Management of Outbreaks

When an outbreak is reported, an outbreak control team is immediately set up to investigate. The team consists of IDCU staff together with officers from Environmental Health Directorate, Evans and Mater Dei Hospital Laboratories and other entities depending on the specific scenario in order to ensure early diagnosis of the infectious disease causing the outbreak, and to take timely control measures.   Follow-up is carried out centrally by the Infectious Disease Prevention and Control Unit staff. Most investigations deal with outbreaks of food-borne disease, particularly Salmonella, Campylobacter, toxic and unspecified (other bacteria and viruses) causes of diarrhoea.