Public Health Response was established in September 2022 based on learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic with the aim of improving and supporting the public health sector with provincial public health responses.
Several teams responsible for communicable disease surveillance and control are part of the Public Health Response Service Line.
Public health response works to prevent, prepare for, detect, respond to, and recover from outbreaks of infectious diseases.
Enteric, Zoonotic and Vector-borne Diseases
Conducts surveillance and leads investigations in outbreaks of reportable enteric, zoonotic and vector-borne diseases within the province.
Respiratory Diseases
Conducts surveillance on respiratory viral illnesses, such as COVID-19, influenza, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
Rapid Response Team
Provides rapid operational and clinical support to our other program areas and public health partners.
The Community Antimicrobial Stewardship (CAS) program works to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing in British Columbia, to combat the threat of antibiotic resistance. The program focuses on three key areas:
Public outreach: Education of public audiences about antibiotics and antibiotic resistance through
www.antibioticwise.ca.
Engagement with health care professionals: Collaboration with healthcare professionals to promote evidence-based antibiotic prescribing.
Surveillance and research: Monitoring of trends in antibiotic resistance and utilization, sharing insights on two user-friendly dashboards on the BCCDC website.
