPH)Any child, staff, or student tests positive for COVID-19
OR
When there are three (3) or more cases of gastrointestinal (GI) illness (child and/or staff) within a program, group, or the entire centre in a three (3) day period, even if cases occurred at home
OR If there are one or more case(s) of a reportable enteric disease in the centre (see below) OR If there is >15% absenteeism due to illness within a program or entire centre on one day. When an outbreak is suspected, implement outbreak control measures:
Report to OPHIf an outbreak is suspected or you are uncertain if you have an outbreak, call OPH Outbreak Reporting Line at 613-580-6744 ext 26325, Monday to Friday from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm or 3-1-1 after hours. If an outbreak is confirmed by OPH, fax the line listing to OPH at 613-580-9649 on a daily basis until the outbreak is declared over by OPH. Do you have children absent with other illnesses?Refer to the Guidelines for Communicable Disease and Other Childhood Health Issues for Schools and Child Care Centres. |
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Infection prevention and control measures during outbreaks | ||||||||||||
Exclusion of ill children and/or staffChildren and/or staff should stay at home when they have:
During an outbreak, staff should be vigilant about monitoring children for symptoms of illness. Children can return to the child care centre or school after they have completed their period of isolation and should continue to follow public health measures when planning to resume regular activities. Cohorting of ill childrenIf possible, ill children should be kept in a separate, supervised area that can be easily cleaned and disinfected, until a parent or guardian takes them home. Cleaning and disinfectionRoutine cleaning and disinfection is essential to prevent the spread of germs. During outbreaks, you may need to take additional measures, including, but not limited to, the following:
Hand HygieneHand hygiene is essential for all staff and children to prevent the spread of germs. Infants and young children should be supervised when performing hand hygiene to ensure it is done properly. Hand hygiene includes both hand washing and hand sanitizing and should be done more frequently during outbreaks. You must ensure that:
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Hand hygiene resources | ||||||||||||
Learn more about preventing the spread of germs in the below resources prepared by OPH. The information below is available in other formats. Contact Ottawa Public Health at 613-580-6744 to request the document in an accessible format.
Hand Washing Poster only:
Hand Washing Poster and Factsheet:Hand Sanitizing Poster only:
Hand Sanitizing Poster and Factsheet:Cough Etiquette Poster only:
Cough Etiquette Poster and Factsheet: |
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Line listing for outbreaks | ||||||||||||
Outbreak line listing for child care centers and schools [PDF 160 kb] Fax daily to: 613-580-9649
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Outbreak signage | ||||||||||||
If possible, print the signs in colour and post, facing outwards, at the main entrance and all other public entrances. This child care centre is experiencing unusual absenteeism due to illness [PDF 194 kb] |
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How to collect stool specimens | ||||||||||||
Collection
Collection Procedure:
LabellingLabel each container with the client's name, Date of Birth and date the stool sample was collected Samples that are incorrectly filled out, or packaged improperly will be discarded by Public Health Lab |
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