Campus Management of Infectious Disease Outbreaks

Communicable and infectious diseases are no strangers to campus health. Multiple factors in the campus environment contribute to increased risk for students, faculty, and staff. Awareness of current and future risks, and identifying responsibilities and resources result from partnerships with campus and local community capacity. Legal, policy, and organizational responsibilities may differ from campus to campus. Thus, each campus health program should identify its role within the context of its practice. Tracking of immunization compliance, isolation, and quarantine of impacted students along with academic program coordination are unique functions to consider for the management of an infectious disease outbreak on a college campus. Ongoing prevention programs, planning, and training for communicable and infectious diseases allow campus health services to identify and successfully control outbreaks.