If you suspect that a student may have a communicable (contagious) disease—such as whooping cough, chickenpox, or measles—you do not need to wait to be contacted by Island Health. You may reach out to any of the local public health units for guidance on next steps.
Esquimalt Health Unit
530 Fraser St
Victoria, B.C.
250-519-5311
Victoria Health Unit
1947 Cook St
Victoria, B.C.
250-388-2200
Saanich Health Unit
3995 Quadra St
Victoria, B.C.
250-519-5100
CONFIRMED CASE
When there is a confirmed case of a communicable (contagious) disease in a school
Confirmed case means that the student
- has seen a doctor;
- been tested;
- and the lab has confirmed the student has the disease
In this case, the lab will automatically contact Island Health Communicable Disease Department (CDD) who in turn contacts Public Health and the following occurs:
- Public Health is provided the name of the school;
- CDD provides Public Health with a school letter;
- Public Health attaches the appropriate BC Health File and the school letter to an email and forwards it to the school administrator
**PLEASE DO NOT SEND LETTERS HOME TO FAMILIES UNTIL INSTRUCTED BY PUBLIC HEALTH TO DO SO, AND ONLY USE THE LETTER THAT IS SENT TO YOU BY PUBLIC HEALTH.
Schools are encouraged to routinely communicate to their school community the need to practice health awareness, and to stay home when sick. Refer to Island Health School Newsletter Inserts as a resource
K-12 Communicable Disease Guidelines
