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. 2017 Jul;18(4):193-198.
doi: 10.1177/1757177416689725. Epub 2017 Feb 17.

Influenza outbreak in a Canadian correctional facility

Jonathan Besney  1 , Danusia Moreau  2 , Angela Jacobs  3 , Dan Woods  4 , Diane Pyne  4 , A Mark Joffe  2   5 , Rabia Ahmed  2   5
Affiliations

Influenza outbreak in a Canadian correctional facility

Jonathan Besney et al. J Infect Prev. 2017 Jul.

Abstract

Correctional facilities face increased risk of communicable disease transmission and outbreaks. We describe the progression of an influenza outbreak in a Canadian remand facility and suggest strategies for preventing, identifying and responding to outbreaks in this setting. In total, six inmates had laboratory-confirmed influenza resulting in 144 exposed contacts. Control measures included enhanced isolation precautions, restricting admissions to affected living units, targeted vaccination and antiviral prophylaxis. This report highlights the importance of setting specific outbreak guidelines in addressing population and environmental challenges, as well as implementation of effective infection prevention and control (IPAC) and public health measures when managing influenza and other communicable disease outbreaks.

Keywords: Influenza; incarceration; infection prevention and control; outbreak; vulnerable populations.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
(a) Influenza outbreak timeline showing patients (n = 6) by location and patient-location links. (b) Patients with ILI by date of onset in Edmonton, Alberta, 10–16 December 2013.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Correctional health ILI algorithm (Alberta Health Services, 2012b).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Alberta Health Services. (2012. a). Guidelines for Outbreak Prevention, Control and Management in Provincial Correctional Centres. Edmonton: Alberta Health Services.
    1. Alberta Health Services (2012. b). Infection Prevention and Control for Influenza. Point of Care Risk Assessment for Patients with Influenza-Like Illness (ILI) or Confirmed Influenza. Edmonton: Alberta Health Services; Available at: http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/healthinfo/Diseases/hi-dis-fl... (accessed 21 June 2016).
    1. Alberta Health Services. (2016) Guidelines for Outbreak Prevention, Control and Management in Acute Care and Facility Living Sites. Edmonton: Alberta Health Services. Available from: http://www.albertahealthservices.ca/assets/healthinfo/Diseases/hi-dis-fl... (accessed 18 October 2016).
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