Our unit is responsible for the management of communicable diseases in our community.

This includes early detection, surveillance, investigation and control of diseases contracted by people from animals (zoonotic diseases), insects (vector borne diseases) and people.

What we do

• Monitor and respond to notifiable diseases and conditions reported to Queensland Health under the Public Health Act 2005,  including:
  • Food and water borne disease outbreaks
  • Vaccine preventable diseases including measles and whooping cough
  • Serious infections such as meningococcal disease
  • Mosquito-borne infections such as dengue fever
  • Infections transmitted to humans from animals including Q Fever, Hendra virus and Australian Bat Lyssavirus.
• Manage communicable disease outbreaks and public health incidents, including influenza in Residential Care Facilities (RCF)
• Provide expert advice to health professionals, governments, industry and community
• Develop,  implement and partner with others on projects and research to prevent and control communicable diseases;
• Monitor, enforce and promote compliance with the Public Health Act 2005
• Human quarantine at Gold Coast International Airport
• Joint program with local government and other agencies on mosquito control and mosquito borne diseases.

Influenza Readiness in Residential Care Facilities

Gold Coast Health recommends all Residential Care Facilities (RCF) have an Influenza Readiness Plan in place to ensure effective protection for residents. For more information read Influenza Readiness presentation and Readiness Report template. If you require further assistance send your enquiry details to gcphucdc@health.qld.gov.au

Commonwealth Games activities

Public health is supporting the delivery of a world class Commonwealth Games event, and establishing a legacy for future mass gatherings through increased surveillance activities. This will include enhanced monitoring of gastroenteritis presentations at health care facilities, in addition to our routine surveillance via the Notifiable Conditions System, including:

• Real time syndromic surveillance of gastroenteritis symptom presentations to Gold Coast Health public hospital Emergency Departments
• Near real time (24 hourly) syndromic surveillance of gastroenteritis symptom presentations to, three major private hospitals, 13 HEALTH, and 20 sentinel General Practices (GPs), including the Home Doctors Service
• Collection and analysis of (voluntarily provided) food and water exposure information from community members who present to health care facilities with symptoms of gastroenteritis, approached by: 
  • 24-hour post discharge SMS invitation to brief online self-completed questionnaire (public emergency department)
  • Verbal invitation to a brief interviewer assisted questionnaire (13 HEALTH)
  • Poster and pamphlet invitation to brief online self-completed questionnaire (private emergency department, sentinel GPs, and sentinel community pharmacies)
• Assisting with the development of workplace policies and practices (GOLDOC and partner organisations) to support the effective monitoring and control of gastroenteritis among athletes/officials/games family members/workforce/volunteers
• Daily monitoring of Notifiable Conditions Register for all notifiable conditions across Queensland
• Daily monitoring of global outbreaks/emerging infectious diseases, supported by the National Incident Room
• Monitoring of alerts from Public Health Rapid, Emergency, Disease and Syndromic Surveillance (PHREDDS), New South Wales
• Surveillance of workforce in partner organisations 
• Monitoring of ‘gastro’ related Twitter posts and Google searches in the Gold Coast region.