Controlling the spread of infectious diseases

Te Mana Ora | Community and Public Health is responsible for investigating cases of infectious diseases, as well as controlling their spread within our community. The goal is to reduce future occurrences of infectious disease.

Te Mana Ora | Community and Public Health compiles and reports data on infectious disease trends for our region (disease surveillance).

• Read the latest Public Health Update about notifiable diseases and other public health issues to health professionals.
• Read the latest Notifiable Disease Surveillance Reports.
• Read the latest Influenza and Respiratory Illness Surveillance Reports – produced from May to October each year.

Staff are also prepared to deal with large local, regional or national outbreaks or health emergencies. Examples include a national respiratory disease pandemic or the threat of water-borne diseases after natural disasters or other emergency situations.

• Find out more about Community and Public Health’s planning for emergency situations.

Some infectious diseases must be reported

The National Public Health Service is responsible for identifying, assessing and reducing communicable disease risks in our communities. This includes the management of people with communicable disease and people they have had contact with.

Health practitioners have a vital role to play in this by promptly reporting any patients suffering from a notifiable disease to local public health staff. This is a legal requirement under the Health Act 1956 (Section 74).

• Download the Complete List of Notifiable Diseases – now including Invasive group A streptococcal infection (Ministry of Health).
• Get the latest information and advice on COVID-19.
• Download or order resources on Infectious Diseases.
• Download frequently asked questions information on notifiable diseases and surveillance [256KB PDF].
• Download factsheets on diseases of public health importance.

Response to a disease notification

The Communicable Disease Team’s response to a notification depends on the urgency and potential severity of the disease, and may involve:

• an investigation into the source of the infection to protect those possibly exposed and to prevent its recurrence;
• offering preventive medication or vaccination to people who have been in contact with an infected person;
• arranging or taking samples/specimens from an infected person or close contacts to confirm the diagnosis or confirm if a person is still infectious; and
• finding out more information through a questionnaire, hospital visit or interview.

• Download forms for notifying diseases or reporting an outbreak in a setting or facility such as aged care or education providers.
• Find out how to report a case of food poisoning or acute gastroenteritis.

Prevention is better than cure

Infectious disease prevention is also a big priority for Te Mana Ora | Community and Public Health. The National Immunisation Programme for children is important in protecting against diseases such as measles. Another valuable vaccination programme is the annual influenza vaccination for vulnerable groups such as the elderly and chronically ill.

Medical Officers of Health are responsible for authorising vaccinators, and Communicable Disease staff can provide advice on immunisation issues.

• Find out more about immunisation.

Documents

• The Prevention of Legionellosis in New Zealand: Guidelines for the Control of Legionella Bacteria (Health NZ 2025).
• Life since the pandemic: How the COVID-19 pandemic experience has shaped public attitudes and beliefs on public health, infectious disease and vaccination (Ministry of Health 2024).
• Communicable Disease Control Manual.
• National Polio Outbreak Preparedness and Response Framework for Aotearoa New Zealand (Ministry of Health 2023).
• Rheumatic Fever Roadmap 2023 – 2028 (Te Whatu Ora 2023).
• Aotearoa New Zealand Sexually Transmitted and Blood Borne Infection Strategy 2023-2030 (Ministry of Health 2023).
• Kotahitanga: Uniting Aotearoa against infectious disease and antimicrobial resistance (Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor 2022). A summary report is also available.

• Racism and Xenophobia Experiences in Aotearoa New Zealand during COVID-19: A focus on Chinese and Asian communities (Human Rights Commission 2021).
• Health Sector Response to the 2019 Measles Outbreaks (Ministry of Health 2020).
• 2019 Canterbury Measles Outbreak: A summary of cases (Community and Public Health 2019).
• Risk Factors for Legionella longbeachae Legionnaires’ Disease, New Zealand (Emerging Infectious Diseases, July 2017).
• New Zealand Antimicrobial Resistance Action Plan (Ministry of Health 2017).
• Health Act 1956.
• Health (Infectious and Notifiable Diseases) Regulations 2016.
• Health (Protection) Amendment Act 2016.

Downloads

Download or order resources from the Community Health Information Centre.

• Infectious Diseases.
• Campylobacter, E. coli and Salmonella.
• Cryptosporidium and Giardia.
• Scabies.

Links

• Infectious Diseases (Health NZ).
• Communicable Disease Control Manual (Health NZ).
• Infectious Disease Intelligence and Surveillance (ESR).

Travel Health and Vaccination

Community and Public Health no longer provides information on vaccinations for overseas travel.

Contact your local medical practice or a specialist travel medicine clinic (as listed in the Medical section of the White Pages) for more information.

• Get advice about what to do if you become sick or injured while overseas (SafeTravel).
• Find a Yellow Fever Vaccination Clinic in Canterbury, South Canterbury or the West Coast (Health NZ).