The BC Centre for Disease Control participates in, and provides secretarial support for, the BC Communicable Disease Policy Advisory Committee. The Committee is also composed of representatives from the five Health Authorities (Medical Health Officers and Public Health Nursing Representatives), the Ministry of Health, Health Protection Directors and Health Canada’s First Nations and Inuit Health. The Committee reports to Deputy Minister of Health through the Provincial Health Officer.
The Committee mandate is to:
- Establish priorities for communicable disease control in BC based on best available scientific evidence and recommendations of national and international expert groups
- Provide recommendations on the development of provincial communicable disease control policies and guidelines
- Provide recommendations on the prioritization of communicable disease control programs
- Provide leadership on the development of cost-benefit analyses for new and existing communicable disease control programs.
Several subcommittees report to the Communicable Disease Policy Committee, including:
- Pandemic Influenza Management Committee
- BC Immunization Committee
- Vectorborne Disease Working Group
- BC Enteric Policy Working Group
- Harm Reduction Working Group
- Human Papilloma Virus Working Group
- Evironmental Health Working Group
- Sexually Transmitted Infections/ Bloodborne Infections Working Group
- Panorama Implementation Committee
- Communicable Diseases Scientific Subcommittee